Erika Kirk's Old Half-Updos Make Her New Hair Worth Every Penny

Erika Kirk may have plenty of hair extension fails under her belt, but at least they're a step up compared to the half-bun look she used to rock. Early in Erika's relationship with Charlie Kirk, she often wore her hair partially up, even when the occasion called for something more formal. The December 2019 picture on the left below is a case in point. Her half-updo looked out of place at the wedding of former Notre Dame Preparatory School classmates, particularly because she acted as one of the groomswomen. 

As the October 2019 picture on the right shows, the hairstyle was Erika's go-to for a day of shopping with girlfriends as well. Whether she was wearing a shirt and tie or a cardigan paired with statement necklaces for a modern look, the Turning Point USA CEO believed she couldn't go wrong by grabbing a handful of hair and slapping a tie around it. While the half-bun hairstyle can look sophisticated in the right place and context, Erika just seemed to rely on it too much and put little effort into it. More often than not, it looked sloppy.

@npdalumni & @celigrowbusiness/Instagram

Charlie's widow has undergone a significant transformation since she became a more prominent figure within the far-right movement. She has seemingly ditched the half-updo in favor of long hair extensions that are all the rage in Trump world. That doesn't mean she always keeps up with them. Erika has neglected her hair extensions more than once, but her pricey additions definitely fit her better than her old hairstyle.

From Kimberly Guilfoyle to Kristi Noem to Melania Trump, there are plenty of high-profile MAGA women known to wear hair extensions. Yet, it is Erika Kirk's hair extensions that may be the spendiest in all of MAGAland. According to hair and wig expert Amber Renee, founder of Areneé Lashes & Cosmetics, Erika's new 'do may have set her back several hundred dollars — if not more. "The blend, length, and fullness all point to something in the range of about $800 to $1,500 depending on the method and the salon," Renee told Nicki Swift's sister site The List in December 2025.

Erika's extensions are fairly obvious, but Renee argues that it's more because of the unnatural length she went for than anything else. "Her extensions look like a really high quality install," she said. Even before Erika seemingly went the extension route, she embraced wearing her hair long. In other pictures from the early days of her and Charlie Kirk's relationship, we can see that her hair reached her mid-back or even her waist. In the 2021 picture on the left, the hair pulled over her shoulders landed on her ribcage. In the 2020 picture on the right, her hair seems of a similar length. 

@statefortyeightfoundation & @charliekirk1776/Instagram

While it seems that Erika eventually stopped rocking the half-bun style as frequently, her love of having long hair clearly hasn't changed.