5 Times Blake Lively's Hair Style Totally Missed The Mark

Blake Lively is almost as famous for her hair as she is her iconic roles in the likes of "Gossip Girl" and "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants." Her glowing tresses are so sought after, Lively even launched her own haircare line, Blake Brown, in August 2024 — which TikTok had a lot to say about.

Though she doesn't have mishaps very often, with every other iconic Lively hair look comes one that missed the mark. Even the actor knows not every visit to the salon has been a hair-raising success. "I had someone give me a horrifying haircut, to the point where my husband thought it was a hit job. It took three years to [grow back]. It was really rough," she told InStyle in August 2024. The star admitted it was so traumatic she decided to cut it herself from then on. Though she didn't confirm exactly when she had the disastrous 'do, we can take a few guesses based on her hairstyles that just didn't work.

There's nothing wrong with a messy up-do every now and then, and Blake Lively's natural texture usually adds a nonchalant, beachy, cool girl vibe to a loose bun. But when she put her hair up for one of her first premieres in May 2005 to introduce the world to "The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants", it felt too undone. Lively's chignon was anything but polished, with multiple strands sticking out. She even had several super long piece trailing down her neck, which made it seem her once chic 'do had fallen out (though it was seemingly designed that way) and didn't work for a formal red carpet.

Though we give the beauty points for bringing us her niche, untidy (in a good way) hairstyles early, it felt like a missed opportunity. Lively could have dazzled us with her long locks flowing and down to make a real 'I've arrived' statement.

We're still not sure what was going on with Blake Lively's hair in August 2005 when she attended a party for Teen People's Second Annual Young Hollywood Issue. The actor wore beachy waves, but they totally lacked the bombshell glamor she later became famous for. Lively seemingly wore extensions that were completely different shade to her natural, much lighter and blonder tresses. The shorter, shaped pieces around her face suggested she'd had a shorter cut and added the extensions for length, but the two weren't blended and looked totally mismatched.

Lively may have let her locks airdry to achieve this unkempt look, which, though a healthy hair technique, could explain why it looks so unpolished. A quick run through with a brush could have transformed this stringy 'do that lacked any kind of cohesion.

Blake Lively was just 18 when she hit the red carpet in 2006 for the Night Of 100 Stars Oscar Party — but she looked years older thanks to her bold hairstyle. The star went shorter than expected and seemingly pinned a few sections up, but the varying lengths hanging down paired with the Kate Gosselin-esque volume at the back (remember that notorious cut?) felt outdated even back then. That spelled a rare misstep for the teenager who was already proving herself a fashionista, especially coupled with her matte foundation, blue eyeshadow, and terracotta lipstick.

The color of Lively's locks was also a little off. The Teen Choice Award winner has since discovered that golden blond warms up her complexion and compliments her features, but this shade was cooler with darker roots, which washed her out.

Another event, another messy bun from Blake Lively that missed the mark. Her tresses had enviable volume at the front on the 2011 CinemaCon red carpet, but the back looked like it'd been pinned up in a rush, making the whole look appear unfinished. The long hanging strands gave the illusion they'd fallen down unintentionally and her flyaways (seemingly caused by backcombing and styling) were distracting, making her 'do appear chaotic and dry. And we're guessing that wasn't the look she was going for considering she was honored with the Breakthrough Award that night. Just a couple more bobby pins could have elevated this hairstyle into something more glam and put together.

Though Lively still managed to look stunning, she's since admitted she doesn't feel her most confident when her tresses aren't down. "If I'm feeling insecure about other parts of me, my hair is just the constant thing; I know if m y hair is down, I feel good. I feel like me. I feel in my skin," she told InStyle. And that lack of confidence with an up-do may also explain why this wasn't her best.

When Blake Lively steps out on the red carpet, we expect to see her voluminous blond mane. That's why we felt underwhelmed by her understated 2018 MTV Video Music Awards hair. The "It Ends With Us" star's usually bright blond tresses were dyed to a dark, nearly brunette shade and barely visible from the front as Lively tied it in a low ponytail hidden behind her back. The actor had a deep side part and concealed her hair tie, but it lacked the wow factor we're used from Lively's more daring red carpet looks.

We understand why she toned things down to let the embellished lapel on her elegant, white suite shine, but there were ways to do that more authentically. We'd have preferred the front of her hair to be tucked behind her ears and pinned to keep her tresses over her shoulders with loose waves falling down her back.