Kim Kardashian's 40 Greatest Hair Moments of All Time (2024)

Kim Kardashian's name is near-synonymous with all things beauty, thanks to the reality star's wildly successful foray into makeup and skin. It's her hair, though, that has all our attention. The style icon is known for wearing her hair ultra-long (often with the use of extensions), but she's experimented with shorter looks, too. She's also played around with color, vacillating between dark brunette and platinum blonde.

Nearly every time she steps out, we have yet another new 'do to look to for inspiration. With that in mind, we rounded up 40 of our favorite hairstyles Kim Kardashian has worn yet.

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Extensions With Choppy Bangs

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While she kept it classic with her long, textured hair, the addition of choppy, curtain-like bangs sets this look apart. To mimic the look, try air-drying the hair and using a texture spray.

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Bouncy Blowout With Extensions

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Kardashian knows that a little volume can go a long way. As seen here, she pairs ultra-long extensions with volume at the roots and throughout the length. A little bit of wave (you could get a similar look with velcro rollers) adds further interest.

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Honey Blonde Extensions With Beach Waves

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Even those with straight hair can replicate Kim's beachy look. Just let hair air dry before curling one-inch sections of hair with a 0.75-inch barrel.

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Icy Blonde Shoulder Length Blowout

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This look is pure 1960s bombshell. The color is icy (almost white) blonde and the style is a classic blowout, with slightly curved-out ends.

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Icy Blonde Extensions With Roots

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We love how Kim embraces her roots, allowing for a couple of inches of her natural color to create a contrast to the icy white blonde. This look utilizes extensions and air-dried waves to create a casual look.

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Honey-Blonde Waist-Length Extensions

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Here, the reality star's hair veers honey blonde, with waist-length extensions offering all the drama.

Byrdie Tip

To care for extensions (and preserve their time in your hair), use
gentle, sulphate-free shampoo and stay away from oily masks or heavy conditioners, which can loosen the band of the extensions.

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Center Part With Texture

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A loose, textured look gets an upgrade thanks to a center part. Here, the texture of the hair looks air-dried but still put-together. Use a smoothing cream to replicate the look.

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Blonde Rooty Updo

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Kim's Barbie-like updo looks complicated, but it's actually not. In fact, we got the details on this style from hairstylist Chris Appleton, who told us the secret to the style lies in intertwining two translucent rubber hair ties and looping through a bobby pin on each end. By creating what is basically an invisible claw clip, you can achieve a tousled look like this one, without any bulk.

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Loose and Textured Blonde Updo

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The updo continues to look great even with a bit of texture in the hair. Follow the same steps to a classic updo, using invisible hair ties to fasten hair into a bun that is wrapped in place, but finish with texture spray and use fingers to rub in the product.

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Retro Blonde Blowout

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This retro take on a classic blowout sees plenty of layers framing Kim's face. And while hair is kept mostly straight, there are waves at the ends, which adds bounce.

Feathered Hair and Bleached Brows

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This throwback style is altogether different for Kim. Here, bleached hair matches bleached brows, a stark contrast to her usual look. The hair is kept shoulder-length, with the bottom ends curving in while the ends around the face are feathered out.

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Stick-Straight Blonde

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Here, the focus is kept on the color, with long, elbow-length extensions being worn stick-straight. To get the look, apply a straightening balmlike Bumble and Bumble Straight Blow Dry($32) before blow drying and using a flat iron.

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Rounded Platinum Bob

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We love the bob seen here, which skims the shoulders and curves slightly inward. The key to this bold look is to keep the ends all one length. The lack of layers yields more drama.

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White-Blonde Waves

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This look is all about the waves, which can be achieved easily with a curling iron. Start curling at the roots and wrap towards the ends using a spiral shape, which will give the hair added lift and volume.

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Platinum Blonde Updo

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This Marilyn-inspired look was kept super simple (so the attention could be placed on the dress). Here, Kim's platinum hair is kept in a high and tight bun. No roots are showing at all, so a look like this would require close attention to detail on the part of your colorist.

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Center-Parted Wet Look Waves With Extensions

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Another wet-look style, this variation sees Kim's hair worn down to the waist. Rather than create volume, Kim sticks with a center part and just a slight wave throughout.

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Braided Low Pigtails

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This braided style is about as casual as it gets and easy to pull off. Just pull the hair into two low ponytails, securing each at the base with a small elastic. Next, braid each end, securing with another pair of elastics at the base.

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Maxi Braid

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This maxi braid has volume throughout (likely thanks to extensions, which add width to the braid). here, hair is pulled back into a tight ponytail, with no part showing.

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Center-Parted Maxi Braid

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This is a slightly different take on the braid, pairing a severe center part with a much lighter (but longer) braid. Here, extensions allow for the style to hang all the way to Kim's waist.

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Air-Dried Texture

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The problem with air-drying is that it often looks messy. Not so with this look, in which a side part offers volume and quality products help ensure movement throughout the ends. Try applying a buildable product like JVN Air Dry Cream ($26), which offers a touchable hold that allows natural texture to shine.

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Retro Updo

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Another take on the Barbie-like updo, this style sees Kim's natural color highlighted. Take the same cue as the similar styles featured on the list by creating a bun that's wrapped around and pinned in place (and pulling out a few tendrils to frame the face).

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'70s-Style Blonde Hair and Dyed Brows

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This honey-hued color transports hair into a different era, so why not try a style to match? Here, a center part shows off darker roots and hair is subtly feathered with the ends flaring out. Dyed brows match the look.

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Long and Glossy

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Long extensions get a slight wave throughout for this evening-worthy look. Once you've added a wave (or if you wear your hair in natural waves), finish with a product like Kevin Murphy's Shimmer Shine ($32).

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Side Parted, Wet-Look Bob

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No stranger to the wet look, Kim turns to this style frequently. She does change it up though. Seen here, she wears the style with a shoulder-length bob and a slight side part, which helps add volume.

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Center-Parted and Air-Dried

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This is a natural look, that sees a center part paired with day-old, textured hair. Finish the look with a shine cream that will help tame flyaways and keep the look from veering too casual.

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Slicked-Back Side Part

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In 2015, Kardashian attended a red carpet event with slicked back strands and a side part. This was near the beginning of her long-running love affair with the wet look. Since then, she's worn it many more times (some of which are coming up on this very list). We think the deep side part and ultra-shiny strands complement her clean, minimalist outfit.

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Super-Long Extensions With Beachy Waves

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Kardashian posted this photo on her Instagram account. In it, we can see mile-long hair extensions that go all the way past her hips. Super-long extensions are fun, but what we like most about this look is the perfect beachy waves that they've been styled in. We'll replicate that texture by using the Beachwaver Pro ($229).

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Sleek and Straight Lob

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Kardashian is no stranger to taking her hair from super long to short (and back again). We're partial to her super-sleek razor-cut lob, which is slightly shorter in the back than it is in the front. We'll never know how her hairstylist was able to get her hair to lay that flat. We do know how to replicate that intense shine, though. Run a dime-size amount of Sachajuan's Shine Serum ($36) through your ends.

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Razor-Sharp Lob in Platinum Silver

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Just like she's no stranger to switching up length, she's no stranger to switching up color (and platinum silver hair suits her well, at least in our humble opinion). This razor-sharp lob is a little different than the last, though, since it's not asymmetric. It stays roughly the same length all the way around her head.

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Sleek and Straight Pinned Back With Barrettes

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Here, Kardashian's hip-length sleek hair came complete with two gold barrettes, a bright yellow Versace dress, and colored contacts (the latter of which makes her eyes look red-brown). Does anyone else get a '90s supermodel vibe from this? We do.

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Voluminous Waves

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Kardashian appeared on the red carpet at the Vogue 100 Gala in 2016 wearing her hair combed back in plush and voluminous waves. While we love her super-sleek straight hair moments, we think she should bring this look back soon. It's equal parts edgy and glamorous, which is why we're glad we have Briogeo's Blossom & Bloom Volumizing Spray ($25) on hand.

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Fishtail Braid

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In 2015, Kardashian appeared at a museum gala in Los Angeles wearing a wine-red lip and a long fishtail braid. Situating the braid at the nape of her neck was the trick to keeping the look elegant and glamorous. (If you have yet to master the art of fishtail braiding, check out our easy-to-follow tutorial.)

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Relaxed Waves

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No one does wavy hair quite like Kim Kardashian. That's proved by this look, which was created by Kardashian's go-to celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton. Be sure to check out his Instagram for the ultimate hair inspiration. He also works with people like Ariana Grande and J.Lo. (He even posted a short tutorial showing us how he creates easy waves with a flat iron.)

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Sleek Wet-Look in Platinum

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Whether platinum or raven-haired, Kardashian proves she's committed to the wet look. When she first started wearing this hairstyle, she kept it slicked-back and sleek. Now though, she's more apt to wearing it with a slightly messy and lived-in texture. It looks like she just came from the beach with partially dry hair, and we love it.

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Wavy Wet-Look

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This might be our favorite wet-look hairstyle Kardashian has ever worn. It's long, wavy, shiny—basically, mermaid hair at its finest. If you want to try this look but have no idea where to start, check out another tutorial by Chris Appleton. This time it's a Byrdie tutorial he filmed on how to best achieve the wearable wet look.

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Textured and Relaxed Waves

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Aside from the aforementioned wet look, this is what we consider to be Kardashian's signature hairstyle. Long hair worn down in slight and relaxed waves. It's inspiration for the day-to-day, whether we're styling our hair for a workday or weekend brunch date.

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High Half-Up, Half-Down Ponytail

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Kardashian appeared at a previous Met Gala wearing her hair in a very Ariana Grande–esque manner, which a high half-up, half-down ponytail. This was another look created by Chris Appleton, who, as we mentioned before, also works with the pop star, so maybe it was inspired by her after all.

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Wrapped Topknot

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Even if she's off the red carpet and going for a casual look, Kardashian's hair is never not perfect. This wrapped topknot is more on-point than the messy bun we're apt to wear while running errands.

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Sleek High Ponytail

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We don't see Kardashian wear her hair in a ponytail often, so we take notice when she does. This high and sleek version was worn to an event celebrating her KKW x MARIO 10 Pan Eyeshadow Palette, which she created in part with her go-to makeup artist and friend Mario Dedivanovic.

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High Wavy Ponytail

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At a past appearance at CFDA Fashion Awards, Kim looked like a Greek goddess, wearing a flowing white dress, gold arm cuffs, bronze makeup, and a high wavy ponytail that we immediately fell in love with. We think she should wear this style much more often.