If ever you needed evidence of Kim Kardashian's chameleon-like approach to hair, simply look to the events of the past week where she flitted from XXL fiery red lengths to a flipped black bob in what seemed to be the blink of an eye. The speed at which she switches her hairstyles suggests that more often than not she relies on the power of wigs, along with the expertise of her go-to hairstylist Chris Appleton, who is responsible for some of her most show stopping looks (we're already pinning the red as our ultimate autumn hair hue).
There is no denying Kim Kardashian's influence in the beauty arena. After all, we're talking about the woman who single-handedly put contouring, baking (not that kind) and spidery lashes on the make-up map – but not without the help of her longtime friend and make-up artist Mario Dedivanovic, of course. And then there's her cosmetics line SKKN By Kim, which succeeded her make-up line KKW – products of her industry prowess. But there is much to be said about her approach to hair. No sooner do we get used to Kim's new look, before she's moved on to the next, be it bouncy platinum blonde, long honey bronde, or a new buzz cut – yes, it happened, scroll down for the proof.
In 2022, after a six month-long sprint with icy platinum blonde, Kim Kardashian swapped out the high maintenance colour for the antidote to winter: warm honey blonde. Taking to Instagram, Appleton shared Kim K's updated look with his 3.3 million followers saying, 'Honey 4 Miami'.
It was quite the departure. Kardashian's love affair with blonde lasted longer than we expected (her longest brush with blonde yet). It began with the 2022 Met Gala, when she wore Marilyn Monroe’s “Happy Birthday, Mr. President” dress, and peaked with her Dolce & Gabbana collaboration Ciao Kim, where her bouncy blonde hair reigned supreme.
Surprisingly, Kardashian continued to rock the hue, dark black roots and all, regardless of the upkeep. 'I’ve just been lazy. It’s so much work,' she confessed during her appearance on Live With Kelly and Ryan, where she admitted it takes eight hours to touch up her platinum roots. Blonde is just one example of her commitment to a good hair 'do. Since then, she has enjoyed a plethora of styles. Keen to know which looks we rate most? Scroll through our gallery below, documenting Kim Kardashian's momentous hair evolution through the years.
Kim Kardashian’s Hair Evolution
Kim Kardashian’s Hair Evolution
1 of 122018: XXL Locks
The trend for XXL hair comes back time and time again. Here, Kim K wears the trend long, centre parted and glossy. Is there any other way? Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
2 of 122019: Classic Kim
A dark, practically black all-over colour, boosted by a layered cut which offers plenty of bounce. This is as classic and timeless as it gets and Kim first sported the look on set in 2019. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
3 of 122019: Cropped Kim
Pivoting from her signature long length, Kim's brush with short hair in 2019 was something she dipped in and out of and we can see why – it was a brilliant lesson in the power of simplicity. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
4 of 122019: Caramel Lowlights
Kim's one-length, shoulder scraping look was a thing of sheer sophistication, which was only amplified further by a lighter, warmer colour palette. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
5 of 122020: Honey Bronde
On the bright side. Keeping her lengths long, this bronde hue worked to radiate Kim's overall look and oozes warmth thanks to caramel and chestnut brown hues running throughout. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
6 of 122020: Red Head
Bringing the heat in a big way. For a brief moment, Kim turned to red with a glossy texture. The fiery look packed power and was made even bolder by its straight, sleek finish. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
7 of 122021: Half Up Half Down
Back to bronde. But for her return to the warm colour, Appleton decided to shake things up: 'I took Kim's colour a lighter bronde over Christmas, secret to keeping it cool is adding the darker base at the root,' he reveals. _Image: Instagram @[chrisappleton1]{href='https://www.instagram.com/chrisappleton1/p/CJ9aRVIhe0F/?hl=en%20chrisappleton1' target='blank' rel='noreferrer noopener nofollow'}
8 of 122022: Bouncy Blonde
Sporting voluminous icy blonde hair during Milan Fashion Week for her collaboration with Dolce & Gabbana in 2022, Kim's bouncy locks oozed high-glamour. Very fitting indeed. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
9 of 122022: Miami Honey
Rich and warm, Kim's honeyed look for winter 2022 made her glow even more so. The golden tint also created a soft and multi-dimensional finish, thanks to a mix of honey, gold and caramel coloured lowlights, with lots of bright face-framing pieces, which Chris seamlessly blended into her naturally darker roots. Image: Instagram @chrisappleton1
10 of 122023: The Buzz Cut
Arguably Kim's most daring look yet. Gracing the cover of CR Fashion Book 10 years after first appearing on it in 2013, Kim's full circle moment sees her donning an edgy pixie buzz cut and barely-there ultra-thin brows reminiscent of the 90's. Instagram: @crfashionbook
11 of 122024: Fiery Red
Kim marked the launch of her new SKKN BY KIM offering Silk Matte Lip Color in October 2024 with a fiery new look and XXL hair length. To solidify the vibrant look, she toned her brows down to a strawberry blonde hue, presumably achieved through a brow pencil, pomade or brow gel in the same colour, and added a light dusting of faux freckles across her nose. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
12 of 122024: Flipped Black Bob
A mere five days after sporting red hair for her new SKKN BY KIM lipstick campaign, the star swapped out her vibrant look for this cropped sleek cut which packs all the same boldness. Image: Instagram @kimkardashian
Sameeha Shaikh is Grazia's beauty writer, working across all categories to bring you insights on the latest trends, industry news and the products you need to know about, viral or not (most probably viral).
