5 Celeb Hair Extension Fails That Made Us Cringe

Even with access to the best stylists in the world, hair extensions can be tough to get right. The placement and styling needs to be perfect to make them appear natural — and that can be more difficult that it looks. Just ask first lady Melania Trump.

Ready to ring the bell on the New York Stock Exchange.
President Trump will lead a great American comeback! pic.twitter.com/uH235bxRlD

— JD Vance (@JDVance) December 12, 2024

In 2024, Vice President JD Vance accidentally exposed the political figure's extension line in a photo shared to X, formerly known as Twitter. The snap showed the back of Melania's head as her husband Donald Trump prepared to ring the bell on the New York Stock Exchange. Eagle-eyed fans noticed a strip visible near the top of Melania's head, where her natural hair separated. The star's additions also appeared to hold curl better than her natural locks, which made the accessories even more obvious, as she had straighter strands where her curl had seemingly dropped out. But Melania certainly isn't the only famous face who's suffered a fail that made us cringe.

Proving even the most A-List of celebs aren't immune to a hair extension fail, Angelina Jolie fell victim to poorly blended accessories in 2021. The star's glam team installed what were likely clip-in extensions for her "Eternals" red carpet appearance, but they were a lot longer than her natural tresses and attached as a single piece underneath her locks without any blending. To make them look seamless, clip-ins should be added underneath a section of hair but on top of another so the differing lengths and textures merge.

Because of the placement faux pas, it was very obvious where her blunt, bicep-long tresses ended and her waist-length extensions began — in the middle of the "Mr. & Mrs. Smith" star's upper back. For a more natural finish, we'd have recommended installing several semi-permanent strands or clip-extensions in multiple sections rather than one long strip.

Blake Lively isn't immune to a hairstyle that misses the mark. When she attended a Teen People party in 2005, her golden blond, natural tresses were bob length, but she'd attached straggly, copper blond pieces that were several inches longer. The stringy additions only added length, no volume, and weren't even close to a color match. They were also too shiny, and a different texture to her own locks, which made them look obvious and fake. Definitely not one of Lively's most iconic hair looks.

To avoid the "Sisterhood of the Travelling Pants" stars' faux pas, match hair pieces to the ends of your tresses for a more effortless blend. It's also a good idea to place extensions next to your own hair in different lighting to ensure you're truly getting the best match.

In 2008, Paris Hilton experienced an awkward extension mistake when the fastenings of her extra strands were visible on the Apple Lounge Grand Opening red carpet. "The Simple Life" star wore a short, glossy, blond bob, but added volume via hair helpers in the same length and a similar shade. Hilton opted for semi-permanent blond pieces that were attached via beads, but the chunky, plastic fastenings poked through the gaps in her mane when she turned to the side.

Hilton needed more hair pushed over to her right side to camouflage the fastenings. Opting for smaller beads or a different attachment method, such as tapes, is also an option for those with thinner locks.

Britney Spears hasn't had the best luck when it comes to extensions. She's worn them for decades, but there are countless snaps of them not exactly looking their best. That includes in 2007 when the "I Wanna Go" singer exposed where they'd been fastened into her roots. Spears pushed her hair back on the red carpet so she didn't have a defined part, but didn't have enough strands over the bonds to disguise them. The results were distracting stringy, spaghetti-like strands that were not flattering.

Whoever installed her extensions applied them a little too high, as Spears didn't have enough natural hair to make the fixings blend seamlessly. She may even have been experiencing hair loss due to the accessories, as poorly installed extensions can damage the follicle.

Ivanka Trump's extensions were pretty obvious in one Instagram video. The clip, shared to Donald Trump's @potus and @whitehouse accounts, showed the father-daughter duo watching the 2025 Super Bowl together — but the angle highlighted Ivanka's poorly placed extensions. They appeared to be clip-ins or tapes, which are applied in a strip unlike individual strands. There was an obvious bulky line that wrapped around the back of her head under smaller pieces of hair. The additions were made more obvious because Ivanka's roots were a little darker, which meant her light blond accessories stood out even more.

Ivanka or her hair stylist could have camouflaged the fastening more by placing the extensions slightly lower, using more of Ivanka's natural tresses to blur the line caused by her clip-ins. Equally, applying a texturizing spray would have given her natural locks more depth and grip for the additions to hold onto.