The Best and Most Creative Celebrity Hairstyles of 2020 So Far

Red carpet events may have been few and far between this year, but even so, there's a clear celebrity hair trend that's come out of 2020: hair jewelry. Earlier in the year, we saw pearl-studded parts and gemstone-covered braids, and for the virtual Emmy Awards, H.E.R. kept the gorgeous trend going with her crystal-encrusted braided ponytail, created by hairstylist Nina Monique.

For the virtual Emmy Awards, Orji — who was nominated for Best Supporting Actress in a Comedy Series for her role as Molly on the HBO series Insecure — debuted a raised fist symbol shaved into the side of her head in honor of the Black Lives Matter movement. To achieve the look, the American-Nigerian actor got a little help from Atlanta-based groomer Mickey West-Potts, who created the design, and hairstylist Mary Daniels, who made sure her curls were in top shape for the event.

At the Critics' Choice Awards, Zendaya wore gorgeous, gleaming box braids — which were designed by hairstylist Kim Kimble and braided by Kendra Garvey, another stylist at Kimble's salon in LA — that well exceeded her waist in length. The Euphoria star's hair was equally as eye-catching as her hot-pink chrome chest piece by Tom Ford, which is an impressive feat.

All award season long, hairstylist Peter Lux (who splits his time between London and LA) has created masterpieces on Florence Pugh, and her look for the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards was no different. For this look, Lux gathered Pugh's hair into a high ponytail and created all kinds of loops and swirls, which were then pinned into place. This formed one incredibly intricate, slightly wet-looking updo that, frankly, we're still totally in awe of.

Hairstylist Owen Gould created a slick, long braid on Rachel Brosnahan for the Critics' Choice Awards. To make sure her classic plait was extra special, Gould wrapped metallic silver thread around the base of the ponytail, then crisscrossed the length of the thread all the way down the braid to the end. We love how the thread picks up the jeweled appliqués on the skirt of her dress.

It's not just us noncelebrity folk who don't have time — or, erm, simply forget — to get our roots dyed. In an interview with People on the SAG Awards red carpet, Charlize Theron confessed she couldn't fit in a salon appointment so her hairstylist Adir Abergel improvised by adding a Tiffany & Co bracelet along her center part. Now, we might not be adding real diamonds to our roots the next time we need a touch-up, but this is definitely a hair concept we can get on board with.

Hairstylist Larry Sims was the master behind Danai Gurira's incredible faux-hawk/twist/braid hybrid at the SAG Awards. It appears that Sims sectioned Gurira's hair into three large parts. Each of these sections were knotted and braided, going from the very front of her hairline down to the base of her neck, leaving the rest of the braid to fall down her back. A truly stunning work of hair art.

Saoirse Ronan's asymmetric updo at the BAFTAs was totally unexpected and original, and we loved every aspect of it. "The shape mirrors the silhouette of a classic greaser coif, and I added a feminine touch by creating a soft, floral-like faux bang to sit gently across her forehead," said hairstylist Adir Abergel, who used Virtue Create Volumizing Primer ($36) to prep the hair and make it easier to twist and shape.

Hairstylist Kevin Fortune created a Rapunzel-esque two-strand twist on Naomi Ackie at the BAFTAs. The twist started at the nape of her neck and came all the way down to her waist, draped over the exposed shoulder on her one-shoulder gown.

Oh, hello, asymmetric bob haircut courtesy of stylist Peter Lux. Michelle Williams — who won for outstanding performance by a female actor at the SAG Awards — wore her platinum-blond bob in a deep side part, with the shorter side tucked behind her ear and topped off with a twinkly silver clip in the shape of a feather. The other side, which was left down and given a very soft wave, gave a nod to old Hollywood glam.

There were so many beautiful elements to Alicia Keys's Grammy Awards hairstyle, created by Nai'vasha, that we didn't know where to look first. According to Vogue, her beauty team had one main objective: make her shine. And that, they achieved.

From the front, Keys's hair featured cornrow braids that were pulled back into a tight chignon. Her hairline was also embellished with tiny crystals, which caught the light in the most beautiful way. In the back (the main event), crystal chiffon — created by designer Jennifer Behr — was added to the chignon to form this glimmering masterpiece.

Trust Yara Shahidi to rock an entirely new way to wear the bob trend: a jaw-grazing, braided ponytail. London-based hairstylist Rio Sreedharan knew Shahidi wanted her hair up for the award show, so he started digging into inspiration.

"I've been obsessed with really, really short bobs that hit at the cheekbones, so I thought, 'You know what, let me do a braided look to add extra detail to the ponytail, but make it really blunt, creating a direct line at her cheekbones,'" he recently told POPSUGAR. "So basically, I incorporated all of the three looks that I found into one style and this is what we ended up with."

Scarlett Johansson couldn't decide between a bun and a ponytail, so she opted for this beautiful hybrid of the two. Hairstylist Jenny Cho pulled Johansson's hair back in a taut ponytail, which she then twisted and looped to sit vertically, leaving the end of the ponytail loose at the nape of Johansson's neck.

When Lupita Nyong'o steps out on the red carpet, she immediately captures the attention of beauty editors everywhere who are eager to see exactly how she's chosen to wear her hair and makeup. And her hair for the 2020 Critics' Choice Awards — which was pulled up into a high pouf and wrapped in gold wire — was truly a sight to behold. "There will never be a rainy day with these #AfroClouds🙌🏾✊🏾," her longtime hairstylist Vernon Francois wrote in an Instagram post that showcased his dreamy creation.

When Esperanza Spalding turned around revealing the intricate details to her braided crown updo, we audibly gasped. And it's not just the back — if you look closely, you'll see tiny braids interwoven throughout the voluminous crown at the front of Spalding's hair.

Dua Lipa was one of the celebrities who made us fall in love with the '90s "piecey" hair trend again. Hairstylist Chris Appleton is the man behind the comeback (also creating a very similar style on Jennifer Lopez at the SAG Awards), pulling Lipa's hair back into a sleek topknot (complete with a porcupine spike!) and leaving two chunky, face-framing pieces of hair hanging out that perfectly framed her chin, ensuring the style felt equal parts modern and nostalgic.

Marsai Martin went full-on '90s when she stepped out for an appearance at the Lexus Uptown Honours Hollywood event in February. The Black-ish actor wore box braids in a bob style that threw it way back to similar hairstyles worn by Brandy in the '90s. And if you look even closer, you'll notice the spiral hair gems at the end of each braid, giving us all the nostalgic hair accessory feels.

Leave it to Janelle Monáe to step out with a new way to wear one of our favorite hair accessories: pearls. The singer-songwriter and actor attended the annual Essence Black Women in Hollywood Awards wearing a braided side bun adorned with small pearls that matched her polka-dot dress perfectly.

Lucy Boynton stuck pearls on her side part for the Oscars red carpet, so we're going to stick pearls to our side part. Actually, on second thought, we might leave that to the professionals. Boynton proved once again that she's incapable of being boring when it comes to her red carpet beauty looks. Hairstylist Jenny Cho created soft waves using Hair Ritual by Sisley and used gorilla glue (not recommended to try at home!) to stick six pearls along Boynton's part.

For Gabrielle Union's Vanity Fair Oscars party look, hairstylist Larry Sims embellished her braids with strands of tiny rhinestones that he actually placed on top the braids, creating the illusion that her hair actually grew that sparkly.

Amandla Stenberg's box braids for the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party took six hours to do, but it was worth it. Hairstylist Mariah (Yaya) Leilani created the look by cutting platinum-blond extensions into a chin-length bob.

Billie Eilish pulled her signature neon hair back into a low bun and curled her curtain bangs for an elevated look at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party. Her "drenched" lime-green roots are one of this year's biggest hair-color trends.

Taylor Hill wore her long brown hair up in a beautiful, twisted topknot at the 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party. The hairstyle had just the perfect amount of wispiness to it for a slightly undone look. That, plus her baby-pink makeup, made her glam feel very romantic.

Kate Bosworth managed to combine a plait, high ponytail, and diamond bracelet into her 2020 Vanity Fair Oscars party hairstyle. From the front, the style looked sleek and minimal, but when you saw the back, it had a unique spin.