How Justin Bieber’s Hair Has Evolved Throughout His Career

When Justin Bieber sings, “I’m going through changes” off the title track of his latest album (Changes), he may as well be talking about his hair. In his decade-long career, the singer has had more hairstyles than hit singles. How could anyone forget his “Baby”-era swoop, or the pompadour he rocked in 2014? We won’t even fault him for some of his worst fails (dreadlocks, anyone?)—after all, everyone has their own regrettable style moments, only they’re not immortalized by gossip rags. Luckily, Bieber has wife model Hailey Baldwin to help him out these days. More than anything, we’re hoping she talks him out of future mustaches. But until he unveils his next ‘do, here’s a quick visual history of Justin Bieber’s hair.

The Early Years

Bieber burst on the music scene in 2010 with his debut album My World 2.0. But as catchy as his hit single “Baby” was, it was his signature swoop that left the biggest impression on the world. For the next few years, every adolescent boy adopted the hairstyle, setting themselves up for cringeworthy throwback pics in adulthood.

In 2011, Bieber took baby steps towards a new look. Perhaps his neck grew sore from constantly whipping the hair out of his eyes because he started to trim his locks and expose an extra inch of forehead.

The First Big Change

As Bieber attempted to transition out of his teen pop persona, he left his hair behind with his old sound. In 2012, he released Believe, an album that had a surprise dance-pop and R&B flavor. Biebs got a new look to match, sporting a high and tight cut. On some days he relied on hair products for help; on others, the soft locks seemed to defy gravity on their own. This style eventually evolved into the pompadour that Bieber sported in his now-infamous 2014 mugshot.

Entering Experimentation Mode

By 2015, Bieber entered a new phase of self-discovery. The looks he served came and went at breakneck speed, starting with an unkempt—if not flat-out greasy—’do he unveiled at his own Comedy Central roast.

But by September, Bieber went for a drastic change: an extreme fade and bleach job. He stuck to the look for the next six months, alternating between a tousled look and man bun, depending on his mood.

April 2016 was a dark moment for the pop star. At the iHeartRadio Music Awards, Bieber showed up with a ridiculous rat’s nest of knotty dreadlocks. Cultural appropriation aside, they were definitely an unflattering style.

Perhaps he agreed with the consensus because he revealed a freshly shaved head the following month.

Biebs pretty much called it a day on hairstyling for the next couple of years, aside from going back and forth between bleach blonde hair and his natural color. Then, he started to grow out his hair, while occasionally sporting a mustache to go with it.

In October 2018, he hit the reset button with another buzz cut. Bieber kept his hair on the short side all the way through 2019, perhaps as a way to stay cleaned-up for his and Hailey’s wedding.

Come January 2020, Bieber ushered in the new year with another dye job. His mussed, bleached hair gave him California cool vibes that we were on board with.

And then came the ‘stache. If this was some kind of Valentine’s Day gift to his wife, we suspect she wasn’t crazy about it, because two days later, it was gone.

What Does His Hair Look Like Today?

These days, Bieber seems to be experimenting with a bizarre hybrid that marries a Lloyd Christmas bowl cut with a feathered Farrah Fawcett-flip.

In September 2020, he owned the hairstyle in the music video for DJ Khaled and Drake‘s latest single “POPSTAR.” Fans are apparently here for it, but we’d tell them not to hang their hats on the latest look. Knowing Bieber, he’ll unveil something new when we least expect it.