With the preparations for the 96th Annual Academy Awards well underway due to take place on 10 March, without a shadow of a doubt, one can expect glitz and glamour to take centre stage. One element in particular that has consistently amped the theatrics of the night are the hairstyles worn by A-listers, with some becoming world famous, but who did it best over the years? 

The team at Longevita Hair Transplant analysed over 200 of the best Oscars hairstyles spanning from 1930 to 2023, reviewing the number of articles mentioning each celebrity’s hair and hairstyle to unveil which celebrity has the most iconic hairdo of all time.  

1. Angeline Jolie (2009) – 7,250,000 results 

With a staggering 7.2 million Google web results, Angelina Jolie’s 2009 Oscars half-up, half-down hairstyle adorned with cascading curls alongside emerald earrings is the most iconic Oscars hairstyle of all time. 

The same year, the actress received her first Academy nomination for Best Actress for her role in The Changeling. While the coveted award eluded her grasp, her hairstyle at the Oscars that night became an enduring symbol of timeless elegance.

2. Adele (2013) – 5,260,001 results 

Securing second place is another half-updo seen on the global megastar Adele in the 2013 Oscars, which has over 5.2 million articles referencing her locks. 

Arriving at the Dolby Theatre with her strawberry blonde waves styled in a classic beehive, she later let her hair loose in a side-part while performing “Skyfall” and, subsequently, when photographed after winning the award for the same score.

3. Madonna (1998) – 4,538,001 results 

Taking third place is Madonna’s strawberry blonde curls at the 1998 Oscars, with over 4.5 million referenced articles. Having paired her long, flowing locks with a dark, bodacious frock, the Queen of Pop was a sight to behold. 

4. Jennifer Lopez (2003) – 4,226,002 results 

J.Lo’s low donut bun with a slick centre parting is the fourth most memorable Oscars hairstyle of all time, with over 4.2 million web results. Presenting the Oscars for Best Art Direction that year, the singer’s look was further amplified and made iconic by her mint-green gown. 

5. Jennifer Anniston (2009) – 4,200,500 results 

Jennifer Aniston and her hair go way back, and while nothing might come close to “The Rachel” (which has over 297 million results and its own Wikipedia page), Jen’s hair at the 2009 Oscars was also pretty iconic, with over 4.2 million results. She paired her beachy waves with a braided headband, turning heads globally as ever. 

6. Jessica Alba (2008) – 4,191,900 results 

Renowned for her impeccable hairstyle choices, it comes as no shock that Jessica Alba’s twin braided-low bun updo at the 2008 Oscars secured sixth spot among the most memorable hairstyles, garnering over 4.1 million web results. It matched perfectly with the stunningly strapless plum gown she wore for the evening. 

7. Cher (1986) – 3,774,400 results 

Cher’s look at the 1986 Oscars is as Cher as it gets, and arguably the most iconic part of it was the giant feathered headdress. It has certainly put her seventh on this list, with over 3.7 million articles for it. 

According to some, it was the Goddess of Pop’s very own “revenge dress” after she was denied a nomination for her role in the film Mask. While she may not have taken any award home, Cher definitely took something even more memorable with her that night. 

8. Cher (1983) – 3,747,002 results

Cher features again, consecutively, but this time earlier at the 1983 ceremony, for her full voluminous curls, with nearly 3.75 million articles on Google. The style icon looked gorgeous as ever, having paired her hairstyle with a long-sleeved, white shimmery gown. 

9. Nicole Kidman (2007) – 3,719,000

Looking the epitome of sophistication, Nicole Kidman’s dead straight hair at the 2007 Oscars stole the show for its simple yet elegant look, generating over 3.7 million articles, putting her in ninth place. The actress completed her red gown look with her straight, long blonde locks, with a side parting. 

10. Jennifer Lopez (2015) – 3,713,003 results 

Coming in 10th for the most iconic Oscars hairstyles of all time is Jennifer Lopez yet again, but this time at the 2015 event, securing to date more than 3 million articles. J.Lo paired her lush beaded gown with a super cool and yet casual slicked-back long ponytail to complete the look. 

Other Notable Trends 

The following celebrities were featured the most for their iconic Oscars hairstyles:  

Rank	Celebrity	Times Mentioned	Years	Total Web Results
1	Jennifer Lopez	4	2003, 2012, 2015, and 2017	14,396,268
2	Cher	4	1968, 1974, 1983, and 1986	13,734,422
3	Lady Gaga	4	2015, 2018, 2019, and 2023	8,132,666
4	Halle Berry	4	2001, 2002, 2011, and 2017	7,864,477
5	Jennifer Lawrence	4	2011, 2013, 2016 and 2018	5,461,366
6	Zendaya	4	2015, 2018, 2020, and 2021	5,293,273
7	Emma Stone	4	2012, 2015, 2017, and 2018	4,428,688
8	Salma Hayek	3	1997, 2017, and 2023	3,650,485
9	Sandra Bullock	3	2010, 2012, and 2013	2,998,168
10	Viola Davis	3	2012, 2015, and 2017	1,206,309

In terms of popularity, the most prevailing hairstyles throughout Oscars history are as follows:

Rank	Type of Hairstyle	Times Mentioned
1	updo	34
2	waves	24
3	bun	21
4	bob	18
5	curls	17
6	ponytail	11
7	chignon	8
8	bangs	8
9	pixie	7
10	wavy	4

Lastly, when it came to the years featuring the most number of iconic hairstyles, the results are as follows:

Rank	Year	Times Mentioned
1	2023	33
2	2017	14
3	2019	13
4	2015	11
5	2012	11
6	2018	9
7	2013	9
8	2011	9
9	2016	8
10	2022	5

Methodology

1. With the Oscars taking place on 10th March 2024, hair experts at Longevita Hair Transplant were keen to rank the most iconic and memorable hairstyles of all time. 
2. First, articles were referred to in a bid to source a primary list of memorable celebrity hairstyles. Articles were retrieved from: Allure, Glamour, Vogue and Harper’s Bazaar, among others. A total of 208 hairstyles were collated.
   2.1 H.E.R. was excluded from the research due to Google’s interpretation of the acronym primarily as a pronoun. 
3. Where hairstyles had multiple description variations, a detailed search was conducted on Google, and the one with the highest volume was used.
4. Once this keyword was secured, a general hairdo theme was also used (e.g., for ‘strawberry blonde waves,’, ‘waves’ was searched).
5. The number of articles mentioning each celebrity’s hairstyle was recorded using various strings of search, including the exact hairstyle match, general hairdo theme, ‘hair’ and ‘hairstyle’, coupled alongside ‘Oscars’ and the year of ‘date’ for added accuracy.
6. A combined total for each celebrity’s hairstyle was tallied to provide the final ranking.
7. Data was recorded between 29 January to 1 February 2024 and, therefore, subject to change.