The Evolution Of Reese Witherspoon’s Hair

Reese Witherspoon may be best known for her romantic comedies such as “Legally Blonde,” “Sweet Home Alabama,” and “This Means War,” but she’s done a lot of dramatic work, including her first film in 1991, the coming-of-age drama “The Man in the Moon” (via IMDb). Most recently, she’s returned to the small screen to star in “Little Fires Everywhere” with Kerry Washington.

As for her style, Witherspoon always makes an impact, whether she’s in a comedy or a drama. In “Legally Blonde,” for example, she made sure to school us in all things Cosmopolitan, including the science behind a perm, thanks to her character Elle Woods when she said, “Because isn’t the first cardinal rule of perm maintenance that you’re forbidden to wet your hair for at least 24 hours after getting a perm at the risk of deactivating the ammonium thioglycolate?” Cue all the Delta Nu sisters jumping up and cheering.

While her style has remained iconic, there have been subtle changes throughout the years when it comes to Reese Witherspoon’s signature blond locks and haircuts. This writer dare-says that she has not had a lousy snip to date as most fans wish they could also have the perfect hairstyle.

Messy hair but Reese doesn’t care

While fans may know Reese Witherspoon as only having blond hair, she recently posted a throwback picture from 1987 (above) on her Instagram showing that she is actually a brunette by birth. Witherspoon is seen wearing a striped sweater by Benetton and glasses while smiling at the camera with a messy bun. The ’90s was Witherspoon’s time to shine as she became an instant fan-favorite when she appeared in “Cruel Intentions” with her husband-to-be, Ryan Phillippe (per Showbiz Cheat Sheet).

Some of her all-time classic beauty moments from this time period were inspired by the blue eye shadow and punk rock hair look, with Witherspoon poking fun at herself during a social media post where she wrote, “Ahhh. 90’s style. Going through some old photos and pretty sure @gwenstefani inspired my hairstyle, @drewbarrymore inspired these eyebrows.” The actor’s hair was twisted into cute top knots while she rocked her short, dirty-blond look proudly. Sometimes we forget how wild, and crazy the ’90s fashions were; so how many of us tried this same style?

Reese’s looks are so down to earth

By the time the 2000s rolled around, Witherspoon was sporting a much shorter bob with shaggy layers thanks to her part in “Sweet Home Alabama” (per In That Movie). She was 25 at the time, and the platinum-blond cut showed off her more mature look.

Not too far down the road in 2004, she stepped back out with a deep chestnut hue for her part as June Carter Cash (per W Magazine). Paparazzi were in awe at the Venice Film Festival when she strutted down the red carpet to promote “Walk the Line.” Thankfully in 2005 (above), she went back to her roots and stepped out in front of the cameras with her blond locks intact and a mini ballgown to complete the look (via Allure).

Witherspoon’s natural beauty and high cheekbones help her pull off any look effortlessly. So it is no surprise that she nails each style with such a sense of pride and purpose. She literally keeps getting better with age.

Reese has embraced her Southern charm

Now, as she has gone into the second half of the millennium, she has fully embraced her Southern roots and even launched her own fashion label, Draper James. According to the website, her creations were inspired by her heritage and her grandparents, Dorothea Draper and William James Witherspoon. The mother of three admitted they taught her everything she knew about Southern living, writing on her website, “From them I learned to dress and act like a lady, to take pride in my home, to reach out to help a neighbor, and to always invite everyone in for a visit.” The iconic Southern style meshed with today’s fashion trends has really won over her fans.

As for her hair evolution, Refinery29 may have said it best when Witherspoon “revisited her love affair with stick-straight hair, a deep part, and rose-colored makeup” in 2019. Since then, she has been sticking true to herself and the iconic look that made so many fans fall in love with her signature style in the first place.