"I Don’t Want to Shock People": Carrie Underwood’s Natural Hair Color Finally Returns
“I wish I had started changing my hair around in the beginning … Then it wouldn’t be such a big shock if I did something like that now," Carrie admitted.
Published Aug. 5 2025, 12:19 p.m. ET
In early August 2025, Carrie Underwood surprised fans with an Instagram post showing off something they hadn’t seen in decades: her real hair color.
Carrie Underwood’s natural hair color — something she said she hasn’t seen since she was "probably about 12 years old" — made a long-awaited return in the post. In the photo, she was rocking a noticeably darker, more natural shade compared to her signature platinum blonde.
As those who have followed the singer over the years know from her interviews, this wasn’t just about changing her look or going back to her roots. The shift was likely more emotional than cosmetic. After several decades of being publicly locked into one image, this was a quiet moment of rebellion — and a gentle kind of freedom.
Carrie Underwood’s natural hair color hasn’t been seen in more than two decades.
In her caption, Carrie wrote: "Well, the last time I saw my natural hair color, I was probably about 12 years old, but I thought it might be time to give it a second chance." The new look was noticeably more subdued than the bright blonde fans are used to — and that’s exactly why it got people talking.
What’s funny is that Carrie has flirted with change before, but never fully committed. Back in 2011, she wore bright fuchsia extensions, a bold splash of color that sparked conversation even though she hadn’t actually dyed her hair. According to Nicki Swift, minor tweaks to Carrie’s signature blonde locks have always been a huge deal for her fans. For that reason, fans have had a hard time even picturing her with hair that wasn’t blonde.
She once said going brunette might "shock people."
In a 2012 interview with Refinery29, Carrie talked candidly about the pressure she felt to maintain her iconic look. “I’d love to do a little more with hair color. I’ve always been blonde! The problem is, 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 joked.
She also admitted she kind of boxed herself in early on. “I wish I had started changing my hair around in the beginning … Then it wouldn’t be such a big shock if I did something like that now.”
That quote hits differently now. This wasn’t a dramatic transformation — it was a quiet return to what’s always been there. Doing something simple as going back to her natural hair color, however, was viewed as a major reset because her image was built around those signature blonde curls.
She’s talked before about feeling locked into a certain look.
Carrie’s blonde image has been with her since the American Idol days, and she’s been open about how that shaped her career — and limited it in some ways. In a 2013 interview with Redbook documented via Glam, she said: "That was my first time having anybody fix my hair. I had a lot of big hair. And I like big hair, but I wouldn’t go back there again."
Even when she wanted to try something new, she often felt like she couldn’t — not because she didn’t want to, but because the world expected one version of her.
There’s something powerful in how understated this change was. No dramatic video reveal. No edgy photoshoot. Just a few photos and a short caption saying she was ready to give her natural color “a second chance.”
Despite her fears, her fans responded with total support. “It’s giving strong, grounded, and totally gorgeous,” one fan noted in response to her decision to return to her roots.
Time will tell what Carrie decides to do next with her hair or if she decides to stick to her roots. The comments of her Instagram, however, suggests she may have a little more freedom than she thought she did with her hair.