Honestly, we need to talk about that hair. You know the one. At the 2024 Grammys, Miley Cyrus didn’t just walk the red carpet; she basically levitated onto it with a bouffant so big it probably had its own zip code. It was a massive, gravity-defying moment of miley cyrus blonde curly hair that sent the internet into a literal tailspin. People were divided. Some loved the high-octane drama, while others compared her to a 1980s wrestling legend or a very chic lion.
But here’s the thing: it wasn't an accident. That hair was a deliberate, punk-rock middle finger to the "clean girl" aesthetic that has been suffocating our social feeds for years. It was messy. It was teased. You could actually see the backcombing. And that’s exactly why we’re still obsessing over it today.
The Barbarella Inspiration Behind the Curls
Miley’s longtime hair guru, Bob Recine, didn't just wake up and decide to use an entire can of hairspray for fun. He was channeling some serious cinema history. He specifically cited Jane Fonda’s iconic 1968 film Barbarella as a primary influence. Think space-age odyssey meets French bombshell.
But there was another layer to it. Recine also pointed toward Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C. It was all about that "raw, touchable, but larger-than-life" energy. It wasn't supposed to look perfect or "done" in the traditional sense. Recine told InStyle that he wanted the teasing to be visible. He wanted it to feel a little bit "punky." In a world of slicked-back buns and perfect glass hair, Miley chose chaos. And it worked.
The Dolly Connection
You can’t discuss miley cyrus blonde curly hair without mentioning her godmother, the queen herself, Dolly Parton. The "higher the hair, the closer to God" mantra was clearly in full effect. While the 2024 look had a 70s rock edge, the sheer volume was a massive nod to Dolly’s signature country floof.
🔗 Read more: The Fifth Wheel Kim Kardashian: What Really Happened with the Netflix Comedy
Miley has spent the last few years transitioning from the "skunk hair" (that high-contrast black and blonde look) into a more cohesive, honeyed blonde. This particular style at the Grammys used those warm, golden tones to create depth within the curls. Without that specific color gradient, the hair might have looked like a solid helmet. Instead, the highlights caught the light every time she tossed her head during her "Flowers" performance.
How to Get the Look (Without Ruining Your Strands)
If you're sitting there thinking, "I want my hair to reach the ceiling too," you've gotta be careful. This isn't just about a curling iron. It’s a structural engineering project.
Recine used a specific cocktail of Nexxus products to keep the hair from collapsing under its own weight. If you're trying this at home, you basically need three things: a lot of tension, a lot of heat protection, and a medium-hold hairspray that doesn't turn into white flakes.
- Prep is everything. Use a heat defense spray on damp hair. Miley’s team used Nexxus Prep & Protect.
- The Blowout. You need a medium round brush. You aren't just drying; you're stretching the hair upward from the root.
- Velcro Rollers. This is the secret sauce. Put them in while the hair is still warm. Let them sit until they are stone cold. This sets the "bounce."
- The Tease. Use a teasing brush (not a regular comb) and backcomb the roots in small sections.
- Finish with Oil. To keep it from looking like a haystack, use a tiny bit of hair oil on your fingertips to smooth the very ends.
The Evolution: From 2024 Big Hair to 2025 Texture
By early 2025, the miley cyrus blonde curly hair saga took another turn. She didn't stick with the Barbarella bouffant forever. At the 2025 Grammys, she pivoted hard. She showed up with what stylists called a "jellyfish cut"—long, "bronde" (brown-blonde) strands with blunt, face-framing layers. It was the total opposite of the year before.
💡 You might also like: Erik Menendez Height: What Most People Get Wrong
Then, just when we thought she was going sleek, she dropped a Vogue France cover with her shortest, curliest hair in a decade. We're talking fluffy, golden-blonde coils that barely grazed her neck. It was a "perm-adjacent" look that felt very 1920s flapper meets 1980s disco.
What most people get wrong about Miley’s hair is thinking she’s just "trying things out." Every shift is a calculated move to match her current "era." The 2024 big hair was about her first-ever Grammy win and asserting her status as a rock icon. The 2025 curls are more intimate, natural, and focused on hair health.
Why It Matters for Your Next Appointment
If you take a photo of Miley to your stylist, you need to be specific about which "curly blonde" you want. Are you looking for the:
- 2024 "Barbarella" Volume: High maintenance, lots of backcombing, requires thick hair or extensions.
- 2025 "Natural Texture" Arc: Lower maintenance, focuses on your hair's actual curl pattern, uses lightweight oils.
- The "Short & Fluffy" 2025 Crop: Best for those with natural wave who want to chop it all off and go peroxide blonde.
Honestly, Miley’s hair journey proves that "blonde" isn't just one color and "curly" isn't just one shape. She’s used these styles to bridge the gap between her country roots and her rock-and-roll present.
📖 Related: Old pics of Lady Gaga: Why we’re still obsessed with Stefani Germanotta
If you're planning to go for the high-volume look, invest in a high-quality dry shampoo. It adds the "grit" necessary to keep the teasing from slipping. And for the love of all things holy, don't try to brush out a teased bouffant while it's dry. You'll snap your hair off. Soak it in conditioner in the shower first, then gently detangle from the bottom up.
Your next move? Grab some velcro rollers and start practicing that upward blowout. Even if you don't go full Barbarella, adding just a fraction of that 2024 volume will make you feel like you just won Record of the Year.
Pro Tip: If you have fine hair, use a root-lift spray before you even touch the blow dryer. It gives the "scaffold" that the curls need to sit on.