A Complete Visual History of Justin Bieber’s Hair

And I was like baby, baby, baby, oh…

Aside from minor changes in its swoop, Bieber stayed notably consistent with his look between 2008 and 2010.

For his appearance at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Bieber offered a long-awaited glimpse at his forehead, and accessorized with glasses and Selena Gomez.

A sneak peek at Bieber’s future scruffiness.

By 2012, Bieber seemed to have learned how to maintain his original locks: by simply slicking them back into a bouffant.

The kickoff of Bieber’s Believe tour in South Africa brought his bouffant to the international level.

Bieber’s cheery mug shot, taken shortly after he was charged with DUI, resisting arrest, and driving without a valid license, featured a magnificent bouffant—perhaps because he’d just spent the night racing.

Fully embracing his roast on Comedy Central, Bieber matched his hair to his monkey’s. (To be clear, this is not OG Mally, Bieber’s pet monkey, who was infamously confiscated by the German authorities, and who is still a resident of a German zoo—and still having trouble communicating with other monkeys.)

Posing with Nash Grier, Bieber later captioned this image simply “#Ponytails.”

Behold: a bleached-blond Bieber.

By the next month, though, he was back to his dirty-blond bouffant.

Who knows what’s hiding under this beanie? The possibilities are endless.

Bieber started off the new year with a bang—i.e., a man bun.

By the next month, he’d already moved on to bleached blond, as he showcased at the Saint Laurent show.

Naturally, his Purpose World Tour merited his third transformation in as many months. Lest it get in his way, he slicked it back into a bun on the tour’s opening night in Seattle.

Yes, those are dreadlocks, and yes, Bieber wore them out in public—here at the iHeartRadio Music Awards, though regrettably on other occasions as well.

By the next month, the dreads were fully gone, though that didn’t stop Bieber from making a statement while on his trip to Monaco. It was during this month that he also got a teeny face tattoo.

A little over a year later, Bieber shifted his attention to his facial hair.

The next year, his regrown hair didn’t exactly help him at the NBA All-Star Celebrity Game.

We’re still waiting with bated breath to find out if or when Bieber will deliver on this promise.

Look at those luscious locks go!

Alas, they weren’t that luscious for that long: Just two days later, reportedly at the behest of Hailey Baldwin, Bieber got a haircut—and a very on-trend one at that.

The evidence of the haircut, though, was already gone by the next month.

While in Michigan that September—a whirlwind month for Bieber’s hair—he returned to the forehead-less days of his youth.

Yes, that bump under his hood is no doubt a bun or a ponytail, pulled up high on his head, Hailey Baldwin–style.

Less than a week later, Bieber took care of the bump, using his Instagram Story to share his buzz cut, which quickly earned him the nickname Buzztin. It also put his tiny face tat of a cross more prominently on display—an act of faith perhaps as prominent as his and Hailey’s commitment to waiting until marriage before being intimate.

Save for the presence of Hailey and quite a few more tattoos, you’d be forgiven for thinking this photo dates several years back. In May 2019—yet another banner year of hair changes for Bieber—he threw things back to his original sleek, neatly combed, and naturally colored mop.

Periods of scruff soon followed, but Bieber once again managed to clean things up for his (second) wedding to Hailey in the following months.

It’s no surprise that Bieber kicked off the new year in a pair of Drew House pajamas, but his peroxide pixie was definitely an unexpected touch.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Hailey. Even she (reportedly) “can’t stand” Bieber’s mustache, which unfortunately made a comeback. (Bieber even put it at the center of his “Intentions” art.) Hailey has yet to publicly condemn it, but according to People‘s mysterious source, that might be for the best: “The more people want him to shave it off, the more he wants to keep it. It’s staying for now. It’s making him feel like a rebel and he likes it!” Thankfully, Hailey has previously prevailed in getting him to shave it off.

It was a big month for Bieber’s head. At least the Guy Fieri vibes (sort of) distract from the mustache.

And then, seemingly out of nowhere, Bieber’s hair looked healthier than it had in years. Perhaps he discovered biotin?

Unsurprisingly clad in head-to-toe Drew House, Bieber temporarily channeled Benji and Joel Madden brothers

It feels like ages since Bieber has offered a glimpse at his hair beyond the wisps curling out from under his hat. Chances are it’s a beanie, topped off with a Drew House logo.

Bieber then started to channel “best fwend” (though it’s hard to imagine she’d ever try out that particular hairstyle).

Very unfortunately, it wasn’t long before Bieber transformed his long locks into what barely resembled dreads.

A word of caution: Things are about to get worse. Exhibit A: Bieber’s triple space buns.

From there came pigtails...

...and an up-close and personal view of his scalp.

And then, that glorious day arrived, no doubt to Hailey’s intense relief: Bieber shaved his head. (Perhaps in an attempt to clean up for his mysterious meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron.)