Lisa Rinna's Hair Transformation Over The Years Has Been A Sight To See

Lisa Rinna is most famous for her formerly thin lips, which sometimes look like they're closer to popping than a balloon. The "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" alum's pout has definitely been her most identifiable feature since she got them injected with silicone in her mid-20s. She's gotten the silicone removed, but said on "Today" that it's been impossible to get her lips back to looking natural, because the substance settles differently over time. But people forget that her career has spanned decades, and Lisa Rinna's stunning transformation through the years has very little to do with her lips. It's more to do with the fact that she's not afraid to bring drama everywhere she goes from head to toe, and because she's been generally consistent, it's easy to overlook her hair. 

Photos of Rinna through the years prove that while it may not be as drastic as her lip transformation, her hair has gone on a transformation journey, too. From the long locks that she started her career off with to her signature pixie, and then her more dramatic styles in the 2020s, her hair story is one to take note of.

Lisa Rinna's career in entertainment began in the '80s, and that's when she began getting photographed with boyfriends out and about in Los Angeles. By the start of the 1990s, she had long brown hair with bangs. She styled it very messily, as the natural look was popular at the time. Rinna's hairstyle during this era was reminiscent of models and mega-stars who were around her age, like Cindy Crawford and Brooke Shields.  

By 1994, Lisa Rinna had met her future husband Harry Hamlin (and their relationship has some red flags). She had also cut her natural long brown locks down to a long, shaggy bob with bangs, and it's safe to say that with a few exceptions, she didn't go back. Her hair color was also different from earlier years, now a darker brown. The reality star had started injecting her lips with silicone by that time, so a little hair dye was barely a risk for her. 

Glam-wise, Lisa Rinna is one of the most consistent celebrities in Hollywood. Although she experiments at times, she rarely strays from the hairstyle that has become her signature — a short bob with bangs that she first rocked in the early 2000s, like at a 2002 event honoring Sir Elton John. Her top lip was split in half, a tell-tale sign of injectables, but otherwise her natural beauty was on display. The bob was a little messy, and subtle blonde highlights were complemented with natural makeup. 

Lisa Rinna took one of her first big hairstyle risks at the Grammys in February 2009. Her hair was dark brown again, and she was clearly wearing extensions because her long hair was styled in an elaborate bouffant of knots at the back of her head. It's simply impossible that Rinna grew her hair that long in such a short amount of time, when other photos of her from before and after the Grammys show it looking much shorter. The style was beautiful, but the hair was obviously not natural.

Lisa Rinna did the awards show circuit in 2009 because she also went to the Academy Awards in February, a few weeks after the Grammys that year. She'd ditched the hair extensions for this red carpet, appearing to wear her natural hair. She definitely had a lot of hairspray in, to get the wavy curls in her hair to stay put. It was giving high glam, literally.

Lisa Rinna rang in 2014 with a new look. In early January of that year, the "Melrose Place" star attended an art gala event in Los Angeles wearing a bob that was noticeably shorter than it had been in the past. Her bangs were messy and different shades of brown were detectable in her hair. The change wasn't extreme, but still worth clocking as Rinna had maintained the mid-length bob for many years until then.

When Lisa Rinna arrived at the "Real Housewives of Beverly Hills" Season 8 premiere party in December 2017, she looked like her glam was channeling rebel Sandy at the end of the classic 1978 musical "Grease." Rinna's hairstyle wasn't identical to Olivia Newton-John's in the iconic scene, because Newton-John's hair was longer. But Rinna had a mid-length lob at the time that was styled with messy waves and caramel highlights. Between her hair, hoop earrings, and sleek black suit, she clearly evoked everyone's favorite good girl playing bad.

Lisa Rinna started taking bigger risks with her hair in 2019, and she hasn't stopped. She wore long extensions and wigs a lot that year, on display at the Los Angeles premiere of "7 Days to Vegas" in September. She wore a low ponytail with hair wrapped around the center. The hair had light-brown highlights in it and Rinna's long bangs were on display. If you look closely at the top of her head, there appears to be a mid-size gap where the hair piece started. 

Although Lisa Rinna kept her natural hair the same for many years, it's not accurate to say that the actor was ever afraid to take risks of any kind, be it with her fashion, her makeup, or her hair. There is photo evidence that she's bravest while on The Fashion Awards red carpet. In December 2023, she wore one of her most dramatic, nearly gothic looks. Her dress and makeup were black, complementing her short black, hairstyle that had deliberate, dramatic spikes perfectly. 

Lisa Rinna took the biggest documented risk with her hair at The Fashion Awards in December 2025, and it wasn't her most flattering choice. The "Veronica Mars" actor's hair was so platinum it looked gray and appeared to be teased in the front for extra height. She looked decades older than she was at the time, although her face was wrinkle free. Her lips are her most identifiable feature, and the dramatic transformation was all because of her hair color. If not flattering, it was at least shocking.