We're Stunned By How These Celebs Look Without Hair Extensions

When it comes to hair, many celebrities regularly experiment with styles, colors, textures, and lengths. In fact, there are some celebs who look nearly unrecognizable with their natural hair (as well as some stars who have revealed how they got their signature hairstyles). Despite their differences, many of these celebrities have one thing in common: they've learned to love their natural hair sans extensions and embraced their natural beauty as part of their artistic journey and storytelling ability. 

This appreciation for their natural locks may have come later in life or in their careers, but in time, it has helped countless other stars reinvent themselves in a more homegrown way. "I haven't always paid much attention to my hair, but as I grew older, I found the beauty in it," admitted Janelle Monae in an interview with Essence. "I'm an ideas type of girl, and being natural allows me to have more versatility with natural hair. Hair is about options and showing diversity." Looking at these other celebs on the list, we're guessing they took a leaf out of Monae's book.

We're used to seeing starlet Jennifer Lopez swing her luscious locks all over the stage during her high-energy performances. But, when it comes to her acting career, the "Get Right" songstress embraces true transformation from top to bottom to inhabit her movie roles.

After we saw how she looks without any makeup, Lopez revealed even more of her natural beauty by removing her extensions and letting her waves shine through in a shorter, fuller 'do. On the set of the Netflix thriller "Atlas," Lopez's curly mane took center stage to help her data-crunching title character come to life. "I like [Atlas] having this disheveled, very thick head of hair that she doesn't really worry about at all," Lopez explained in an interview with Remezcla. "Kind of like, this is who I am." 

That mentality bleeds into the entertainer's real life too, as she has shared in the past that she feels more like herself when she lets her curls come through. "I like taking my hair out like this," she shared in her 2024 documentary "Jenny From The Block — The Greatest Love Story Never Told." "It reminds me, like, when I was 16 in the Bronx running up and down the block. Crazy little girl who used to be wild, no limits, all dreams."

Taking it one step further, Lady Gaga even wrote a song about how she wants to live as free as her hair – literally. The iconic artist's stunning transformations turn heads time and time again, and this includes the never-ending styles that her hair has cycled through. From long blond extensions to avant-garde wig design, the "Abracadabra" singer has proven that her hair is a pivotal part of her persona. "Your hair is your glory or your ability to change," Gaga said in an interview with MSN Xclusives.

But even when she's not donning larger-than-life wigs and extensions, Gaga's real life, close-cropped hair (which is generally blond, though she's a natural brunette) reveals another, more human side to the singer. Her willingness to show fans her natural look harkens back to Gaga's belief that personal identity and freedom are crucial to individual expression. Discussing the song, "Hair" in an interview on "The Howard Stern Show," Gaga explained. "[The song] became not just about what I'd been through, but what everyone had been through."

When it comes to her hair, Ariana Grande is notorious for wearing sleek wigs to cover up her locks after they suffered years of damage. Because of this, Grande often looks unrecognizable with her natural hair, which is dark and full of curls. During her child star years on Nickelodeon sitcoms "Victorious" and "Sam & Cat," the natural brunette endured years of dying and frying her hair to achieve her character's signature red mane. As a result, Grande tended to stick to extensions, tying them back in a ponytail to avoid showing just how damaged her real hair had become. And after a while, it took its toll on the star. "It's even more difficult for me to have to wait forever for my natural hair to grow back and to have to wear more fake hair than every drag queen on earth combined," she wrote in a 2014 Facebook post that explained why she prefers to wear hair extensions.

However, the pop star has learned to embrace her real hair over the years, so much so that she even wrote a song about her mane for her "Positions" album. "So few people get to see it and it's cute, and it reminds me of me as a kid ... It's who I am privately," she shared when talking about the aptly titled "My Hair" in a 2020 interview on "Zach Sang Show." "I think that's kind of what I envisioned that song being about [because] it's like such an intimate thing to be just like, curly shower head."

Part of pop star JoJo Siwa's identity has long been tied to her high ponytail, adorned with a big bow, in cheerleader-chic style. As a result, the "Karma" singer looks unrecognizable with her natural hair, which is long and wavy. Even during times when she has let her hair down, Siwa has faced online hate regarding her seemingly receding hairline — possibly caused by years of wearing that signature high pony. But, Siwa has learned to love her fame journey despite the naysayers, and this attitude has translated to her looks, too. "When I look in the mirror, I know that my hairline makes me who I am, it makes me special," she once shared with TODAY.

And, by 2022, Siwa was ready for a big change — and a big chop. The singer/dancer debuted an ultra-short 'do on her social media in May of that year. "Mayyyyy have done something todayyyy," she captioned a post on her Instagram. In a follow-up post, she revealed her brand new undercut hairstyle and even shared how the big change made her feel: "HAPPPPPY." The starlet went on to release her now iconic track "Karma" that featured her edgy 'do front and center, ushering in a new era of her career.

When it comes to her natural hair, actor Taraji P. Henson has invested in her roots — both literally and figuratively. As she immersed herself in Hollywood (where she is now doing better than ever post-50), the "Empire" star experimented with a variety of styles of wigs, hair extensions, and the like. But, no matter the style, she began to prioritize caring for her natural hair first in order to better maintain whichever style she chooses to adopt. "You have to start with a healthy scalp," she explained in an interview with InStyle. "If you have bad soil, you expect to see a harvest?​​​​​​"

As a result, she launched her own haircare line, "TPH by Taraji," in 2021 to provide better products for women who have spent years installing different types of hair extensions. The line includes a scalp wash and cleanser that helps hair of all textures maintain a healthy foundation. "It's for everybody because I've worn every kind of hair," she explained. "I wanted it to be all-inclusive... And it's not only Black women who are wearing installs, everybody wears installs." Whether she's letting her natural hair out or keeping it pinned on set, the entertainer is certain to keep things real when it comes to hair health.

Taylor Swift's hair transformation over the years has been a sight to see, starting with her platinum blond ringlets that made her an instant style icon in the late 2000s. As she got older and her career progressed, the "Sparks Fly" singer began straightening her hair and experimenting with different shades of blond to help reinvent her image. But even as her style changed, the artist ironically found herself missing her old 'do. "It's the straight hair I wished for every day in junior high," she lamented in a 2019 article for Elle. "Just as I was coming to terms with loving my curls, they've left me. Please pray for their safe return."

But, every now and then, the star's natural curls make an appearance — particularly during humid or rainy nights. During one performance, on her record-breaking Eras Tour, Swift acknowledged the wavy elephant in the stadium. "As you can see, my hair has returned to its factory settings, thanks to the humidity here," she quipped in a clip from the show circulating online. "I'm not complaining. I like it."

Part of the untold truth about Lili Reinhart is that her iconic updo as Betty Cooper on "Riverdale" became the source of serious issues off-screen. After starring in seven seasons of the hit CW series, the actor revealed that she was diagnosed with alopecia. "Red light therapy is my new best friend," she quipped in a video posted to TikTok, which featured her sitting under a red light machine as part of treatment for the diagnosis.

Prior to this, Reinhart had been candid about the struggles she'd faced wearing the slicked-back style every day on set. "This ponytail causes me stress," she revealed to Allure. "It takes a long time [to style], longer than you'd think, and it's really annoying and very frustrating." Reinhart went on to share that, because of the on-camera nature of the show, any flyaway hairs needed to be lacquered down to keep the style perfect and tidy. As a result of the heat and product damage, she started using hydrating products and hair masks to nourish her natural roots. 

As for future roles, Reinhart says that she is hesitant about imparting more damage on her 'do and might choose to use alternative routes to complete her character's look. "If I were offered a role where they said I need to be a redhead [or] I need to be a brunette ... I would have to wear a wig because my hair has been through so much," she admitted to the publication.

Among the heartbreaking details about Sarah Hyland, the "Modern Family" star learned later in life that certain health diagnoses were negatively impacting her hair. On the legendary ABC show, Hyland's character had long dark waves, thanks to extensions. But after 10 years on the air, Hyland said goodbye to both the character and her signature long 'do and embraced a shorter, more curly style that was all her own.

While fans speculated the real reason behind the new look, the actor turned Broadway star was upfront about her hair journey over the years. She revealed that due to surgeries as a result of dual diagnoses of endometriosis and kidney dysplasia, her hair had needed extensions to look presentable on "Modern Family." Medications she was prescribed as a result of these surgeries also added to the need. 

"With medications and stuff, it can make your hair fall out," she told Refinery29. "My hair that's growing back now is much curlier than what it used to be." The "Little Shop of Horrors" starlet has embraced those new curls, even though she's not always sure how to style the now wavy tresses. "I try to blow it out, and it's just a frizzy mess. It looks like an avant-garde runway look," she quipped.

"Orange Is The New Black" icon Laverne Cox always stuns both on and off screen, and her hairstyles are part of that equation. At the beginning of her career, she stuck to her natural 'do on camera, but after relaxing her hair for a role in 2011, she experienced unfortunate side effects. "My hair was brittle and breaking off," she admitted to Allure. "My hair does not like relaxers. So I said, never, ever again." From then on, she began getting her hair braided so that she could wear wigs on screen and on the red carpet. She also started nourishing her natural hair, including oiling her scalp to keep her roots and hair moisturized.

Hair became such an important part of Cox's identity that she became an ambassador for Matrix Total Results' "Live Your Color" campaign, which celebrates hair of all textures, colors, and thickness levels. And to Cox, no matter what type of mane you decide to show off, it's worth celebrating — even if it's just a tool for showing off your inner beauty. "For me, every day is about celebrating what's in the mirror," she told Allure. "If I want to put a wig on, that's great, but I love what's in the mirror as it is. That's the daily work."

When it comes to her hair, singer Jessie J has never shied away from a good wig to complete her look. The "Domino" songstress credits the easy and time-saving nature of wigs as a crucial part of her daily style. "When you have half an hour to be ready at four o'clock in the morning, you don't have time to get up and glue in extensions or blow-dry your hair," she explained to Glamour in 2012. "I don't want my hair falling out, so I wear wigs."

But that's not to say that every day is a wig-wearing one for the singer, who once shaved her head for charity. After being diagnosed with breast cancer and subsequently undergoing a mastectomy in 2025, the "Flashlight" artist has been letting her natural dark curls loose during her healing journey. Unfortunately, she has lost some of her hair as a result of the treatment, but it hasn't stopped her from letting her natural beauty shine. J has shared candid posts throughout her journey, even as she prepares for a busy day on set. "I'm gonna do my hair and makeup myself," she once revealed before a TV shoot in a since-removed Instagram post after her surgery (via People).

Oscar-winner Viola Davis has donned many different hairstyles that accompany her variety of powerful roles on screen. But when it comes to her offscreen style, the actor has embraced her natural beauty, including her hair. "It was projected in culture that [the Black woman] wasn't pretty, and the darker you were, the uglier you were," Davis shared in an interview with Fashion Magazine. "And we carry that mentality [as Black women]. We just carry it, even in unforeseen ways. That's why I wore my natural hair."

Davis, who once famously removed her wig and makeup in character on the ABC drama series "How To Get Away With Murder," has embraced her natural hair both on and off screen following her Oscar win. She even credited an experience on set of the film "Widows" as part of her impetus for moving forward without a wig. After director Steve McQueen suggested Davis' character wear her natural hair, the actor reflected on the importance of that decision — and carried that message forward throughout her career. "My big thing now is: At least I see [my hair] as an option, and not just if I'm playing, say, someone who would be considered of a certain income bracket or someone who would be considered not attractive," she explained to the publication. "I consider my hair to be an option in the broad spectrum of whatever I do as an actress."