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25 Best Rihanna Hairstyles, Hair Cuts, and Colors

Robyn Rihanna Fenty is a total hair chameleon. The Barbadian singer and actress change her hair look very often and kills it every single time. She has rocked long waves, short pixie cuts, dark braids, and whatever else you can think of.

So if you are looking for an awe-inspiring hairstyle, Rihanna’s hairstyles will show you how to flaunt it with confidence. Keep on reading to get the best Rihanna hairstyle, haircut, and hair color ideas to try on yourself.

Rihanna Hairstyle Timeline Through The Years

Rihanna’s hairstyles have gone through numerous transformations, showcasing her daring and versatile sense of style. Here’s a summary of her hairstyle evolution through the years:

  • 2005 – Debut with brown, straight hair.
  • 2006 – Introduces highlights and layers to her long locks.
  • 2007 – Experiments with a bob cut and side-swept bangs.
  • 2008 – Goes for a dramatic, asymmetrical bob in black.
  • 2009 – Debuts a short, edgy pixie cut.
  • 2010 – Switches to a bold, fire-engine red color with long, wavy hair.
  • 2011 – Adopts a fiery red, curly hairstyle.
  • 2012 – Returns to her natural, dark roots with an undercut and long wavy hair on top.
  • 2013 – Experiments with a mullet-style haircut and a half-shaved head.
  • 2014 – Opts for a sleek ponytail.
  • 2015 – Debuts a gorgeous, dark, shoulder-length look with loose waves.
  • 2016 – Sports long, brown dreadlocks for a striking appearance.
  • 2017 – Switches to a turquoise blue, mermaid-inspired look.
  • 2018 – Goes for a dramatic, long, chocolate-brown hairstyle with a deep side part.
  • 2019 – Chooses a jet black, shoulder-length cut with blunt bangs.
  • 2020 – Experiments with various styles, including braids and a curly updo.
  • 2021 – Sports a chic, tiny braided ponytail with her natural dark hair color.
  • 2022 – Flaunts crochet curls.
  • 2023 – Attended events with tousled and funky updos.

Best Rihanna Hairstyles

No matter what type of hair you have and what your natural color is, you can easily enjoy Rihanna’s hairstyles we collected for you below. If you are ready to do a little work with your hair and do some research when it comes to wigs and hair extensions, welcome to the world of fashionable images.

Copying Rihanna is the right way to go since she never makes a mistake when it comes to looking beautiful and stylish. This is a fail-safe way for you to look stunning.

Dark-skinned girls can have a lot of fun taking advantage of Rihanna’s hairstyles. They are created to suit dark skin and look perfect when combined with naturally dark hair. Black girls shouldn’t miss the chance to check out the below hairstyles for themselves.

1. Messy Updo

Rihanna's latest updo
Instagram/savagexfenty

The Barbadian pop star recently made a surprise CinemaCon appearance flaunting her baby bump in a casual denim attire.

She went for a relaxed updo with all her hair curled and piled up, rather messily, on top of the head with a subtle pouf up-lifting her features like nothing else.

2. Dramatic Twisted Pigtails

Rihanna's golden globe hairstyle
Instagram/mkupbyyevra

The list of Rihanna’s best hairstyles is surely incomplete without her dramatic Golden Globes hairdo.

The songstress gave glamorous Princess Leia vibes with multiple pigtails sculpted carefully into C-shaped curves. The spared single curl at the front set her entire look on fire.

3. Big Beautiful Afro

Rihanna's Afro hair
Instagram/badgalriri

Although Ri Ri changes her hairstyles more than anyone else, the singer is often spotted wearing her natural curls.

For her Savage X Fenty show, Rihanna went for a big afro parted down on one side making her a true inspiration for all the black beauties out there.

4. Cascading Curls with Side Knits

Rihanna hairstyle
Instagram/Priscilla Ono

On the premiere of Black Panther 2: Wakanda Forever, the savage beauty went for a modern-day Rapunzel-like appeal stunning everyone on the red carpet.

Her long bouncy curls cascaded all over the back and front with a couple of tiny scalp braids above one ear.

5. Micro Braids + Half-Up High Pony

Rihanna's braided ponytail

Rihanna was once spotted grocery shopping with exceptional style. Apart from wearing summary clothes, shiny jewels, and high heels, the heartthrob styled her tresses into intricate micro braids with loose ends.

The knits were gathered in a half-up high ponytail with face-framing chunks at the front.

6. Half Cornrows, Half Curls

Rihanna with cornrows and curls
Instagram/mario_sorrenti

The global superstar made an appearance on i-D Magazine’s front page empowering women with yet another exceptional hairdo.

A simple middle parting with V-shaped fine half cornrows and teased curls creating a hot mess at the back are what define Rihanna’s look here.

7. Long Chunky Dreads

Rihanna with long dreads

For her role in Ocean 8, Rihanna opted for some chunky long dreads and enjoyed every inch of them in the meantime.

The locs were layered to avoid a blunt look with hair rings. Although the singer styled them in several ways, she mostly wore them loose with a deep side parting.

8. Side-Swept Waves with Undercut

Rihanna's undercut

The Caribbean queen knows how to keep it classy yet funky at the same time. For one of her red carpet appearances, Rihanna sported an undercut along the temple with luscious waves swept on the opposite side.

Bold red lips and hoop earrings further added up to her edgy look.

9. Asymmetrical Bob

Rihanna's straight asymmetrical bob

Rihanna’s hairstyle for Nickelodeon’s Kids Choice Awards (2007) during her early age is still as iconic as it was back then.

The songstress played around with the symmetry of her face by keeping one side of her angled bob significantly longer than the other with point cut layers elongating towards the front.  

10. Light Brown Layered Lob

Rihanna's straight brown hair

Even the simplest hairstyles look remarkable once rocked by this fashion icon.

Ri Ri kept is basic with a shoulder-grazing lob featuring blunt layers elongating towards the back. The side-swept bangs concealed her big forehead while the sun-kissed light brown ombre hair dye added a subtle glow to the face.  

11. Undone Bun

Rihanna's updo hairstyle

Rihanna sported a carefree bun at the Diamond Ball in 2019. The medium-length black hair was secured up into a messy updo with the front bluntly cut strands falling on both sides of the face. This undone look is suitable for your busy days.

12. Half Up, Half Down

Rihanna with half up ponytail
Instagram/badgalriri

The singer changes her hair color every time she releases a new album. Here she is seen rocking deep burgundy locks. Half of the hair is slicked back in a high ponytail while the remaining luscious waves fall loose on the shoulders.

13. Detailed Box Braids

Rihanna's Lemonade Braids

Who carries box braids better than this beauty icon? The strands are braided in a complex crisscross design to tame the curls. Wear a scarf to settle down the baby hairs resulting in a sleek look. As the braids are tight this fun style can be worn for a few days.

14. Textured Bob + Bangs

Rihanna's bob with middle part bangs

The fashion icon rocks short hair as glamorously as long locks. Wear Rihanna’s best short haircut of all time by going for a dark textured bob haircut and middle-parted eyebrow-skimming bangs. Amp up this carefree look with subtle blonde babylights. Hand-tousle the short strands and style is done. 

15. Vintage Victory Rolls

Rihanna's fiery red hair

For the ones looking for a bold hair change, have a look at Rihanna’s vintage hairstyle she carried at one of her concerts. The hair is dyed in a bright rusty-red hue with loose waves. The front strands are styled into retro victory rolls to complete the look.

16. Regal Flip

Rihanna's Slick Back Hairstyle

Riri set the red carpet on fire with yet another retro look. Her medium brown bob was side-parted and had a reddish tint to it. The layered hair ends were curled upwards with an embellished headpiece at the front. This look is ideal for women with short hair.

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17. Gorgeous Curls

Rihanna with long auburn hair

The pop singer knows how to wear her curls. Ladies with long tresses can recreate this low-maintenance Rihanna hairstyle by dying the hair in a light brown hue with warm reddish gold steaks peeking through. Curl up the strands and leave them loose with a middle part.

18. Black Pixie Cut

Rihanna with short pixie cut

Even a hair color as simple as black looks fierce on her. If you are looking for a head-turning short hair look recreate this pixie cut by chopping the hair short along the sides and back and mixing it into the longer textured top. This look is effortless to maintain.

19. Wild Red Curls

Rihanna's burgundy curls

This is one of Rihanna’s best hairstyle and hair color looks. She went wild on the American Music Awards with a medium-length lob that was dyed in a deep red shade and accentuated by light red highlights. The corkscrew curls were layered to frame the face beautifully.

20. Two-Toned Hairdo

Rihanna's short hairstyle

Keep all the eyes on you by rocking this two-toned short hairdo. The sides are neatly clipped with the longer layers falling over them. The deep side-parted long strands are dyed in a soft blonde hue contrasting with the black sides and front fringe covering an eye.

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21. Intricate Design

Rihanna's hairstyle
Instagram/badgalriri

The ones who don’t want to chop and dye their hair but still want a Rihanna-inspired hair look can go for this detailed hairstyle.  The hair at the front is sectioned into squares that are interconnected and tied with rubber bands with the remaining strands loose at the back.

22. A Touch of Green

Rihanna's Mullet hairstyle
Instagram/vogueitalia

Rihanna went an extra length to create this bold look ideal for the ones who want to stand out among others. The black strands are chopped into a boy cut with long sideburns. The neon green chunks peeking through the black hair take this punk style to another level.

23. Caramel Highlights

Rihanna's hairstyle with caramel balayage

A suitable option for the ladies who don’t want to overpower their natural hair shade. The long tresses have caramel blonde highlights shining through the brown strands. Add bouncy curls midway to the ends to copy Rihanna’s soft hairstyle exactly.

24. Honey blonde waves

rihanna-blonde-hairstyles-3

You can get a truly regal look with this Rihanna blonde hairstyle even when the roots are showing. The secret is to choose the right shade of blonde. Honey hues are always popular but they are hard to achieve on dark hair.

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25. Long Blonde Hair

rihanna-blonde-hairstyles-4

If you are just starting on your way to creating a beautiful blonde hairstyle with blunt bangs, you might want to try wearing a wig for a few days. Besides giving you a stunning image for a special occasion, it can give you an idea of which shade of blonde to use.

Having gone through these quirky looks it is now clear why Rihanna is called the epitome of beauty when it comes to hairstyles. While she resonates quickly between long and short lengths and dark and light shades her looks give us some serious hair goals. Go on and try one of her bold styles mentioned above to make a spectacular style statement.