The Stunning Hair Transformation Of Willow Smith
As the child of Hollywood stars Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith, there was no doubt that Willow Smith would end up in the entertainment industry. With her debut single "Whip My Hair" released in 2010 when she was just 9 years old, Smith has been in the spotlight for over a decade — and over the years we've seen her sport plenty of fun hairstyles.
While she rocks everything — from a buzz cut to wigs — the musician has revealed that natural hair is her favorite. "Every single one of my dreads is like a stress ball for me," Smith admitted to Refinery29 in 2017. "I twist them when I'm nervous, making them longer and longer, and I like the way my long hair moves when I'm performing. But I have tried so many different looks and colors that it's made my hair a little weak, so my favorite is when I go all-natural." However, even with her hair natural, Smith manages to have fun by donning unique hairstyles. Here's how much her hair has changed since her breakthrough!
2010-2011: Willow is all about length and braids
Even though her name wasn't unknown at the time — she had already made her acting debut in 2007 in "I Am Legend" — Willow Smith's first big moment in the spotlight happened with the release of "Whip My Hair." Apart from being a major hit — peaking at number 11 on the "Billboard Hot 100" — the song also put Smith's hair in the spotlight, as a big part of her performance involved showcasing her locs.
"'Whip My Hair' means don't be afraid to be yourself," Smith told MTV in 2010, "and don't let anybody tell you that that's wrong. Because the best thing is you." At the time, Smith had long hair, which she often styled in locs or a straight blowout styled in a fun pompadour. Notably, the young star also rocked an undercut, which was definitely a bold and edgy choice for a tween, and it undoubtedly foreshadowed just how fearless her hairstyle choices would become in the future.
2012-2013: Willow goes for ultra-short hair
In 2012, Willow Smith shaved her hair into a buzz cut, and this caused quite a bit of controversy, with many bashing the star's parents for allowing their daughter to cut her hair. At the time, Smith defended her decision, calling out the adults who had been commenting on her new hairstyle. "Grown ups [have] children and they say you can be whatever you want to be. And then they go on my Instagram and comment, 'How can your parents let you go out looking like that?' Telling me that I can't do what I want to do," she said after the backlash (via Refinery29).
However, the public frenzy was so strong that Smith's mother, Jada Pinkett Smith, felt the need to address it as well. "Willow cut her hair because her beauty, her value, her worth is not measured by the length of her hair," she wrote on Facebook. "It's also a statement that claims that even little girls have the RIGHT to own themselves and should not be a slave to even their mother's deepest insecurities, hopes, and desires." In 2017, Smith admitted to Refinery29 that a big part of this hair change had to do with the fact that she wanted to see what her natural hair looked like again. "I'd look at baby pictures and see what my hair looked like, and I just got curious. Then I ended up bleaching it right after," she said.
2014-2016: Willow serves us locs and space buns
In late 2014, Willow Smith released her debut EP "3," and with that, she embraced a subtle hair change. Smith let her natural hair grow out into locs, and she had plenty of fun styling it. "I think my look changes all of the time and right now it's a bit more messy, kind of grungy," Smith admitted in 2015 (via The Mirror). "I want to embrace my full self as natural as I can be, I just want to have dreads."
From dying it purple and rocking space buns to wearing it in a half-up, half-down hairstyle, Smith has proven over and over again that short locs can be plenty of fun — and very versatile. As a teenager at the time, Smith was all about experimenting with her style and figuring out what she liked, which certainly meant that she wouldn't keep the same hairstyle for too long.
2017-2020: Willow embraces length again
Between 2017 and 2020, Willow Smith let her hair grow even more, and at the time, her locs were often styled in half-up, half-down looks. During this period, the star opened up about why rocking locs was important to her and how it allowed her to style her hair with ease.
When The Cut asked Smith about her relationship with her hair in 2018, the star admitted that they're "best friends." "I love my locs and they love me," the singer said. "I'm just really calm about it now. When I had my hair out and not in locs, it was such a hassle every single day, trying to do ... whatever to it. Having the locs is just amazing. I can go about my life now and not worry about it." However, even though Smith adored her long hair, the star eventually got tired of it, which resulted in a big hair change not many would dare to go for.
2021-2022: Willow gives us a fierce buzz cut
During a 2021 episode of "Red Table Talk," Willow Smith admitted that she had had hairdressers who didn't know what to do with her hair. Talking about a high fashion photo shoot, the musician revealed, "The person that was supposed to do my hair came, looked at it, and tried to do something to it, tried to touch it. I could tell that they were just like, 'I don't know what I'm doing,'" (via Business Insider). Smith explained that she ended up styling her own hair for the shoot. "That should never be happening," she said.
In the same year, Smith's career skyrocketed as the hit "Meet Me at Our Spot" became viral on TikTok. That July, Smith decided to put on a show by having her hair shaved. During a performance of "Whip My Hair," Smith had her hair buzzed off — all while she was playing the electric guitar. Her performance was incredibly powerful, and the star once again showed just how unafraid of change she was. "However I'm feeling, I like to do that. I don't really like to think about it too much," she revealed to Glizour in 2022. "I love to be free with it." In the same interview, she also admitted that getting a buzz cut for the second time was a bold choice. "I like to see a glare on my scalp, a bounce of light," she admitted. "Shaving my head is maybe the most radical thing I've done in the name of beauty." While cutting your hair off entirely is something not many dare to do, there are quite a few benefits to a buzz cut, as Smith surely knows.
2023: Willow gives us her edgy interpretation of the trending Italian bob
Now in her early 20s, Willow Smith is definitely one of the few musicians in the industry who seem to be unapologetically authentic, not conforming to any expectations whether it comes to her music or beauty and style. In front of our eyes, Smith has grown from a Hollywood kid into a young woman who is a role model for many — whether they're aspiring musicians or not.
Smith's appreciation for her hair is not only beautiful, but it also shows just how powerful hair can be. "It's definitely been a form of connecting to myself and ancestral self-healing for me," Smith admitted to Vogue of growing her hair out in 2023. During that year, Smith explored what a chin-length haircut could give her, and she served plenty of different looks with it. And just like that, she may have given us the most fun interpretation of the Italian bob!
2024-Present: Willow is all about embracing her culture with her hairstyles
In 2024, Willow Smith felt drawn to hairstyles that allowed her to connect to her heritage even more. From a voluminous and super curly haircut to a hairstyle associated with the Mangbetu tribe that Smith wore to the most prestigious fashion event of the year, we've gotten to see the musician rock plenty of incredible styles.
"As a Black woman there were a lot of layers to my relationship with my hair and skin growing up; it was definitely a learning curve," Smith told Glizour two years prior. "I had to look up to other beautiful Black women. Just looking at someone who's like me, living their truth and doesn't let what society says tear them down. I think that was the most important [influence] for me as a child," she added. In 2024, Smith is undoubtedly that woman for many, and the fact that she embraces hairstyles she could rarely see on the red carpet growing up is definitely one of the ways she contributes to societal change and inclusivity.