12 Celebrity Hair Extension Blunders We Couldn't Ignore

Red carpet events and snaps of stars out and about can give us some insight into a celebrity's style. However, they also serve as opportunities to catch them at moments when they don't look their best. We've seen some less than flattering outfits over the years, but bad hair days seem to be far more common, especially when a star is wearing hair extensions.

Whether you have extensions or natural hair, you can probably relate to the impact your tresses have on your self-image. In fact, hair extension professional Tatiana Karelina, who has had a roster of celebrity clients, spoke with journalist Scarlett Dixon about the influence extensions can have. "Changing someone's looks is a very serious procedure," Karelina said. "The confidence boost from extensions, whether to lengthen or to thicken tresses, is second to none."

Choosing the right type of extensions for your hair can be tricky — so much so that celebrities have gotten it wrong more than a few times. Unfortunately, while they likely weren't aware at the time, countless stars have given the world glimpses of hair extensions gone wrong. From visible tracks to tangled-looking styles and mismatched colors, these are the celebrity hair extension blunders we couldn't ignore.

Pamela Anderson has long been known for her smokey-eye makeup and slightly undone platinum blond hair, often worn teased and a little messy. After all, she was living the rock and roll lifestyle back in the '90s and noughties. However, she's missed the mark a couple times when it comes to hair extensions, including when she arrived at her own "Comedy Central Roast" in 2005 with extensions that looked like they hadn't been well-maintained. The result? A messy, uneven nest of curls at varying lengths.

Since then, though, Anderson has completely toned down her look for a more natural aesthetic. During an interview with Harper's Bazaar in 2024, the "Baywatch" star described what made her decide to ditch the makeup, hair extensions, and glitzy clothes. "I started to feel like I was dressing for other people, whether that was husbands or just for the rest of the world and how they perceived me," Anderson said. The actor explained she'd eventually gotten to a point where she didn't feel the need to do so anymore.

"I just had this moment where I thought, 'What am I doing? ... I'm 57 years old. I'm not 20 anymore.' I just decided, that's it." It seems the au naturel look is treating Anderson well and, hopefully, she's left the matted-looking extensions in the past.

Speaking of iconic blonds from the '90s, Courtney Love has been a grunge queen since she formed the band Hole and married the late Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain. The rocker has pulled off countless looks over the years, but unfortunately, she missed the mark at the Marc Jacobs New York Fashion Week show in 2007. Love arrived in a silky purple dress and showed off her stunning blond waves, but when she tipped her head down, her hair extensions were noticeable, messy, and frankly, looked painful.

Hair extension specialist and owner of Beauty Club London, Louise Bailey, spoke with the Daily Mail in 2025 about what exactly celebrities seem to be getting wrong when it comes to exposed tracks. While proper placement can prevent your extensions from looking obvious, micro-rings, like the ones in Love's hair, tend to look "bitty," "disconnected," and "very visible." Bailey's advice? Place the extensions lower down on the head where there's more natural hair coverage, and the tracks will be less visible. Hopefully Love has since learned from her hair extension blunder, as her overall look was otherwise a winner.

Britney Spears has had a number of fierce red carpet looks over the years, but she's also had more than her fair share of blunders, too. While the pop icon's blond locks usually look on point, she's been a repeat offender when it comes to messy hair extensions. While we can't expect Spears to look her best when she's simply popping out of the house quickly, there have been a number of instances where her hair extensions were obvious, even after her hair and makeup had been done for a VIP event.

It's clear the singer has had a difficult relationship with her extensions over the years, including when her faux hair fell out during a 2015 performance in Vegas. But Spears' frequent appearances with exposed and messy tracks prompted celebrity hair stylist Ryan Nickulas to tell OK! (via the Independent) that he thinks the "Toxic" singer needs to "let go of the extensions." Nickulas said, "I don't think she has a good gay man in her life because if she does, they're lying to her," adding he's a huge fan of Spears but her hair situation isn't doing her any favors. "I would love to help her and give her the confidence to let go of the extensions."

Since her debut as Cindy Lou Who, Taylor Momsen's stunning transformation has truly been something to behold. The actor went on to star as Jenny Humphrey on "Gossip Girl," and during her three-season run, began to develop her own personal style. 

Speaking with Interview Magazine in 2010, Momsen explained how her character's look began to transform. "The show definitely tries to incorporate elements of reality ... and inject it into the character they play," she said. "So for me, I just began dressing more like myself, and doing my makeup myself, and so Jenny's style followed suit."

However, while Momsen's drastic evolution from preppy to punk was shown through her character, the unveiling of her extremely long, single-drawn hair extensions wound up being highly criticized. When it comes to creating a natural look with extensions, multiple lengths are often advised. But it seems The Pretty Reckless singer opted for locks that were not just all one length, but went well past her waist. While this may have been the style Momsen was intending, her hair was left looking limp and seemed to swallow her up entirely.

We all want shiny hair, right? But when your 'do starts to look more like your Barbie's, it can look seriously unnatural. That's the trouble with wearing synthetic hair extensions rather than the kind made from actual human hair. While model and reality star Katie Price became known for her extreme glammed-up look, boasting lots of hair and fierce makeup, her overly shiny blond extensions were extremely noticeable back in 2011.

One expert on hair extensions from Hairtrade.com, told the Daily Mail in 2015 why natural extensions are often preferable over synthetic ones. "Although there are synthetic hair products on the market, which are very affordable, and some that can be styled with heat tools, synthetic hair often looks too shiny," said the expert. Price has worn various styles throughout her career, but it's long been speculated that her extensions were causing her hair to fall out.

In 2017, fans noticed what appeared to be bald spots on the side of the star's head and expressed concern for her continued use of hair extensions. Price denied the claims, citing stress as the reason for her hair loss instead. In 2024, just days after getting her lips filled, she ditched her makeup and hair extensions, claiming to be "the most natural [she's] been." Price still tends to bounce back and forth between extensions and natural hair, but it seems she's fortunately left the synthetic ones in the past.

Having been in the spotlight for as long as Lindsay Lohan has, it's not surprising that she's exhibited a handful of looks that were less than flattering over the years. The star got her big break as a child actor with 1998's "The Parent Trap" and her fiery locks became synonymous with her name. But in 2002, Lohan ditched her signature red hair in favor of blond. Since then she's alternated back and forth between light and dark hues, with many of her styles accompanied by hair extensions.

In October 2011, amidst the "Mean Girls" star's trouble with the law, Lohan arrived at Paris Fashion Week rocking platinum blond hair. While she otherwise looked glamorous, you could tell her hair was two distinct tones — and not in an intentional "Christina Aguilera in 2002" style. It wasn't the first time, either, as Lohan had previously walked red carpet events with a slight mismatch between her natural hair and her extensions.

Hairtrade.com's expert told the Daily Mail, "It is vital to have a consultation with your extensions technician," and highlighted how Lohan's two-toned hairstyle could've looked infinitely better if she'd paid closer attention to the hues of her extensions. "Lilo's extensions certainly do show the importance of closely color-matching your hair." Since her career comeback in 2022, though, Lohan's hair has consistently been on point.

If there's one icon out there who's been known to experiment with her hair an infinite number of times, it's Lady Gaga. Whether she's flaunting a wig or showing off some colorful hair extensions, the "Abracadabra" singer has worn every color of the rainbow, but it's rare to see her going out in just her natural hair.

In August 2013, Lady Gaga visited West Hollywood's LGBTQ+ nightclub Micky's WeHo and shot the lyric video for "Applause." As she mingled and danced the night away with drag queens, the pop star wore her long, dark hair up in a bun and sported an edgy undercut. But, as many have experienced with hair extensions, the position of her natural hair left the tracks of her extensions exposed.

Lady Gaga's trusted hair stylist who had previously worked for Paris Hilton, Frederic Aspiras, spoke with Refinery29 in 2019 about the level of dedication he puts into the pop star's hair. "We've colored it brown, orange, black, and white-blond. If I didn't protect her hair, there wouldn't be any left on her head," Aspiras said. While Lady Gaga has worn a lot of wigs, it's paramount to Aspiras to keep her natural hair healthy, too. "I've used Joico products on her wigs, her extensions, everything." Although her tracks were visible this time around, at least Lady Gaga has someone to ensure her hair remains as healthy as possible.

Unfortunately, we're brought back to another one of Pamela Anderson's hair extension blunders. This time, when the "Home Improvement" actor arrived at the "Help Haiti Home" charity gala in 2015, she wore a tall bouffant that just didn't cut it. "In order to be invisible, extensions shouldn't be placed too high on the head," Hairtrade.com's expert told the Daily Mail just a couple weeks after Anderson debuted this look. "If you wear your hair 'up” they shouldn't be placed too low, as your natural hair needs to cover the attachment of the extensions."

Pamela Anderson has shown off several stunning makeup-free looks and low-key hairstyles since embracing a more natural aesthetic. However, as she told Parade in January 2015, she "never felt pretty enough to be a model." Anderson explained, "I think I've provoked feelings with how I look." It's true, as she frequently made headlines for her low-cut tops and party-girl style early in her career. "I felt like I could be sexy. I could be provocative and I could use my image to get attention for things that I cared about," she added. Now that she's done away with hiding beneath her hair and makeup, though, we hopefully won't see the return of Anderson's unkempt-looking extensions.

If you've seen Betsey Johnson's shoes and bags, you know the designer opts for a fun, bright, and slightly eccentric style. As it turns out, her own personal aesthetic is no different, as Johnson is always seen rocking whimsical clothing and multi-colored hair. While many stars opt for a more natural look, the designer is quite the opposite and embraces vivid, synthetic hair extensions.

Speaking with Glamour in 2021 about how she developed her personal style, Johnson remarked, "I always hated my hair. So in the late '60 or early '70s, I got to London, and I went to a hair salon called Antenna." Stars like Rod Stewart would go to this stylist to get hair extensions, she said. "It was very rock-and-roll." Since then, Johnson has never looked back — not even to refresh her synthetic extensions with real hair ones.

When the designer arrived at the Max Mara opening party of The Whitney Museum in 2015, her bright yellow monofilament extensions were not only evident around the crown of her head, but they also looked frizzy and tangled. Perhaps this is exactly the look Johnson was going for. "I always hated my soft, wavy, crummy, thin hair. So I got these hair extensions," she told Glamour. Johnson would prefer her "plastic" extensions would last longer than just a few months at a time, but she's decided not to change them. "It's my look."

English ITV star Ferne McCann rose to prominence with the wildly popular series "The Only Way Is Essex" in 2013. She was in her early 20s when the reality show aired and leaned into the popular Essex style of that era: bronzed skin, effortlessly chic outfits, and of course, long hair. While McCann's ensembles have almost always been a hit, sometimes to achieve the long-haired look, she relied on hair extensions which weren't always invisible.

As the reality television personality was leaving ITV studios one day in 2016, she was spotted wearing a bun high up on her head. Although it was a cute look, and she was otherwise pulling it off, you could distinctly see where her extensions were attached on the side of her head.

Stars who go through major hair transformations often regret doing so, but McCann, who finally ditched her hair extensions during the Covid-19 pandemic for the first time in years, felt freer than ever. The "Celebs Go Dating" star unveiled her cropped haircut in an Instagram post, writing, "Never did I think I would ever be extension free after 7 years.... #lockdown has saved my hair." Alongside the caption, McCann shared four snaps of herself looking happy and healthy with her natural hair. "And to all my girls who have suffered with broken, bleached, hair you will feel me," she added.

Some celebrities look totally unrecognizable without their signature long hair, like Khloé Kardashian who, up until 2022, had been sporting gorgeous waist-length locks. But after trimming her hair into a chic bob ahead of the Met Gala that year, hair extensions became a necessity to achieve the longer, fuller look she was accustomed to for years. While the coiffed hairstyle she wore to the People's Choice Awards in December 2022 initially seemed like a chic choice, it swiftly fell apart during the nightmare evening that was part of an episode of "The Kardashians."

As soon as she and her family and friends arrived at the award show, the youngest Kardashian sister's zipper broke, and she had to be sewn into her outfit. But later in the evening, after Kardashian was called up to accept the award for the best reality show with her mom, she was delayed. By the time she made it up on stage, having also secured the win for best reality star, she was out of breath and her hair looked completely undone.

Later in the episode, during Kardashian's confessional, she shared, "I try to show that life isn't always pretty at times and laughter is the best medicine." The television personality paused before adding, "I also ended up in a Porta-Potty with a handful of hair extensions." Later that evening, Kardashian shared an Instagram snap of her matted extensions that had fallen out.

Angelina Jolie's stunning transformation has left us in awe over the years as she impresses fans with timeless looks year after year. But, given her icon status, her worst looks are unfortunately even more memorable. One such look occurred when she walked the red carpet with her children Shiloh and Zahara at the Rome Film Festival premiere of "Eternals" in 2021 wearing a stunning gown. But all eyes were on her long, straightened extensions peeking out from underneath her natural hair.

Celebrity extension expert Priscilla Valles, who has done the hair of stars like Christina Aguilera and the Kardashian-Jenner women, told Page Six at the time, "What went wrong with this look is that there are not enough extensions, and they are not high up." Instead, Valles said, Jolie's hair stylist should have installed extensions from the top, "building them up and making sure there is enough in so you don't see a demarcation line." Alternatively, Valles added, thinning shears could have been used to thin out the blunt ends of the "Maleficent" star's hair to blend it all together.

Either way, the damage was done and the internet exploded with commentary on Jolie's unblended extensions. "Who put the extensions [on] my queen Angelina Jolie? They need to be fired," one person tweeted. Another remarked, "The dress is perfection but did one of the children get angry and take a [pair of] scissors to her hair in the middle of the night?"