Marilyn Monroe's Natural Hair Color Was A Far Cry From The Blond She's Known For

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Marilyn Monroe has no doubt been immortalized as Hollywood's ultimate blond bombshell. Her platinum curls became one of the most recognizable beauty trademarks in entertainment history, helping define the glamorous image that audiences still associate with her today. However, you might be surprised to know that Monroe's natural hair color was actually a far cry from the blond she's known for. 

Before becoming Marilyn Monroe, the actress was known as Norma Jeane Baker and was naturally a brunette. In fact, photos from Monroe's early modeling years show the actress with noticeably darker hair, rather than the bright blond shade that eventually became her signature look.

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According to Allure, in order to maintain her now iconic blond locks, Monroe would have her colorist, Pearl Porterfield, travel weekly from San Diego to Los Angeles just to dye her hair. Monroe maintained her iconic blond color through bleaching treatments using peroxide. The results ultimately helped make Monroe into the star she was. "It's a very distinctive artificial blond that you can't hide behind. It takes a lot of maintenance; there are never any roots showing. It's not only a statement, but it's a very expensive statement," said Rae Nudson, author of "All Made Up: The Power and Pitfalls of Beauty Culture, From Cleopatra to Kim Kardashian."

While Marilyn Monroe's natural hair color remains a source of fascination, historians and experts have long noted that the blond transformation played a major role in shaping her public image. However, the dramatic color change occurred in the late 1940s. While Monroe began as a brunette during her early modeling days, she made the decision to dye her hair platinum blond around 1948.  That was around the same time Monroe signed to Columbia Pictures (now 20th Century Fox)." Post color change, the platinum blond hair became inseparable from the Marilyn Monroe persona she's now known for. 

Despite many publications revisiting early photographs of the actress and reporting on her natural brown color, some modern-day fans of the star have speculated about the reddish nature of her hair. One user commented on Quora, "Marilyn Monroe's natural hair color was light to medium brunette. Her hair had a hint of red, which, depending upon the light, gave her more of an auburn hue than just brunette. The color changed with the light, sometimes showing more red than other times."