17 Times Carrie Underwood Gave Us Major Hair Inspiration

The country star has come a long way since winning American Idol, and she’s definitely come a long way since her finale look of scrunched, lightly layered long locks.

A few months after winning American Idol, Underwood began refining her hairstyle with a lighter buttery blonde shade and major layers throughout. She favored bold, big-barreled curls during this layered style.

The beauty began showing her on-and-off-again relationship with bangs a couple years after American Idol, starting with swooping side-swept bangs that were definitely trending during the 2000s. She paired the eyelash-skimming bangs with layers that framed her jawline.

Before diving into full-on blunt bangs, Underwood took her side-swept bangs a little shorter and added more layers throughout her hair to balance it out. The result: soft tapered bangs. Bouncier curls accompanied the new haircut, making sure to curl away from her face for the most flattering look.

Later that year, she embraced full bangs for a short while. She has noted in the press that she doesn’t typically go with blunt bangs, but this brief stint in 2008 gave us a rare peek!

Ditching the full bangs, Underwood took back her favorite side-swept fringe and injected some major volume into her medium-length haircut. She rocked this bold look for a while before going shorter into a super flattering lob.

Weeks before announcing her engagement to her future husband and NHL player, Mike Fisher, the country star made waves by chopping her signature long locks into a thick, soft lob with long layers. She went in with some lowlights for a rich blonde finish.

A few months after announcing her engagement, Underwood performed at the Today Show and showed off her gorgeous engagement ring and flippy, layered haircut. She stuck with the low maintenance styling of her lob-length days before growing out her locks again.

The country singer went super blonde and straight in 2011 for her performance at the iHeartRadio Music Festival, adding blunt, slightly tapered bangs to finish the style. She kept her layers long and simple, resulting in an edgier look than her typical big Southern curls.

She went ultra-long and layered in 2012, giving the country music world some major Rapunzel vibes! She paired cheekbone-grazing bangs with her cascading curls.

A lob-length cut looked stunningly fresh and light on the country star, and we loved the messy waves she paired with her glitzy award show look. Texturizing spray is key when it comes to styling this cut!

She pinned up her blonde tresses into an updo that looked like the closest thing we’ll ever get to a bob on the country superstar. The look shows Underwood’s amazing movement and volume achieved from piling on short layers.

She favored a softer look for the Emmys in 2013, giving us a warmer shade of blonde and smooth brushed-out curls with the perfect amount of layering on her medium-length cut.

Throughout 2014, Underwood strayed from her buttery blonde to a warmer golden blonde and went with edgier haircuts to pair with it. The singer styled with less bouncy curls and more relaxed waves and texture, keeping the layers minimal.

From ultra-long to lob, the star really kept us on our toes during 2016 by shortening and lightening her locks into a middle-parted, cool blonde lob with only face-framing layers. The straight look was modern and flattering.

She softened up her lob a few months later with a warmer blonde shade, loose waves, and a deep side part. This modern look has to be one of our favorite hairstyles that she’s ever rocked.

In one of her last appearances of 2017, Underwood debuted a sleek straight look with a deep side part that looked equally elegant and classic. After suffering from a major accident in mid-November, she has been recuperating with needed privacy. We can’t wait to see what haircut she debuts next!