What Does Carrie Underwood's Natural Hair Really Look Like?

Carrie Underwood has transformed before our eyes since winning "American Idol" in 2005, but some things changed more than others. While Underwood would be unrecognizable without her signature blond hair, the country star's locks have changed considerably in the texture department. Older readers will surely remember her curls from her "American Idol" days, which she has largely swapped for straight hair — with some loose beach waves thrown in there sometimes.

Underwood has sported different hairstyles over the years, changing them in accordance with the times. Remember the side-swept bangs with layered hair of the late aughts? The "Jesus Take the Wheel" singer didn't escape them. As a true Southerner, Underwood takes her hair seriously. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March 2020, she struggled to maintain her tresses at home. Underwood embraced the makeup-free and natural hair look for as long as she could.

But six months into the pandemic, she masked up and went to get her hair done for the first time. "It's been 6 months since I've done anything to my hair," she wrote on her Instagram Stories, showing a picture of herself with foils at a salon (via People). In the next slide, she showed off the finished look, consisting of extra straight strands parted slightly on the side. She also gave a shoutout to her stylists for "making me feel pretty." While there is a long distance between the curls she boasted early on in her career and her now straight look, the truth is that Underwood's natural is somewhere in the middle.

On April 7, 2025, Carrie Underwood shared a video on Instagram to promote a new episode of "American Idol" while also showing off a mama sheep, Daisy, and her new lamb, Cuz (seen above). But some fans paid more attention to her natural hair. "Love those curls!!" Little Big Town's Kimberly Schlapman raved. Underwood wore her hair parted down the middle, allowing light waves to tumble onto her shoulders. While reminiscent of her "American Idol" days, Underwood's hair is more naturally wavy than curly.

In fact, she came to regret the look that introduced her talents to the world. "I tend to have a natural curl in my hair anyway, but not a whole lot. When I was in college I would put a lot of product in my hair and force it to be curly. And I definitely did that my first 'Idol' audition! I call it my 'crunchy' hair. That I might like to undo if I could," she told HuffPost in 2015. 

The color has remained largely the same shade, though what we see isn't her natural hair color. "I'm natural blonde, but I like it a few shades lighter," she Redbook in 2013. Underwood has considered changing her hair color but never found the courage to go through with it. "I don't want to shock people — like if I dyed my hair brown, I don't want people [to] think I'm turning dark and serious," she told Refinery29 in 2012.