Selena Gomez Hair Styles to Try, From Bobs to Platinum

Selena Gomez has changed her hair more often than her reputation for sleek brunette lengths suggests. Over nearly two decades in the public eye she has worn blue streaks, spiral curls, platinum waves, a run of bobs and a sleek ponytail on the Cannes red carpet. Below are the Selena Gomez hair styles that are best documented, with practical notes on how to wear each one.

The early years: side fringes and curls

As a Disney Channel star in the late 2000s, Gomez favoured a rounded bob with a thin side fringe and, famously, electric blue highlights at a 2007 Teen Vogue party. By 2010 and 2011 her hair was longer, darker and often styled in glossy, voluminous curls, from bouncy blow-dries to tight ringlets and old-Hollywood waves with a deep side part.

How to wear it: for big, glossy curls, set dry hair in sections with a medium-barrel iron, let the curls cool completely before touching them, then brush through gently with a wide brush for a softer, old-Hollywood finish. A light hairspray keeps tighter ringlets defined.

Rich brunette and warm dimension

Dark brown is still the shade most associated with her. Over the years she has worn it with warm copper highlights (2013), taken it close to black with a loose crimp (2015), and softened it with caramel or hazel-brown balayage. More recently, in late 2023, she added subtle honey blonde pieces through a brunette base.

How to wear it: ask a colourist for hand-painted balayage or fine babylights a shade or two lighter than your base. The effect adds movement without a stark line at the root, which also makes it lower-maintenance as it grows out.

Bangs

Gomez has returned to a fringe several times, from wispy bangs with caramel balayage in 2016 to brow-skimming bangs at New York Fashion Week and, more recently, a bouncy bob with bangs. A soft, slightly separated fringe is the most wearable version.

How to wear it: a fringe needs a trim every few weeks to stay the right length. Blow-dry it first, before the rest of your hair, using a small round brush and moving side to side to prevent it from lifting or splitting.

Platinum blonde

Her most dramatic change came at the 2017 American Music Awards, when she debuted platinum blonde hair. By December 2017 she was wearing buttery blonde lengths in boho waves with a wispy full fringe.

How to wear it: going from dark brown to platinum is a multi-session process that should be left to a professional colourist. Expect regular toning and root touch-ups, and build bond-repair treatments and deep conditioning into your routine to limit breakage.

The bob, in many versions

The bob has become a recurring Selena Gomez look. She wore a sleek bob to the 2017 Met Gala, and in March 2018 her longtime hairstylist Marissa Marino gave her a chin-grazing blunt bob with natural waves and flipped-out ends. Since then there has been a textured, French-style bob (2022), a shoulder-grazing lob with a single wave at the jaw (2024), and a blunt, one-length cut with ends flicked under (late 2024).

How to wear it: a blunt, one-length bob suits fine or medium hair best, because the solid line makes hair look thicker. For the undone version, work a texturising spray through dry hair and add loose bends with a flat iron, leaving the ends straight. For the polished version, blow-dry with a large round brush and turn the ends under.

The sleek ponytail

At the Cannes Film Festival in May 2024 she wore a high, slicked-back ponytail set at the crown, a glamorous choice that let her gown and jewellery take the spotlight.

How to wear it: smooth hair with a small amount of gel or cream and a boar-bristle brush, secure it high with a strong elastic, then wrap a small section of hair around the base to hide it. A shine spray finishes the look.

Care that makes any of these work

• Protect before heat. Use a heat protectant before blow-drying, curling or straightening, and keep tools at the lowest temperature that works for your hair.
• Condition according to colour. Lightened hair needs more moisture and repair than virgin brunette hair; a weekly mask is a sensible baseline.
• Trim on schedule. Short cuts and bangs lose their shape fastest, so book trims more often than you would for long layers.
• Choose by hair type, not just photos. A cut that looks sleek on thick hair may need a different technique on fine or curly hair, so bring references and ask your stylist to adapt them.

The appeal of Gomez’s hair history is that most of it is achievable. Apart from the platinum phase, her looks rely on good cuts, flattering brunette tones and simple styling rather than extreme techniques.