The Stunning Hair Transformation Of Zoë Kravitz

When it comes to edgy and authentic style, Zoë Kravitz is undoubtedly one of the few names in Hollywood that stands out. Of course, thanks to her stylish parents — actor Lisa Bonet and musician Lenny Kravitz — Zoë was certainly aware early on that the way you look can tell people more about who you are. "Both my parents are people who have always marched to the beat of their drum and embraced their individuality," she told Byrdie in 2023. "I was taught to care for myself, my skin, and my body, and listening to your body is a huge part of beauty. Doing your own thing is part of what makes people so beautiful. When I see someone being themselves unapologetically, that always shines through everything." Needless to say, Zoë is one of the celebrity kids who inherited their famous parents' sense of style. And while Zoë Kravitz is a pro at anything fashion and beauty, one of her favorite ways to express herself is undoubtedly through her hair.

From super-long wavy mermaid hair to a chic and bold pixie, there aren't many hairstyles that Zoë hasn't tried out over the years. But most importantly, the actor has openly talked about her hair journey, from feeling like not fitting in to flaunting her braids whenever possible. And with that, Zoë's become more than just a style icon — she's become a symbol of just how important self-love and acceptance are. So, without further ado, let's dive into how Zoë Kravitz's hair has changed since the early aughts until today!

Even before her acting career officially kicked off, Zoë Kravitz was a known name thanks to her famous parents, Lisa Bonet and Lenny Kravitz. The teen often attended industry events with them, and most of the time, she opted for straightened hair — a major trend in the early aughts.

Later in her career, the star admitted that her natural hair texture was something she struggled with when she was younger. "I have a lot of trauma from being one of the only Black girls in my class," Zoë told Grazia in 2021. "If I went to a pool party the white kids would want to know what my hair looked like when it got wet. If I was at school and my hair tie broke, I'd stay in the bathroom all day. It took me a very long time to love my curls."

However, her mother helped the star learn how to love and nourish her natural locks from an early age. Even though teen Zoë compared herself to other girls with different hair textures, her mom taught her all the tools she needed to make her hair the healthiest and prettiest it could be. "At night my mum and I would train our curls by taking oil and a little bit of water and winding our hair around our fingers; in the morning they would be ringlet shaped," Zoë added. "I've kept my hair moisturized like this since childhood, using coconut, lavender or rosemary oil." 

The year 2007 marked the official beginning of Zoë Kravitz's acting career as she had her breakthrough in the rom-com "No Reservations." Even though she played the minor role of a babysitter, 2007 was definitely the start of something big. Now in her late teens — and officially an adult — Kravitz embraced ultra-long hair.

Even though she still seemingly favored straight looks, she did allow some of her natural texture to peek through in the form of beachy waves. In fact, with the subtle layers and waist length, we can't help but think of Zoë Kravitz's 2006 to 2007 look as luscious wavy mermaid hair. However, the actor would soon prove that rocking the same hair for too long wasn't appealing to her and that the world of hairstyles had so much variety, it would be a shame not to switch things up.

Having gotten tired of her ultra-long mermaid locks, Zoë Kravitz was up for a major change. In 2008, the star decided to embrace short hair — slightly longer than a classic pixie, which allowed her to have plenty of versatility with styling it. "This isn't the shortest my hair has been," she admitted to Refinery29 in 2019 while reflecting on her 2008 locks. "I feel like I've had three short haircuts in my life, and this was the second. When I was 12, I had a buzzcut! I was relaxing my hair here, for sure. I probably used some oils and serums to keep it soft, because relaxers are so hard on your hair."

Still at the beginning of her career in Hollywood, the actor admitted that finding a hairstylist on set that was trained in textured hair wasn't easy. "When I was first starting out, I found it really hard to get a Black hairstylist on movie productions and shoots," Kravitz admitted to Grazia in 2021. "I would be told that the on-set hairstylist wasn't experienced with 'my kind of hair' and be shamed for enquiring otherwise." Luckily, the industry has evolved since, but hearing about Kravitz's early experiences certainly leaves a bad taste in our mouths.

Remaining loyal to her love of switching her hair up, between 2009 and 2011, Zoë Kravitz gave us a variety of similar looks. Most included some type of bang, longer locks, and subtle highlights, but the actor would occasionally combine only two of the three to always keep us guessing.

"Highlights and bangs! I went for it," Kravitz admitted to Refinery29 when reflecting on her 2011 go-to style. "Just trying something different, I guess. I'm sure there are some extensions going on in this situation, too. But it's a little bit of a preppy, conservative vibe ... This is very girly for me." From bottleneck bangs and long, dark locks to baby bangs with a shag haircut, we simply never knew what to expect from Kravitz next.

Between 2012 and 2013, Zoë Kravitz continued switching her hair up, even going for a short pixie again. In 2013, she turned 25, and with that came a change in her approach toward her hair. "I got tired of pretending to look like someone else. I got tired of relaxing my hair and my hair breaking off," she admitted to Grazia in 2021, reflecting on the period when she slowly began embracing her natural hair texture more and more.

Now, instead of fighting against her hair texture, Kravitz began loving it, and even when she would rock her hair straight, it would rarely be pin-straight — instead, she allowed for a bit of a natural wave. But just because Kravitz was ready to embrace her natural hair, that didn't mean she was going to say goodbye to fun haircuts, hair colors, and hairstyles. In fact, her hair chameleon journey was only beginning.

The year 2014 marked perhaps the most dramatic hair change for Zoë Kravitz as the star embraced a platinum-blond bob. In an interview with Refinery29, Kravitz revealed that the hair was actually a weave. "This is a weave too," she said in 2019, reflecting on the look, "and this was for a film that I was working on. It was for the character. I bleached my eyebrows for the film, so I kind of looked like an alien."

While the star didn't commit to bleaching her own hair, this was a dramatic change — and it paid off. The cool shade of blond suited her features, and the layered and choppy haircut gave the look plenty of movement and fun. Luckily for all fans of a blond Zoë Kravitz, this wasn't the last time the actor embraced the shade.

In 2015, Zoë Kravitz embraced long braids, a choice that she gushed about in 2019. "This is when I had the braids. I like being able to feel my head. Having all those things in my head kind of bummed me out," she admitted (via Refinery29). "Once I discovered the braids and was able to touch my scalp, I loved it. It looks natural and ultimately looks better because it's growing out of my head." 

However, just because she was rocking braids didn't mean she wasn't switching it up. In fact, in 2016, Kravitz even gave us platinum-blond braids, and the star became a pro at keeping the look fun by wearing her braids in numerous hairstyles. "I started working with Zoë Kravitz to create her first box braids for the movie 'Dope,'" hairstylist Susan Oludele revealed to Naïra in 2019. "After that, we started doing wavy human braids together and different creative styles." And just when we thought we'd seen it all on the star, she managed to surprise us again.

In 2017, Zoë Kravitz continued rocking blond hair, and she admitted that the hair color was for a project she was working on. "I went blond for a film called 'Kin,' but I had been wanting to do it for a while," she told Refinery29. "It was a way for me to keep the braids but still kind of change the look a little bit. When I get it done, I'll do an Olaplex treatment. It's important to keep dyed hair nice and moisturized. I also dye my braiding hair."

Apart from going blond, the star also decided to add more edginess to her look by going for an undercut. However, by now, it was clear that the star got easily bored of her hair, which is why it's not surprising that she also rocked a blond pixie at the time. In fact, whenever we'd see Kravitz in public we had no idea what to expect from her hair.

Toward the end of the 2010s, Zoë Kravitz decided to go back to her naturally dark hair. With this change, she embraced super-long locks again, which were often styled in braids. In a 2023 interview with Elle, the actor admitted that getting braids done is a whole-day process. "Twelve to 15 hours, something crazy like that," Kravitz said. "The key is to have two braiders at a time. But you know what's funny, I now kind of like it. It's almost like being sick. Having the excuse to just — I stay home, I watch films, I smoke weed, and I just get my hair done. It's actually a great excuse to not have to do anything, and it's great."

In 2019, Kravitz showed off stunning braids at the biggest fashion event of the year: the Met Gala. The star's hair was tightly braided to her scalp, adding an extra touch of chicness to her entire look.

Now in her early 30s, Zoë Kravitz was all about embracing her hair and its texture — and ensuring her locks always remained healthy. "Now, I love that I can wear cornrows and micro braids," she told Grazia in 2021. "It's such a fun way to play and let my hair rest too, especially between jobs."

From flaunting a pixie to giving us fun braided updo styles, there was no limit to Kravitz's creativity when it came to hair. And a big part of exploring different looks also had to do with her self-acceptance. "I've learned to find what works for me instead of covering my hair up and trying to make it look like something that was going to make white people feel comfortable," she added. "I have learned to love my hair."

After the COVID-19 pandemic ended, the world was eager to continue exploring fashion and beauty trends, and for Zoë Kravitz, that seemingly meant embracing side-swept baby bangs. Now, while we love baby bangs, it's no secret that they don't really suit everyone and can easily look ridiculous instead of high-fashion.

Luckily for the actor, her angular face was the perfect canvas for this unique trend. For red-carpet appearances, Kravitz ensured that her bangs stayed side-swept and in the center of attention by using lots of hairspray and keeping the rest of her hair polished and pulled backward. This way, the star managed to achieve the perfect balance between a classic yet modern look.

The star developed a clear love for baby bangs, as she stuck with them throughout 2023, too. The cut gave her additional edginess, even though Zoë Kravitz has never lacked in that department. Having found clear confidence in who she is, the actor also opened up about the struggles she had faced when it came to her hair over the years. "It definitely took me some bit of time as an adult and someone who was in the public eye to find myself," she revealed to Byrdie that year. "There's a lot of pressure. Growing up, I'd go to events and think, 'Do I need to look like everyone else?'" Kravitz admitted that it was her glam team, including her hairstylist Nikki Nelms, that helped her gain more confidence in who she is.

"I was constantly just fighting [about my hair] and being asked to change it," she told Elle in 2023. "I would do a shoot, and this still happens to be honest, where they'll say, 'Can you take your braids out? Because we want to do something else.' And I always reply, 'Pretend this is the way it grows out of my head. You don't ask people that have long blond hair to change their hair every time they do a shoot.' It's interesting that I'm often asked to pop them braids out. Do you know how long this takes? And it's also the way I wear my hair." By openly talking about the hair challenges she has faced in the industry, Kravitz is creating dialogue on matters that need to be spoken about. And this makes her a true influencer when it comes to hair. Of course, her constantly changing hairstyles help, too.

By 2024, it was clear that Zoë Kravitz's hair was more than just something she could switch up when she was bored. Instead, her hair meant self-expression, heritage, power, and always finding her way back to who she really is. Over the course of her career, we got to see her explore various hairstyles and colors, never regretting a change she was making. "I've had quite the journey with my hair, from learning how to take care of it, love it, and accept it," Kravitz admitted to Byrdie. "I'm constantly changing it, and Nikki [Nelms] has been on that journey with me. She understands my aesthetic, and when I have an idea, she helps me bring it to life." And the older Kravitz is getting, the more embracing of her natural hair she is becoming, paving the way for women across the globe to enhance their beauty instead of hiding it.

Nowadays, the actor seems to have jumped on the popular Y2K sleek bun trend, as the star is often seen rocking it on red carpets. However, with Zoë Kravitz, we have no doubt that the new hair change is right around the corner. And here at Glam, we're eagerly awaiting it!