Britney Spears' Iconic Blond Locks Aren't Her Natural Hair Color - Here's What Is

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Britney Spears is one of the most famous blonds in the world. Though Spears' hair transformation has seen her experiment with her locks several times over the years (remember the super dark tresses she sported during her aptly titled "Blackout" era?), she's always returned to her iconic trademark shade. So it may come as a shock that Spears is not only "not that innocent," she's also not that naturally blond.

In her 2023 book, "The Woman In Me," (a celebrity memoir you'll want to enjoy as an audiobook) the Louisiana singer recalled having her intelligence linked to her hair color, but used a Dolly Parton reference to hit back at the haters. "I'm not offended by all the dumb blond jokes because I know I'm not dumb. And I also know that I'm not blond," Spears wrote, revealing, "My real hair color is black."

But while the star claimed her hair was super dark, throwback snaps show her natural shade is a little lighter that she'd have us believe. In 2023, she posted an adorable photo of herself as a child on Instagram that showed her with naturally brown locks while posing in a pink dress. Though her mane wasn't quite black, it was a super glossy, dark chestnut brown shade.

When Britney Spears first shot to fame in the early '90s, she appeared to be wearing her natural hair. When she walked the red carpet at the 1998 American Music Awards, her hair color was far darker than the hue that became a key part of her trademark look. Prior to her cringey hair extension fail, her tresses were a wavy mixture of dark and caramel brunette shades that added to her cute, youthful, and natural look. It wasn't until 1999 that we saw the beauty start wearing her hair much lighter. Since then, the "Womanizer" singer has tried almost every color, including dark black, chestnut brown, and even red.

The singer has opened up about how the color of her tresses can influence her mood, noting that "Gimme More" inspired her to feel more confident and go super light blond in a throwback 2024 Instagram dance video. "First time I went platinum blonde ever !!! Honestly it was a huge difference !!!" she wrote in the caption. "I became this cool character right when the camera came on !!!!"

The star also shared some fierce social media content when she rocked pastel pink hair in 2021. "She likes to switch around her hair color. I suggested to try the pink color because I believe it fits perfect [with] her skin tone and personality," her hairstylist Dimitris Giannetos told Page Six. "It's always so much fun doing her hair, it's like a spring break," he added.