What Is Sophie Turner's Natural Hair Color?

While playing Sansa Stark on "Game of Thrones," Sophie Turner got to rock a number of fabulous hairstyles. Changes to Sansa's hair often signified character development, whether she was learning to lead like a Lannister queen or charm like an ambitious Tyrell. And let's not forget the goth phase she went through when she dyed her hair dark and got an education in manipulation from Littlefinger.

In an interview with Refinery29, Turner shared which of Sansa's hairstyles she loved the most. "I've always liked when Sansa's hair was dyed black and pulled back in very tight, taut French braids," she said. "It was her own look, and something that she'd created." But for most of the series, Turner's tresses were a vibrant red shade that made her stand out from the fair-haired Targaryens, gold-maned Lannisters, and the Starks who didn't die during the Red Wedding. One member of the Stark clan who joined Sansa as one of the series' survivors was Jon Snow (Kit Harington). Turner told GQ of Harington's raven locks, "He wakes up and his is terrific naturally. He's got like the perfect little pin curls." 

Turner was possibly a bit envious of those glossy ringlets when Sansa had to give up her luxurious lady's lodgings and spend some time in the Westeros wilderness. "Towards Season 5 they started asking me to not wash my hair and it was really disgusting," she told InStyle. Turner also had to have her roots touched up quite often.

Sophie Turner was not born a redhead, and she was initially hesitant about dyeing her naturally blond hair auburn when she was cast in "Game of Thrones" as a teen. "Being a thirteen year old girl and going red, of course you kind of get mercilessly teased about it," she told W magazine. In an interview with Vogue, she elaborated on this reluctance by saying that she was attending school at the time, and there was a stigma attached to being ginger among her classmates.

"Game of Thrones" hairstylist Kevin Alexander told Deadline that Turner's hair color had to be touched up weekly, for which he used a vegetable-based dye. But Turner eventually returned to her roots, and after seeing her with the blond tresses of a Targaryen, some "GoT" fans feared the worst. Per Vogue, there was speculation that her character had been killed off. "People really freaked," Turner recalled.

Unfortunately, dyeing her hair blond also didn't leave it in the best condition. "It destroyed my hair to the point that I had to use a wig for 'Game of Thrones,'" Turner told Glamour. "They wouldn't let me dye it back red or my hair would've fallen out." While the wig eliminated the need for weekly touch-ups, it came with its own annoying problems. "Wigs are very itchy, they take longer to put on, and my head gets very hot under them," Turner told Marie Claire.

Sophie Turner also rocked red hair to portray Jean Grey in two "X-Men" movies, and she's a big fan of the vibrant hue. "With the red hair, I felt empowered because every character I've played that had red hair was so strong," she said in a 2019 Allure interview. However, she thinks her natural hair color suits her best. "But when I'm blonde I feel normal and tomboy-ish, which is more my personality," she told Marie Claire. 

While speaking to Allure in 2018, Turner revealed that she would love to experiment with other hues as well, including gray and blue. Thankfully, when she became an ambassador for the Wella haircare brand, she learned which products to use to protect her hair from damage each time she switches shades. This knowledge potentially came in handy when she dyed her hair red once again in 2021, per Page Six. She was later seen rocking the color in the HBO miniseries "The Staircase."

Turner has also learned a hair health tip that's fit for a queen (or the Lady of Winterfell). "Sleep on a silk pillowcase. It's amazing," she told W magazine, explaining that the luxurious cover keeps hair glossy and free of pesky tangles. "I told my fiancé [Joe Jonas], 'We have to get everything silk for the house. Silk sheets, silk tables,'" Turner continued, proving just how passionate she is about maintaining her famous mane.