The 15 Best Hairstyles of the Past Decade
Playing favorites with a decade of some of the best celebrity hairstyles—from pixies to this year's wildly popular "undercut" hairstyle—wasn't easy. Sure, there were plenty of doozies (who can forget Britney's hair-raising shaved-head episode in 2007?!), but as the decade comes to an end, we look back at some of the most memorable (in a good way) hairstyles in recent history.
1/15Best Hairstyle: The Perfect Blowout, 2001
All wavy, frizzy and curly-haired girls can agree: A blowout can perk up a drizzly day even better than a tall peppermint mocha from Starbucks. In 2001, Jessica Simpson hit many a high note—as did her straight n' shiny hair.
Photo: Getty Images2/15Best Hairstyle: The Super-Short Pixie Cut, 2000
Believe it or not, this photo of Halle Berry was taken 10 years ago! (How in the world her skin has remained so flawless is a question for the beauty gods.) Halle rocked this short hairstyle in 2000 and returned to the cute pixie haircut 10 years later, proving everything old is new (and super chic!) again.
3/15Best Hairstyle: Wild, Wavy Curls, 2002
Only Nicole Kidman could look so ueber-glam with chunks of hair falling in her face. We adore that Nicole gave her hair tools a little siesta and let her naturally curly tresses roam free into total curl gorgeousness.
4/15Best Hairstyle: Pin-Straight Hair, 2004
Heidi Klum has led a particularly enviable life in the past decade: a perfect body, a gorgeous family and a sought-after hairstyle every time she hits the red carpet. As Japanese hair straightening, high-tech flatirons and frizz-smoothing treatments hit the beauty market, Heidi became our patron saint of super-straight hair.
5/15Best Hairstyle: Bohemian Waves, 2003
Who would've thought that this Almost Famous star's hair would become, well, totally famous? Kate Hudson effortlessly nailed the beach-babe hairstyle from root to tip, and it has been her signature style ever since.
6/15Best Hairstyle: The Perfect Midlength Haircut, 2005
J to the hel-lo, gorgeous! We find it fitting that the middle of the decade introduced some of the most must-have midlength haircuts, including Jennifer Lopez's swingy, sexy do.
7/15Best Hairstyle: The Boyish Crop, 2006
Everyone knows breaking up is hard to do, but when breaking up from your long hair looks this good, we'll consider it! Sienna Miller proved that boyish pixie haircuts could look unbelievably flirty and feminine.
8/15Best Hairstyle: Sweet, Wispy Bangs, 2007
So we might not remember who took home the awards—or whose acceptance speech was the most OMG-inducing—at the 2007 Golden Globes, but one image we'll never forget is Reese Witherspoon's fresh asymmetrical bangs paired with poker-straight hair. Gorgeous!
9/15Best Hairstyle: The Structured Bob, 2007
When Katie Holmes stepped out with this impossibly stylish bob in 2007, she turned your classic middle-school haircut into one of the most coveted styles of the whole decade. She later chopped in thick bangs that proved this short hairstyle was not only trendy but also the ideal way to revive your haircut over and over again.
10/15Best Hairstyle: Voluminous Wavy Hair, 2008
Beyoncé turned up the heat—and the volume—with her va-va-voom waves. The best part of this head-turning hairstyle? With plenty of volume from naturally curly hair and a really good round brush (or wide-barrel curling iron for straight-haired gals), your hair could be whipped into this wavy loveliness too.
11/15Best Hairstyle: The Gossip Girl Headband Craze, 2008
Leighton Meester's Gossip Girl character, Blair Waldorf, will likely go down in history as being the headband style icon, but we'll always love her for helping make a lazy-day beauty trick—shove all your hair back with a headband—look polished and fancy.
12/15Best Hairstyle: Long, Layered Hair, 2009
Let's face it: Angelina Jolie could be wearing a paper bag over her head and still look like a million bucks, but there's definitely something about her long, shiny hairstyle that screams sultriness. In the era of easy clip-in hair extensions (even celebs fessed up to using them!), Angelina became one of our favorite hairstyle icons, especially since her long locks were all natural! (We think.)
13/15Best Hairstyle: The Undercut Rocker Do, 2010
We're not sure exactly when Rihanna's "undercut" hairstyle became insanely popular this year (who wakes up thinking, Hey, I'd really like to shave some of my head today?), but we'll admit that there is something sexy about the edgy, unexpected haircut. Celebs like Keri Hilson and Cassie and young beauties like Willow Smith embraced the half-shaved hair trend and give off an irresistible rocker-cool vibe.
14/15Best Hairstyle: The Braided Hairdo, 2009
Braids came back in a big, big way at the end of the decade, thanks mostly to cutie-pie Lauren Conrad, who wore them pretty much nonstop, on-screen and off. With so many different styles—from side braids to fishtails, even the new twists on the classic French braid—the easy DIY braided hairstyles provided a much-needed alternative to the basic ponytail.
15/15Best Hairstyle: The Hair Pouf, 2010
You have to give props to Snooki—her signature hairstyle had a major moment in 2010 as celebrities hit the red carpet with pompadour poufs. (Although, fortunately, most versions, like Jessica Alba's pretty pouf, weren't as extreme as Snooki's.) We have a feeling this hot face-slimming hairstyle will stick around for a while—kind of like the self-tanner does on the cast of Jersey Shore.
