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From the "Rachel" to the silky blowout, here's Jennifer Aniston's famous hair evolution

She first turned heads with the "Rachel ," the famous, angular haircut she rocked on the early seasons of "Friends." Since then, Aniston's hair has been under a microscope, with everyone eagerly awaiting what she (and longtime hair stylist Chris McMillan) will come up with next.

From the "Rachel" to a razor cut bob to blowouts galore, here's the complete evolution of Jennifer Aniston's picture-perfect hair.

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Aniston was 21 in 1990, and she had just scored a lead role on the short-lived "Ferris Bueller" sitcom , which ran from 1990-1991. She rocked her natural hair at the time: chestnut brown, voluminous, with a '90s wispy bang.

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Aniston went even darker brown in 1992, just two years shy of her life-changing turn as Rachel in "Friends." During this period, she had minor roles in films like "Leprechaun" and TV shows like "The Edge," but hadn't yet had a breakthrough .

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Rachel Green as we know and love her was almost played by actress Courteney Cox (who went on to play Monica). But, as fate had it, Jennifer Aniston got the part and our decades-long obsession with the star commenced. The first season of "Friends" began in 1994, and Aniston was working a shorter, lighter, and wavier 'do at the time.

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McMillan said, "I first created 'The Rachel' back when I met Jennifer, which was more than 20 years ago ... I told her she should grow her fringe out, get some highlights and just try something a bit different."

And what happened next was legendary.

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Named after her character on "Friends," the 'do that Aniston would become known for was worn throughout the second season of the show.

The intricate cut featured choppy layers, chunky blonde highlights, and a blown-out look, falling just above the collarbone. Aniston loved the cut when she first got it , according to McMillan, but she has since talked openly about her annoyance with the difficulty of maintaining it.

"I got that haircut, that was like, 'Wow this is amazing,' and then I was totally left with this frizzy mop on my head, because I had no idea how to do what he did," Aniston said .

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A photo of Jennifer Aniston with the cut was featured in People's "100 Best Celebrity Photos" book, and photographer Robert Trachtenberg called it " a gigantic presence in pop culture " in 1995.

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By the third season of "Friends," the "Rachel" haircut was on its way out. In this still, Aniston's harsh layers are starting to grow out, revealing a more full-bodied and luscious look.

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With the "Rachel" fully grown out, Aniston began to rock a blonder color overall. And at this appearance, she nixed Rachel's signature silky blowout and rocked her natural texture.

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Aniston's hair in 1998 also had no visible layers, serving a stark contrast to the "Rachel."

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Hair pulled back with butterfly clips was a super '90s look, and many other stars like Britney Spears and Mila Kunis rocked it alongside Aniston.

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Aniston and then boyfriend Brad Pitt hit the 1999 Emmys red carpet looking totally boho chic.

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Aniston wore these super-long extensions in 1999, possibly for her role in the 1999 film " Office Space ," in which her character rocks a similar look.

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At this event, though, she wore her long locks curly, with a mini-braid thrown in.

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Aniston gave the bob an elegant, sultry twist at the 27th People's Choice Awards in January 2001.

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Aniston's bob grew out, and in late 2001 she got blonder, more pronounced highlights to accompany her longer length and face-frame layers.

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She wore her hair beachy and blonde at NBC's 75th anniversary party in 2002.

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Aniston was ahead of her time when she debuted her golden brown balayage at the 29th People's Choice Awards in 2003. The balayage is now a must-have for summer, what Business Insider previously defined as "soft, subtle highlights at your roots, leading to thicker, more dramatic color at the tips."

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During the final season of "Friends," Aniston donned these blunt, side-swept bangs. She also began to add chunkier layers again, but kept her darker color.

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Only Jennifer Aniston could make growing out your bangs look this seamless.

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Around 2005 is when Jennifer Aniston began to hone her signature hair, and its style and color hasn't changed too much since then.

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Though her hair stayed consistently blonde for the next few years, Aniston reverted to her long locks (think 1990, 2000) around 2008.

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Aniston began her transition away from blonde hair by adding light brown lowlights in 2010. Her hairstyle, however replete with simple layers around the face and tapered ends stayed the same.

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This length seems to be her sweet spot, as of late.

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Aniston's latest endeavor is " Dumplin' ," a Netflix film about a former beauty queen running her own pageant. She looked glowing at the premiere in December 2018, rocking a more golden hair color and full-bodied waves a look that can only be described as quintessentially Aniston.

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Tandra Barner

Update: 2024-08-30