Dakota Johnson has traded her signature dark locks for a lighter, dirty blonde hue, marking one of her most dramatic hair changes in years. The actress debuted the new look at the 2026 TIME100 Gala on April 23, drawing inspiration from the iconic blonde hair of Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy.
Her colorist Tracey Cunningham used Schwarzkopf Professional’s Foiled Cashmere technique to achieve the “dirty blonde” effect, lightening Dakota’s roots to a cashmere brown and adding blonde highlights throughout. The style, dubbed “the Bessette Blonde,” also features a layered cut and Dakota’s trademark wispy bangs.
While this subtle transformation flew under the radar, it’s far from Dakota’s first hair change. She chopped her hair into a short bob in 2015, sported blonde highlights in 2022, and rocked a platinum-blonde bob for her role in Daddio later that year. Despite the experiments, Dakota has always kept one thing consistent: her bangs.
“I’ve had bangs since I was a child,” she told Vogue in November. “I cut them myself. I’ve had the same haircut my entire life, apart from between the ages of about 10 and 14. I just feel like myself with bangs.”
Dakota credits her healthy hair to a good diet and plenty of water. “My hair and nails grow quickly,” she said. “I eat very healthily, drink lots of water, and don’t do too much to my hair.”
Dakota joins a long list of celebrities who have recently debuted new hairstyles, from Carrie Underwood going back to her natural color to Jason Momoa shaving his beard for Dune: Part Three. But for Dakota, this subtle blonde shift is just the latest chapter in her ever-evolving style.