8 Celebrities Who Took Off Their Wigs And Showed Their Real Hair
Whether we realize it or not, hair can be a fundamental part of our identities. Throughout history, hair has been associated with health and beauty across genders, and both natural and synthetic hair can shape a person's entire look. Of course, wigs are nothing new; hairpieces have been used since Ancient Egyptian times to boost confidence in people who experience hair loss or hair damage. They can also be used to try out new or creative styles, protect natural hair, and even save time.
And yes, celebrities wear wigs — and not just in movies and music videos. As stylist Amy Gibson told E! News in 2017, "In Hollywood, a celebrity's hair is commonly overworked, because they have to get ready quickly and often. It gives women the opportunity to expand an idea of their self without compromising their hair's health, which they may not be able to do with the hair they were born with. I watch wigs instantly increase my clients' confidence and sensuality, because they can step outside of themselves."
There are a number of stars who are not only known to rock a wig at an event, but are up for rocking their natural hair from time to time, too. Here are eight celebrities who have taken off their wigs to show off their real hair.
Kim Zolciak
Does it come as a huge surprise that the reality TV star who released a song called "Wig" in 2018 is a fan of ... wearing wigs? Kim Zolciak, of "The Real Housewives of Atlanta" fame, took to Instagram Stories in February 2024 to answer some of her fans' questions, including some about her hair (via The Daily Dish). In one of the posts, Zolciak showed off her long, blonde, and flowing natural hair. Seeing that Kim's natural hair appeared to be in tip-top shape, this begged the question: Why wear wigs?
Turns out, the Bravolebrity has touched on this topic before. "It's just easier for me!!" she wrote back in 2019 in an Instagram Story when asked why she favors wigs. "I can't imagine sitting In hair and makeup for 2hrs a day!" It seems that Kim has lifehacked her way into a glamorous appearance while cutting out hours of time styling her hair. She added that she doesn't even style the wigs on her head; instead, they're styled on her mannequin (aptly named Quinn Zolciak) because it's quicker and easier.
Halsey
Halsey is known for her adventurous hair colors and styles, but some may be shocked to learn that some of those fun looks were achieved with wigs. Halsey explained that she wore wigs in 2017 and 2018 as she grew out her real hair, which had been damaged by bleach. Musicians and actors experience hair damage more frequently than you may expect due to hair or appearance changes needed for different roles and performances, and Halsey was no exception to this.
Once her hair had gotten healthier, Halsey took off the wigs and showed off her natural curls on X, formerly known as Twitter — just for people to think she was wearing another wig. Halsey is biracial and has a naturally curly hair type, which some fans were apparently very surprised by. She followed up on X, "i can't believe I spent a whole damn year growing out my curls under those wigs for y'all to say my natural hair looks like a wig... some f***ed up s*** lmao."
Since then, she's continued to embrace her natural hair texture and has even called out hotels for not providing shampoo and conditioner that suits people of color's hair type. On X, formerly known as Twitter, Halsey wrote (via Refinery29), "I've been traveling for years now, and it's been so frustrating that the hotel toiletry industry entirely alienates people of color. I can't use this perfumed watered-down white people shampoo. Neither can 50 percent of your customers. Annoying."
Khloe Kardashian
When you think of the Kardashian-Jenners and wigs, you may first think of Kylie Jenner's colorful selection of hairpieces or Kim Kardashian's long, ice blonde wigs. But Khloé Kardashian is actually who we'd consider to be the family's wig aficionado; she has an entire closet devoted to wigs and hair accessories. Professional organizing team The Home Edit organized Khloé's so-called "glam closet" and shared a photo of all the hair glory on their Instagram, where fans can see rows upon rows of Khloé's hairpieces of all colors, along with several mannequin heads with various styles of wigs.
For as many wigs and hair extensions Khloé keeps on hand, she also shows off her natural hair every now and then. The star is often seen with sleek, long, blonde tresses, but Khloé's natural hair is curly and darker. She posted a selfie showing off her voluminous natural curls on her Instagram in 2021, captioning the shot, "I rarely wear my natural hair texture. Felt kinda cute with it (please don't ruin the feeling)."
Keke Palmer
Keke Palmer's wig game is strong — so strong, in fact, that she took to Instagram to show followers how seamless her wigs are. In an August 2023 Instagram video, the former child star points to her hairline and says, "What lace? ... I'm trying to find it. I'm trying to find it. I can't see it, call me John Cena!" We have to admit, the lace front wig is remarkably seamless.
As much as she adores a flawless wig, the "Nope" actor is also fond of her natural hair and is on a journey to embracing it. In a 2021 Instagram post, she revealed a snapshot of her natural curls and captioned the photo, "I look back at old photos and it blows my mind how blind I was to how beautiful my natural hair has always been! ... I really wanted regain the confidence I had as a kid when it came to my hair in its natural state while still being able to explore a wig a weave or anything! I just never wanted to feel like I needed it more than the actual hair on my head."
Beyonce
Beyoncé is known for her honey blonde mane almost as much as she's known for her chart-topping songs. And yes, more often than not, Beyoncé's gorgeous hair is actually a wig; she has rocked her natural hair at a handful of events.
While it's common to see Queen Bey with long, blonde, wavy hair, it appears that her natural hair is quite curly, similar to her sister Solange's hair. One occasion in which she showed off her natural locks was when she was promoting her haircare line, Cécred. Another memorable occasion when Bey showed her real hair was when she cut it into a pixie style in 2013. Looking back on this dramatic change to her 'do, Beyoncé told Essence, "So much of my identity as a performer has been connected to flowing hair. Cutting my hair off was me rebelling against being this woman that society thinks I'm supposed to be."
Whether Beyoncé's wearing a wig or keeping things au naturale, she embraces self-expression through hair and encourages others to do the same. Speaking about Black women specifically, she told Essence, "We can wear our hair natural, straight, braids, weaves and wigs. There's power in self-expression and in feeling free to show up as we choose, in whatever hair we choose."
Lady Gaga
Oscar-winning artist Lady Gaga has used wigs as part of her eccentric, artful looks since she first entered the scene. Remember her long, wavy, yellow tresses or her silver-platinum bob with blunt bangs? Both wigs. As Gaga told Grazia in 2014, wigs were part of what she used to get through hard times: "When I didn't feel strong enough to be me, I created someone else. And it worked."
Lady Gaga is mostly known for her platinum tresses – but it's hard to say, on any given day, if she's sporting her natural hair (dyed) or a platinum wig. Her natural hair color is dark brown, and her natural texture appears to be wavy; she revealed her natural hair in all its glory at a concert in London in 2014, but she's also worn her natural hair more frequently in recent years. On her Instagram, she frequently posts photos of herself looking more toned down, and these days, it looks like she mostly rocks her real hair rather than the wild wigs she used to don.
Wendy Williams
Unlike other celebrities who wear wigs as a way to protect their natural hair or to create a creative look, TV host Wendy Williams said she uses wigs due to a health condition that causes thinning hair. "People think it's vanity," Williams said in an interview with People in 2017. "It's thyroid disease." She explained that, while the condition doesn't cause her to lose her hair entirely, hyperthyroidism did lead to a loss in the amount of hair she had. Despite the way hair loss can impact self-esteem, it seems she's able to keep a sense of humor about her situation, explaining that she sometimes names her wigs and noting that one of them is named "New B**ch."
Though Williams has worn wigs for the majority of her career, she did recently reveal her natural hair in an emotional meeting with her longtime friend Blac Chyna shown in the "Where is Wendy Williams?" documentary. In the wake of Williams' worsening health, which involves battles with aphasia, frontotemporal dementia, hyperthyroidism, and lymphedema, Blac Chyna made a visit to comfort Williams as she navigates a difficult time. In the documentary, we were happy to see that Williams seemed happy and at ease enough around Blac Chyna to remove her wig and relax in her natural hair.
Cardi B
Cardi B is known for her adventurous hairstyles, most of which involve wigs or extensions. As she shared on Instagram, she even wore six different wigs at once to achieve the voluminous curls seen in her 2021 Interview photoshoot.
And though Cardi definitely doesn't shy away from using wigs to try out new styles, she's equally proud of her natural hair, which she shows off on occasion. She revealed her healthy, waist-length natural hair in an Instagram Story in March 2020 (via Allure); Cardi B has also shared her DIY hair mask on her Instagram Stories for those wondering how she achieves such healthy, long hair. While it doesn't look like she'll be ditching wigs any time soon, the star is certainly willing to embrace her natural hair. As she said in a video for Vogue, "I love when my real hair is out. ... I just feel so beautiful, I feel so natural, I feel like that represents me."