Nicole Kidman's Stunning Auburn Curls Are On Full Display In This Throwback Pic

Bursting onto the scene in the early 1980s, Nicole Kidman — a then-teenager — swooned fans with her lustrous auburn curls. Some likely remember her wearing these long, bouncy, unkempt waves in her early movie roles in "Skin Deep" (1983), "Emerald City" (1988), and "Dead Calm" (1989). Kidman has since leaned toward more tailored hairstyles. During public appearances, she often opts for fairer shades of blond and light brown hues and has maintained more relaxed and straightened 'dos.

Fans, however, got a dose of nostalgia when Kidman shared a throwback pic on Instagram in July 2026, sporting her natural auburn curls. In a birthday toast to her now very grown-up daughter Sunday Rose — a model and actor — Kidman posted the image of herself smiling while holding Rose as a baby, alongside the caption: "Happy 18th my angel, you couldn't be more loved." In the throwback photo, the actor was wearing a lavender, embroidery-embellished blouse with minimal make-up, while her auburn curls were swept up into a loose, messy updo.

In another nostalgic moment (below), dubbed "Flashback Friday' in an August 2025 Instagram post, the Oscar-winning actor's stunning auburn curls were once again on full display during a photoshoot she did in her early acting days. Fans gushed over her natural look in the comments. "I miss her hair like this and wonder if it still curls that way!" wrote one user. "Love the hair!" wrote another.

With audiences across the globe watching, Nicole Kidman had a full beauty evolution and never looked back. This included giving up her curls. Speaking with Allure in a May 2025 feature, however, the actor revealed she regretted changing her hair.

While breaking down some of her most iconic looks with the outlet, Kidman reflected on the 1990 film "Days of Thunder," in which she starred opposite her then-soon-to-be husband, Tom Cruise. "Why did I straighten my hair?" she said as she watched her younger self onscreen. "I loved my hair there. That is my natural hair. Isn't that crazy." She also noticed how closely she resembled her daughters, saying, "I look like my daughters ... well that makes sense." Acknowledging her mistake, the actor had a word of caution for all curly hair girls. "So little girls out there, embrace the curl. Do not follow in my steps and straighten your hair," she said.

Although she may not be able to fully restore her natural coils, Kidman said she can still style a close enough version. "There are certain things you can get that when you blow dry and scrunch your hair ... the curl comes back in abundance," she said. "I can do that to my hair still, but it needs to be kind of humid, and I need to use the right product," adding, "But it was very humid down there [on the movie set in Daytona], thus I have very wild curly hair."