Celebrities Who Are Completely Unrecognizable Without Hair Extensions

If you didn't know any better, you might think that many of your favorite celebrities have access to a magic serum that they use whenever they want to add several inches to their hair overnight. In reality, they simply have access to the best hair extensions money can buy. Hair extensions have been around for thousands of years, and while the technology has certainly evolved over time, the desired result has largely remained the same: When a person uses hand-tied, clip-in, or microlink extensions, it's typically because they want to make their natural hair look fuller and longer. 

From giving red carpet hairdos an extra lift, to creating signature looks for our favorite stars, extensions come part and parcel with the celebrity job profile. As celebrity hairstylist Reece Walker, whose client list includes Victoria Beckham and Eva Longoria, told Bustle in 2025, "Ninety percent of people you look at [in Hollywood] wear extensions." She also noted that many public figures are now less inclined to be hush-hush about whether or not they wear hairpieces. "I think it's a generational thing — like a majority of the older ones you don't see talking about their hair extensions," Reece said. 

While some famous folks' extensions have become a part of their brand — look no further than the luscious high ponytail that Ariana Grande sported for years — that doesn't mean they shy away from letting their real hair down on social media every once in a while. Here are some celebrities who are completely unrecognizable without hair extensions. 

Ariana Grande's hair has gone through quite the evolution, and yes, extensions have played a major part. However, arguably her most famous look was born out of necessity. In a 2014 Facebook post, she shared that she started wearing her big iconic ponytail because her natural hair was wrecked after her time on the Nickelodeon sitcom "Victorious." "I had to bleach my hair and dye it red every other week for the first 4 years of playing Cat," she wrote. "My real hair is back to brown and I wear extensions but I wear it in a pony tail because my actual hair is so broken that it looks absolutely ratchet and absurd when I let it down." She also noted that she pivoted to wearing a red wig for the spinoff series "Sam & Cat."

The pop star's signature ponytail is long, voluminous, and pin straight. Her natural tresses, on the other hand, are as bouncy and curly as can be. While she doesn't rock 'em often, she has said the curls are an important part of who she is. "My real hair — which is the humungous curly, curly poof — so few people get to see it. ... It reminds me of, you know, who I am privately," she said on a 2020 episode of the "Zach Sang Show." "The curls are definitely something that I don't bring around much."

Few celebrities pull off a short bob quite like Hailey Bieber. The model and entrepreneur has steadily represented cropped hair girlies ever since she came into her own as a celebrity. "My hair was really long as a teenager," she dished to Refinery29 in 2022. "Then I started modeling and I wanted to be cool and edgy, so I cut it really short — it never grew long after that. Now I'm trying to grow it out, but it's taken a long time."

Her natural hair certainly didn't grow out overnight — in 2023, she shared a selfie in an Instagram Story that she snapped to document what her hair looked like after three years of growth — but Bieber has definitely worn her fair share of extensions over the years. And if you were none the wiser, you might be fooled into thinking the natural-looking extensions were her real hair.  

"If you're after natural-looking extensions, it's important to consider what your natural hair is like," hair extension specialist Hadley Yates said in a piece for Harper's Bazaar that highlighted an exceptionally gorgeous hair moment by Bieber at a New York event. "When extensions are put in, they can look clumpy and heavy so you need to have someone who can make sure (the extensions) are textured properly throughout the hair so it looks natural." With expert extension specialists like Priscilla Valles working on Bieber's hair, one can best believe that she will always come out on the other side looking flawless. 

Nicki Minaj typically keeps her natural hair tucked under wigs and extensions, but every now and again she shows off her tresses. In 2014, for example, the "Anaconda" rapper took to Instagram to share a pic that highlighted her natural hair. "No perm. No extensions," she wrote. A few years later, she posted some videos she snapped during and after a haircut that showed off the length of her natural hair. 

As Minaj has shown in other candid shots on social media, her natural hair ends miles before the lengths of her often ankle-grazing extensions. For an Elle cover in 2018, for instance, Minaj let her pin-straight tresses fall down to 59 inches. "We wanted it to touch the floor. We didn't cut it at all," her trusty hairstylist Kim Kimble told Refinery29, revealing that 12 bundles of add-ons did the trick. "12 bundles does sound like a lot, but your hair is thinner when it's longer." 

While we're all for celebs ditching their wigs to embrace their natural hair, Minaj's multi-colored wig collection is nothing short of legendary. 

Jennifer Lopez is all about rocking long locks. Whether she's hitting the red carpet at a glam Hollywood event or showing her support at a political rally, Lopez's luscious locks are usually in tow. And when she's in pop star mode? You know the extensions are flowing and, as one could argue, totally essential; the "Get Right" dance break, for starters, would not be the same without her hairography. In 2024, her extensions even had a bit of a moment on "Saturday Night Live" when she appeared to yank an extension out without missing a beat during a performance of "Can't Get Enough."

In the 2024 Netflix flick "Atlas," Lopez showcased a totally different look. For the movie, she ditched the extensions and just let her hair do its thing. "I love my natural curly hair," she told Remezcla. This wasn't the only time she showed her love for her hair, as she's posted selfies where her tresses are tied up in a messy bun or just left loose. While she might be all about the big extension look when she's playing a concert or attending a premiere, it's clear she likes to keep it chill at home. "I'm still a ponytail, bun-on-top-of-your-head girl, which is all very Puerto Rican Bronx," she told InStyle in 2018 (via Business Insider). 

In 2019, Taraji P. Henson announced in a since-deleted Instagram post that she would be launching TPH by Taraji, a haircare line that's all about scalp health — which is huge for anyone who wears extensions. "It's for everybody because I've worn every kind of hair," she told InStyle. "I wanted it to be all-inclusive, that's my fan-base. And it's not only Black women who are wearing installs, everybody wears installs." Henson has been candid as can be about her long-term love affair with extensions, wigs, and weaves. She's also all about celebrating her natural hair and taking care of it as best as possible. 

"I've always loved my hair. I've been doing my hair and playing in it for as long as I can remember," she told Vogue in 2021. After using relaxer on her hair all throughout her childhood, she decided to let her hair grow out naturally when she was an adult. "I started to fall in love with my hair in a way I had never fallen in love with it before," she said. While Henson's go-to length has been short for a while now, she still dabbles with extensions that offer longer lengths and striking color changes. 

Selena Gomez's rich brown tresses are usually super straight or slightly wavy, but if nature had its way? Her locks would look super curly and bouncy. The "Calm Down" singer regularly sports extensions that add length and volume to her natural hair, and she's even offered peeks at the installation process. In 2022, for instance, she memorably switched up her short hair with super long extensions that featured high-glam fringes down her forehead. The hair team shared the pop star's behind-the-scenes TikToks on Instagram and wrote, "Here's a great way to transform your clients hair without having to color at all! Just add extensions!" 

The Rare Beauty founder has been frank about her use of extensions to hold up the voluminous styles she is known for, quipping once to YouTuber Lilly Singh that her hair was "very fake." It is hardly a complaint though, with Gomez thoroughly enjoying the experience of clip-ons. When People asked to name her top red carpet look to date back in 2016, she zeroed in on the hair she wore for her 2015 American Music Awards look. "We put in these beautiful, longer extensions and it flowed with my hair but it was really long — like Cher long, which was so fun," she said. "I felt like a character in a way." 

When it comes to transforming her appearance for Halloween, Heidi Klum stands in a league of her own. Every other day of the year, she mostly reins it... but that's not to say she doesn't change up her look. The model has made good use of hair extensions to achieve many show-stopping looks over the years on red carpets, runways, and reality shows like "America's Got Talent" and "Project Runway."

Though she is a natural brunette, Klum has leaned into blonder shades for her hair for much of her career — enough to impress that image deep into public memory. "When I started modeling, people wanted me more blonde. I just started getting blonder and blonder and blonder," she told Allure in 2013.  In a separate chat with People, she noted that staying blonde requires a decent amount of upkeep. "Every five weeks I have to get my roots done," she said. "Even though now it's cool to have some roots, you can't have seven-inch roots and blonde from there on!"

Though maintaining extensions and blonde roots can take some work, Klum's day-to-day haircare is pretty simple. "I just go in the shower, wash and condition [my hair] and just let it air dry," she told People. The supermodel also noted that she appreciates when her hair looks naturally messy. "I feel sometimes [my hair] looks cooler when it is a little bit bedroom-y — and sometimes I literally did just get up," she said. 

As one of the original supermodels of the '90s, Naomi Campbell revolutionized the world of fashion — right from the audacious styles she flaunted, down to her legendary strut on the runway. Her luscious locks — often flowing in all their long, black, sleek glory behind her — only added to her overall oomph factor. Unfortunately, wearing extensions all throughout her career wreaked havoc on her natural hair. The effects have been on display for the public to see for years, with paparazzi pics even capturing bald patches on Campbell's head. "Extensions are OK but not on a full-time basis," Afro hair specialist Joy Miller told The Guardian. "Even if she started wearing wigs, the pressure on the hairline might be too much." 

While Campbell has acknowledged her struggles with hair integrations — as she once told The London Standard, "I do take more care of my hair now, because I lost all of it with extensions" – it hasn't completely put her off the idea of such enhancements. As she put it simply, "If I want to do it, I do it." 

Of course, she certainly doesn't need extensions. In 2018, Campbell shared a selfie that showed her natural hair in cornrows. And duh, she looked as beautiful as ever.

Kylie Jenner is a queen of hair transformations — and extensions are the not-so-secret weapon in her beauty arsenal. The world has seen Jenner go from cascading waist-grazing waves to sleek bobs and then back to longer lengths again, all in a matter of a few days. The Kylie Cosmetics founder's love for extensions runs so deep that she even launched her own line  back in 2014. Around that same time, Jenner was stepping into her own as a member of the Kardashian-Jenner empire. While her lip kits certainly set the world ablaze, she spent the "King Kylie" era experimenting with different hair colors and lengths — and fans were more than eager to follow suit.

"I always knew my family was a big deal, but me, solo ... when I started dyeing my hair blue and cut my hair off, and then everyone started dyeing their hair blue and cutting it off. And I was like, 'Whoa.' I realized what an influence I had," she told Harper's Bazaar. Since then, in collaboration with her longtime hairstylist Jesus Guerrero, Jenner has been setting hair goals without a break. Between the high glam aesthetic that Jenner's millions-strong social media followers are accustomed to, the beauty mogul doesn't mind making the odd au naturel appearance and showing off her real hair. In 2020, for instance, fans got a thorough look at her shoulder-length locks as Jenner took to Instagram Stories to share a video of herself right before getting her roots touched up and extensions put in. 

Taylor Swift has shaken off old styles to make way for new ones, leaving no room for a single dull moment in her hair journey. From the exciting transformation of Swift's signature bangs, to some seriously chic short hairstyles — Swift has rocked it all with panache. Now, she has not flat-out said she's used hair extensions before, but hair extensions do seem to be a part of her ever-changing lookbook, allowing her to experiment with lengths and textures across the many eras of her life. 

The record-making Grammy winner, however, still reminisces about her natural curls that the world so adored during the early days of her music career. "From birth, I had the curliest hair and now it is STRAIGHT," she told Elle on her 30th birthday. "It's the straight hair I wished for every day in junior high. But just as I was coming to terms with loving my curls, they've left me. Please pray for their safe return." Evidently, her wish was granted during The Eras Tour: While performing in Singapore in 2024, Swift joked about her hair not being able to withstand the high humidity. As she said in a clip shared on X, "As you can see, my hair has returned to its factory settings thanks to the humidity here. I'm not complaining, I like it."

Rihanna can rock just about any hairstyle — and one can best believe that the Fenty founder has experimented with quite a few. As she said in an Instagram post about the launch of her haircare line, "You know how much switching my hair up matters to me. I've had almost every texture, color, length, from weaves to braids to natural." From sleek lobs to pixie cuts and red curls — Rihanna's frequent changes have earned her a bit of a reputation as a hair chameleon. So it's hardly a surprise that the "Diamonds" hitmaker can pull off wigs and extensions with equal ease.

Over her textured hair — which, as her stylist Yusef Williams once told Refinery29, she keeps quite healthy — Rihanna has tried on extensions of all kinds and lengths, including ones that go down to her waist. In fact, fans are so used to seeing her with them that when she stepped out flaunting her short corkscrew curls at the launch of Fenty Hair, she was nearly unrecognizable — in the best way possible. Beyond red carpets and grand openings, Rihanna knows the value of giving her hair time to breathe. "She doesn't always have to be that badass, pushing the envelope with a short cut. She likes to pull her hair up in top buns and ponytails, so she can feel chill and normal," Williams said.

Katy Perry's hair has evolved over and over again, right alongside her music career.  Pinks, blues, purples, blondes, reds — the "Firework" hitmaker has experimented with just about every hair color there is, relying either on the power of wigs or dyes to keep her eclectic style quotient up. Perry knows her 'do gets noticed; as she once told E! News, "People have really strong feelings about my hair. For years they have." And so, she continues to keep fans on the edge of their seats and awaiting her next switch-up. 

In 2024, Perry made a nostalgic return to the jet-black hair that defined the early years of her pop career — but with a contemporary twist that taps into the trend of hair extensions. She has found somewhat of a signature look with super long hair, which she flaunts across red carpets, formal shindigs, and, not to mention, glamorous Instagram posts. While getting ready for a fashion show in October of that year, Perry joked to Vogue about removing the extensions she had installed for the event: "Orlando's gonna have fun trying to cut this out of my head when I get home."

Underneath all that fake hair lie Perry's natural golden locks. And once upon a time, she even chopped those locks off. "Everything is more fun with short hair!" she declared to W magazine in 2017. "I can just get up and go." While her turn to extensions may have pared some of that spontaneity, it's clear Perry is enjoying the hair era she is currently in. 

Gwen Stefani has been a household name since the '90s, and for the most part, her locks have stayed platinum blonde the whole time. The "Hollaback Girl" singer has certainly donned a number of styles, including tight updos, bouncy ringlets, and luxe length. Rarely has the world been given a glimpse of Stefani's natural brunette hair, which only makes fleeting appearances on her social media by way of childhood throwbacks.

Maintaining icy blonde hair takes a good deal of effort, and Stefani has longtime hairstylist Danilo Dixon to thank for keeping her locks healthy and stunning. As Dixon told E! News in 2016, he not only created a color formula for her hair, but he stopped using bleach altogether — and based on the state of her hair all these years later, the treatment seems to work wonders. "The truth is Gwen's hair has a career too. It has to entertain, it has to perform," he quipped. 

In addition to dyeing her hair on a regular basis, Stefani's also a big fan of wearing extensions to create fun and fresh looks. As she once said of her hair to ET, "Nothing here is me. Everything is fake."

Chrissy Teigen is refreshingly honest about what she actually looks like in real life, frequently giving fans a glimpse into all of the glam that happens behind the scenes. Hair extensions are something that Teigen has not only wholeheartedly embraced, but helped destigmatize to some degree. As far as extensions specialist Priscilla Valles is concerned, Teigen has played a key part in lifting the shame and judgment that have hovered over hair extensions for years — especially in the entertainment world. "I used to have to sign confidentiality agreements when applying extensions," she told Vogue. "The breaking point in my career came when Chrissy lost an extension. She started posting about it and it opened the conversation."

While in her more candid at-home moments the mother-of-four seems inclined to wear topknots that keep her hair out of her busy routine, she lets it down gloriously when she makes public appearances — and it often involves the use of extensions. Take, for example, the bum-grazing hair she once wore to complete her '70s disco look for a theme party in 2023. She quipped on Instagram that she wasn't sure if she would've "despised" the decade or not, but as far as we're concerned, it'd be impossible not to love her wicked long hairdo.

It goes without saying, but this look was far longer than Teigen's used to. As she shared during an extensions masterclass by Mane Addicts, her natural tresses are nowhere near as thick as extensions made them look — and she was all the happier for add-ons, urging attendees to "go for it" (via Racked). 

Vanessa Hudgens has been killing the extensions game for years. One day, she'll be seen with shoulder-grazing locks, and just the next day, show up on our social media feeds with ultra-long hair that — given the slow-growing nature of hair — could presumably only have been achieved through clip-ins. And as someone who is loud and proud about playing with variety when it comes to style, the "High School Musical" star doesn't shy away from acknowledging that she wears hairpieces. 

"Looks are such a fun way of expressing yourself and contributing to how you want people to see you. It's almost the foundation of how you want to be treated," she once told PopSugar. What better way to have fun with your look than add a significant amount of length and volume to your locks? As her stylist, Danielle Priano, told Allure, Hudgens sported a whopping two feet of hair extensions at the 2024 Oscars. While her stunning extensions might've stolen the show otherwise, Hudgens happened to be sporting a baby bump, too — and she officially announced she was pregnant on the red carpet. Talk about an epic moment.

Trying to imagine Lili Reinhart without the slicked-back ponytail she sported as Betty Cooper across seven seasons of "Riverdale" would already be a bit of a task for many. To picture her with waves would be a whole other ballgame. But it's what Reinhart's real hair looks like — and over on Instagram Stories, she's made sure people don't forget that little nugget so easily. While you may not know it by looking at them, the gorgeous blonde ringlets have endured quite a bit of havoc over the years. "This ponytail causes me stress. It takes a long time [to style], longer than you'd think, and it's really annoying and very frustrating," Reinhart told Allure, referring to her signature "Riverdale" look, which she said was one of the reasons behind her hair being "damaged as hell."

For the sake of her hair health, the actor's styling team began relying on the magic of extensions to transform her into the iconic Archie Comics character — so, much of Reinhart's hair we see on screen apparently isn't real. While she seems to have a fairly welcoming outlook toward extensions, Reinhart is sure about one thing: she's not touching dyes. She said, "I kind of promised myself if I were offered a role where they said I need to be a redhead [or] I need to be a brunette that I would have to wear a wig because my hair has been through so much."

Sarah Hyland is best known as Haley Dunphy from "Modern Family," who was nothing short of a hair icon in herself, with her long luscious waves that looked like they never had a bad day. Hyland pulled off every style on the popular television show so effortlessly that her revelation to Refinery29 about parts of it being fake came as a surprise to fans. Extensions were seemingly a response to some more tragic details from Hyland's life — primarily the effects of health conditions including endometriosis and chronic kidney dysplasia.

"With medications and stuff, it can make your hair fall out. So I had extensions put in for Haley to hide any of that loss," Hyland said. After her "Modern Family" commitments came to an end in 2020, Hyland was able to let her hair down (pun intended) with greater ease — so much so that fans were left confused when she stepped out in public with her natural curls on display. In fact, she had to come forward with a clarification about it, when an X user suggested she got a perm: "I'd like to say this once. IT'S NOT A PERM. IT'S JUST MY HAIR."

Laverne Cox doesn't disappoint when it comes to boldly playing around with hair. From sleek, straight locks to ramp-ready blowouts and voluminous curls — the "Orange Is the New Black" star has experimented with just about every style that exists in the market, acing each one with more oomph than the last. Extensions have contributed greatly toward many of Cox's most iconic looks — such as the piping hot hairdo she wore for her Matrix ad campaign.

Per her own admission to Allure, Cox is an "extension girl" — an identity that coexists with the side of her that absolutely adores her real textured hair. "For me, every day is about celebrating what's in the mirror. If I want to put a wig on, that's great, but I love what's in the mirror as it is," she said. 

As a natural curl girl, Cox knows what goes into keeping her hair hydrated underneath all those artificial lengths, especially since she has faced the brunt of hair relaxers in the past. For anyone looking for pro tips, Cox revealed that a regular routine of hair oiling and braiding between phases of styling does the trick for her.

Actor and comedy writer Mindy Kaling cut right to the chase in her 2015 book "Why Not Me?" about A-listers and their hair. "The real trick to having gorgeous hair is quantity," she wrote. "Piles of thick, cascading, My Little Pony-style hair signifies youth ... To keep up with the trend, everyone uses hair extensions." From short bobs to long waves, Kaling has tried (and perfected) a myriad of styles, giving dark-haired divas an entire lookbook of hairdos to play around with. For some styles, her use of extensions has been more evident than others — such as at the Met Gala.

The Met Gala gives celebrities a chance to experiment with new looks and bold styles. Kaling has certainly taken that to heart. In 2023, "The Office" star relied on sets of tape-in extensions to add a great deal of length to her shorter cut. "When the theme was announced, we knew things would be extravagant and classic," hairstylist Marc Mena told Glamour, explaining that the long hair — which complemented Kaling's white corset dress — was a tribute to fashion designer Karl Lagerfeld, who inspired the Met's theme that year.

It's no secret that Kim Kardashian is a big fan of hair extensions. The reality TV icon is practically a walking, talking advertisement for extensions and the ways they can totally transform a person's look. From shoulder-grazing bobs to sleek strands that fall many feet past her posterior, she is a pro at alternating between styles at breakneck pace, often relying on artificial hair to get the job done. Kardashian has never tried to pretend she doesn't use extensions, and has even dished about the brand she uses. 

Kardashian may be known for having a thick flowing mane of hair, but once in a blue moon, she rocks her natural hair for all of social media to see. She granted one such rare peek at her natural lengths while she got ready with her daughter for the Kardashian Christmas Eve party in 2023. In the TikTok, we see her posed in a makeup chair with her short, extensions-free hair slicked back as she prepared for her next hair transformation to begin. And you guessed it — she wore long extensions for the family's annual soiree. 

Jessie J has been indulging in hair extensions for years, to the point that now, to imagine the "Price Tag" sensation without her jet black lengths would be trippy. Throughout the 2010s, Jessie gave a variety of hues from grays to blues a spin. And she tried them out all kinds of ways — with her classic thick fringe, with funky accessories, with uncomplicated middle partings.

Jessie's hair is far more textured than her signature straight locks will have people believe. "Going to start wearing my natural hair texture more... My 'curls' are more just mess," she once shared in a candid closeup of herself in an Instagram video, inviting followers to send her curl care suggestions.

Wigs, however, have been her all-time favorite go-to — for the simple reason that their convenience is unmatched. "A hairdresser who did my hair said, 'You, my darling, have something that we call successful hair,' which is basically battered hair that's split and falling out in the back because you've had to blow-dry it every day," she told Glamour.

Tragically, Amy Schumer has faced serious struggles with her hair throughout her life. The stand-up comedian has trichotillomania, commonly known as the hair-pulling disorder, and she had to deal with hair loss at an early age. "When I was 13, I pulled out so much hair that I needed to get a wig and wear a wig to school," she shared on "The Howard Stein Show," recalling the negative impact it had on her confidence. "It's been my big secret. I have so much shame about it."

While her condition still persists, Schumer now has access to hair extensions that have made her life much easier. And while some Hollywood veterans still avoid opening up about extensions, Schumer isn't one of them. Rather, she has instead spoken passionately about extensions being a lifesaver. "I'm lucky that extensions have become so normalized. Every woman you see on camera in any movie is wearing a wig or has a lot of added hair. That's just how it works in the business," she told Stern. 

Whether she's walking the ramp as one of Victoria's Secret's most famous models or hosting "America's Next Top Model," Tyra Banks sure has served a lot of stunning hair looks over the years. The runway icon has rocked everything from stylish weaves to pin-straight extensions, and she's had fun with a wide range of rich hues. 

Banks has been candid about her fake hair journey, and even once revealed her natural shoulder-grazing, weave-free lengths during an episode of "The Tyra Banks Show." She told her audience, "I've worn weaves and wigs and pieces and clip-ons and clip-outs and clip-downs and around since I was 17-18 years old. I wanted to show the real me and I wanted to show the raw me."

Banks has also been open about her experience with hair loss, telling The Wall Street Journal back in 2011 that the stress of writing her book "Modelland" triggered her alopecia. "How can I say this without tearing up?" she remarked. In recent years, with celebrity candor earning increased appreciation from audiences, Banks has only been more open about her real hair, showing off her curls at frequent intervals on Instagram. And while her va-va-voom model hair looks are absolutely legendary, we wholeheartedly dig the natural approach, too.

Former child star Lindsay Lohan has been all about waist-long extensions for years. In the time that she transitioned from being a little kid in a shoulder-length bob in "The Parent Trap" to a high school kid who just can't escape the drama in "Mean Girls," Lohan underwent a total style transformation. Long wavy locks became her go-to hairstyle; it's almost impossible to picture her without a flowing mane. While she's certainly had fun with different shades of blonde over the years, Lohan always seems to come back to red, her natural hair color.

At the 2024 Vanity Fair Oscar Party, she looked like a million bucks in a silver-fringed Balenciaga gown, and her long red hair looked like a dream. Her hairstylist, Danielle Priano, told Byrdie they used "two rows of Hidden Crown Light Auburn in Seamless Weft 24 to add a bit of volume." That same year, Priano helped create Lohan's look for the "Mean Girls" musical movie premiere, which also included gorgeous auburn extensions. 

One need only look at Priyanka Chopra Jonas' dark mane to get a feel for the passion she has for healthy-looking hair. But the journey has hardly been easy for the Indian-born star, who, with her naturally textured hair, found it difficult to care for her tresses during her youth. "When I was a teenager, I had really long fake hair and I wanted to get amazing shampoos for myself and all of them were way too expensive," she told Elle. In 2021, the "Quantico" star launched her own affordable haircare line called Anomaly. While she's all about keeping her natural hair healthy as can be, there are still days where she likes to play with fake hair. 

From formal events to magazine covers, Jonas has indulged her interest in extensions on many occasions. A big-time advocate of venturing styles that allow people to step out of convention, Jonas' hair experiments hinge on a simple outlook: "Hair grows back!" She added, "You should never 'what if' in your life. If you feel like you want bangs, do it, just don't cut them yourself. Get a professional to do it. But you know what girl? You have one life, live it." 

Drew Barrymore has kept it very real about hair extensions, even ripping them out for the world to see on an episode of "The Drew Barrymore Show." She was in conversation with Pamela Anderson — who is on her own journey of completely ditching makeup and going au naturel — when she let her hair down and began pulling out pieces of clip-on strands. "If we're really going to be honest here," she quipped, as the audience erupted in applause and a bunch of fake hair lay strewn on the floor. The "Charlie's Angels" star followed her moment of candor up with another honest revelation about facing the effects of perimenopause, which can cause some women to lose hair. 

Barrymore, whose dark blonde curls have been through some drastic color transformations throughout her showbiz career, has also admitted to covering up her gray strands with dye that echoes her natural hair. "I do love that it's trending and looks so beautiful and is like a fashion statement. But I just don't feel ready to go down that road," she told People, adding that the idea of dyeing her hair even into her older years was not daunting. 

Bella Hadid needs little introduction as a bona fide style icon. The popular model's fashion sensibilities are as on fleek as her hair choices, which often involve the use of extensions. One such memorable look that made jaws drop was during her appearance at the Dior Men's Pre-Fall Show in 2019, where she showed up looking like a new-age impression of Cher — with long black locks and a funky outfit. It was a refreshing change from the typically short hairstyles she usually wears.

Hadid, who clearly likes to switch up length, seemingly plays an active role in deciding the route her hair will take. "She really works hard and she studies," her stylist Evanie Frausto told Vogue. "Whenever I do something with her, I'll have my references and then she'll have her references, and we work it out together." One need only scroll through Hadid's social media to get a feel of the diversity in her hair stylebook, as the glam goddess alternates between long and short styles.

The world has Christina Aguilera to thank for popularizing the very Y2K hair aesthetic that is blonde and black layered tresses. And Aguilera has her longtime friend, stylist, and hair extensions specialist Priscilla Valles to thank for it. As Valles explained to Allure, the iconic look came about by accident, following a mix-up with her extensions: "She washed her hair and the black extensions bled onto the platinum extensions and they actually turned out gray." In the years since, the "Genie In a Bottle" singer has let go of her darker strands, focusing her attention primarily on platinum styles — many of which depend on extensions. 

Aguilera's journey with hair extensions has been near flawless, given that she has been in the hands of one of the best in the field since the beginning. The ace celebrity extensions specialist's own career launched around the same time that Aguilera first became a household name, so they more or less came up together. "She's always been exploring and creative, but right now she's really come into her own," Valles told Refinery29. "I've never seen anything like her creative vision, but she's also found a balance. Christina always was on the edgier side; now there's a softness to her edge." 

JoJo Siwa's high blonde ponytail was as much a celebrity as the singer herself is. So when she made the style transformation from a teen sensation to a grownup pop icon — and made the earth-shaking decision to chop her hair off in 2022 — it took a moment for fans to adjust their sights to this new normal. "I mean, it's gonna be different every day as I'm still learning how to do it. It's way different than long hair. It's crazy but... I'm obsessed," she said on her Instagram Stories (via Allure).

As she stepped into adulthood on her own terms, Siwa also let her signature pops of brightly colored accessories go. "I have not stuck a hair bow in my hair for two years now ... I literally was like, 'I don't want to wear it today.' And my mom was like, 'OK, so don't.' And I was like, 'Alright. That feels right,'" she said on the "JoJo Siwa Now" podcast. Shedding bits of her old self meant making space for newer looks — like the one she donned on the cover of Lady Gunn magazine, flaunting super long extensions, sultry makeup, and an image-defying bodysuit that more or less ushered in a new era for Siwa.

Millie Bobby Brown's entry into the celebrity hair transformations arena began on a bold note, with the former child star having to shave her full head off to step into the role of Eleven in "Stranger Things." From that point on, Brown's career and hair have only grown — and she has been having loads of fun with both. The "Enola Holmes" star has tinkered with varying strand lengths these past few years, trying out extensions that correspond to her life in those moments. For instance, in 2020 she debuted long blonde tresses that she playfully coordinated to her poodle's fur. "Matching w my chicken nugget today," she captioned a photo of her transformation in a since deleted post on Instagram (via Teen Vogue). 

She then went extra long with her extensions for the 2024 premiere of her film "Damsel," channeling badass princess energy that matched the tone of her character in the fantasy action. While getting ready for her big day, Brown detailed to Vogue the joy she feels while getting her beauty routine done: "Many months of the year, I was playing other people, and it's been hard for me to find myself. Being in hair and makeup I want to be the most myself and give myself that grace to have fun and to enjoy it." 

Khloé Kardashian is another star who is loud and proud about wearing hair extensions. On numerous occasions, the reality star has addressed using fake hair to play with length and color, and she's also given fans glimpses into what goes into choosing the right type of extensions for each occasion. "There is a method to my madness always," Kardashian said on an episode of "Khlo-C-D" on her app, showing containers full of extensions arranged by color (via YouTube). "A girl needs variety and I need to dress up all my different hairstyles and personalities. So to me, it makes sense." 

For the longest time, the "Keeping Up with the Kardashians" star was all about the long tresses. However, for nearly a decade now, she hasn't been afraid to play with shorter chops — and sometimes, she even enhances her naturally curly tresses. She made the switch back when her former husband Lamar Odom was in hospital, and in a seemingly impulsive move, she called on her longtime hairstylist Jen Atkin to cut her hair. "She literally tried to talk me out of it because she was nervous that I was too emotional. I made her cut it, and I love it," Kardashian told Refinery29. It's a good thing she has boxes full of longer hair that she can fall back on, every time she misses her longer locks.

Britney Spears' hair has gone through one metamorphosis after another over the course of her decades-long career in the spotlight. She's played with length, color, and texture, and as you might've gleaned, extensions have played a major role in her hair transformation. However, Spears has had a bit of a fraught journey with her artificially enhanced tresses. 

On more than one occasion, the pop legend's extensions have been on untidy display for the world to see, presumably resulting from a roughshod job of attaching or blending them well. Perhaps most notably were her extensions at the 2007 VMAs, which clearly didn't sit the way they were supposed to as she performed. "Backstage at the VMAs that night, nothing was going right. There was a problem with my costume and with my hair extensions," she wrote in "The Woman in Me." 

Though she's certainly had some drama with fake hair, that hasn't stopped Spears from embracing extensions and wigs — and she's had plenty of iconic blonde bombshell moments along the way. Long, straight, cascading locks are without question the natural brunette's signature look. While there's been some speculation about whether or not she uses extensions for shorter hairstyles too, there have been a few instances where she's ditched the long pieces for chic bobs. The cropped cuts couldn't look more different from her go-to lengthy tresses, but both stunning styles have us saying "gimme more."