Blake Lively's Most Iconic Hair Looks

When we think of Blake Lively, her impressive acting career, stunning style transformation, and gorgeous hair all spring to mind. Lively has rocked more than her fair share of epic 'dos — and she knows we're obsessed with her glowing, golden tresses. "Ever since I was a kid, through adolescence, early adulthood, motherhood, work, personal life, whenever, wherever, the single most identifiable part about me has always been my personalit- no? Not my personality? Oh ... My hair," she joked on Instagram in July 2024. Her locks are so iconic that she even launched her own haircare brand, Blake Brown Beauty.

It's no surprise then, that while speaking to The New York Times in 2009, New York salon owner John Barrett compared the public's love of Lively's hair to Jennifer Aniston's during the peak of her "Friends" fame. He claimed Lively's "Gossip Girl" styles rivaled the popularity of Aniston's notorious "The Rachel" (a retro '90s cut that started trending again in 2024). "[Lively's] hair right now is a big trend [but] if anybody can handle it, that's a question mark," he said. But Lively's iconic hair looks go far beyond her "Gossip Girl" days.

Blake Lively has cemented an undone, beachy hair aesthetic over the years, and she leaned into some very easy-going styles early in her career. The super long, pulled-back braid she wore for the 2009 Emmys proved that. This 'do isn't perfect, and that's why we love it. There are a few natural and relatable flyways, and the braid features small and big sections, as well as tight and loose twists. It makes this easy to replicate as it doesn't appear too 'done,' and also allows us to see her stunning face and glowing complexion.

Speaking to W in 2017, Lively's hairstylist Rod Ortega explained she can change things up because of how her hair is cut. "It's a long, layered haircut. Having the right amount of layers around the face makes a cut versatile to go from a ponytail to a bun to down and wavy. It all starts with a really great cut," he shared.

Of course, Blake Lively is famous for being blonde, but we can't say it was anything less than iconic when she debuted red locks at the 2011 TIME 100 gala. The star wowed with shiny locks over her shoulder in a deep side part. The shade was chosen specifically for her cool blue eyes and her skin's golden undertones. "We mixed cool and warm tones. We didn't want the red to be too yellow," Rona O'Connor told Beautylish that year. O'Connor shared she also incorporated "golden strawberry, an apricot, and a ruby copper orange" to add dimension.

But even though her color was different, she still incorporated something familiar; her signature wave Rod Ortega dubbed "The Blake Wave." "Waves work really well with her hair. A lot of people know her as having those waves," he told W. He also revealed how to emulate her signature 'do, starting with a blowout. He then uses the Ibiza 7 hairbrush and T-3 Trio curling iron and applies serum. "I don't use too much product. Then it's about brushing it out so it falls nicely," he explained.

Blake Lively proved in 2012 that she can do bigger, more defined, voluminous curls just as well as her signature waves. She attended the premiere of her movie "Savages" with stunning blonde bombshell locks in a glamorous side part. Her look gave off Old Hollywood glamour as her hair was curled toward her face, ditching the more contemporary curled-away method. Speaking to Daily Mail in 2016, Rod Ortega revealed her seductive tresses were inspired by Hollywood icon Rita Hayworth.

The effort Lively put into her hair was clearly visible. Her tresses were shiny and bouncy, and it appeared Lively's mom's hack for keeping her hair properly moisturized really worked. "She used to put oil or mayonnaise on the bottom half of her hair before she would shower," the actor told Byrdie in 2017, revealing she did it too. "That way, when she would shampoo, the soap wouldn't strip the bottom of the hair and dry it out, making it brittle." There wasn't a dry end in sight that night.

When Blake Lively attended the Met Gala in 2016 (one of our favorite Met Gala appearances from her), she had her blonde hair pulled back. But not into any old bun. This was a bold, extra-large version, including a smaller bun that swirled out for the most gorgeous twist, literally, on the classic. It also had twists of hair wrapped around the outside. Rod Ortega told Daily Mail the up-do was inspired by the 1960s and 1970s, as well as ancient Greece. That may not sound like the most natural combination, but if anyone knows how to merge different aesthetics for one gorgeous final product, it's Blake Lively.

This look showed real hair flexibility from the "Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants" star, something she's become well-known for. "Blake's hair and style has a sense of versatility to it and I think that's what people love so much about it," Ortega told Harper's Bazaar in 2017. "She takes risks and is always open to exploring different styles and borrowing ideas from different cultures and history."

In 2019, Blake Lively let her hair down for the "Pokémon: Detective Pikachu" red carpet, where she confirmed her pregnancy. She wore voluminous yet tighter curls, and the warm honey tone complimented her skin for a gorgeous glow. Lively knew all eyes would be on her and her bump, which may explain why she wore her hair down. "Honestly I am a shy person and my hair is a safety net for me, so I love to have it down and full and relaxed," she explained to Hello! (via Daily Mail) in 2014. "Often you see people on the red carpet with tight-up dos, but that makes me feel stiff."

To get her hair so big, Lively may have used the Mason Pearson Hand Boar & Nylon Hair Brush. She told Marie Claire in 2013 it was her go-to for volume. "I use this for teasing. Just one or two strokes under the top layer gives my hair a sexy, full look," she said. This influential star knows the benefits of a boar bristle hair brush.

In August 2024, Blake Lively changed things up yet again to deliver another iconic hair look. Attending a Betty Blooms pop-up, the stunner channeled Rapunzel in Disney's "Tangled" by wearing her hair in a loose and low side braid with multiple, seemingly real, flowers. And fans certainly noticed (and loved!) the similarities. "Obsessed with this hairstyle, looks like a version of Rapunzel," one person commented after Lively shared photos from the event on Instagram. "That hairstyle is everything WOW," another fan wrote.

The floral accessories proved Lively knows how do to something different with a trend. Floral fashion was big in the spring and summer of 2024 and Lively knew that, as she wore a bold hot pink floral outfit. But, by incorporating flowers into her tresses too, her locks tied the garments together and underlined her feminine and glamorous style. In this case, it also gave her an extra ethereal garden-esque vibe we're excited to try for ourselves. What a hair queen.