Ranking Buffy Summers’s Iconic Hairstyles!

Buffy Summers is an icon for so many reasons. She’s an incredible character who changed television forever, and she never had to sacrifice her exceptional style in order to maintain her depth or her strength. Throughout 7 seasons of "Buffy The Vampire Slayer", Buffy’s wardrobe changes with the trends of the time and so did her hair, making it easy to distinguish what season you’re watching just based on the shape and cut of her iconic blonde locks. Buffy’s hair is more than just hair -- it's part of her character and helps define the emotional journeys she goes on over 144 episodes. We're ranking each season’s haircut based on how well it suits the titular protagonist!

8. Season 3

Speaking of constant bleaching, Buffy’s hair is on thin ice this season. The season begins when Buffy’s life was practically imploded, and throughout the season she is constantly torn, whether it's over her reborn vampire boyfriend or her new frenemy from out of town. Buffy’s hair sports chunky highlights and broken ends and even a strange flicker of baby bangs. This season still has its moments hair-wise, but it is pretty universally considered to be a messy moment for Buffy’s beautiful blonde locks.

7. Season 4

Buffy’s hair in Season 4 is a mixed bag -- just like the season itself! As Buffy enters college, her hair is truly long for the first time and a bit more of an unnatural blonde, truly embodying a “California Girl” energy as she finds herself out of depth at UC Sunnydale. Her iconic hairstyle from this season is the crimped curls mostly featured in the later episodes, which doesn’t help how damaged her hair looks after years of constant bleaching

6. Season 6 (Second-Half)

Season 6 is split up into two very different hairstyles when Buffy cuts her own hair in Episode 7. Her new hair is blunt and very early-2000s, but when she gets it fixed up in a salon and lets it grow out a little, it definitely has its moments. In some episodes, her long bob curls up at her shoulders, creating a fun and edgy cut that suits the moment she’s having in the series. Season 6 is a hard season for Buffy, and this haircut may not be the best suited for her, but it does fit the emotional journey she’s going on as she seeks to find control over any aspect of her life.

5. Season 7

In "Buffy The Vampire Slayer"’s final season, Buffy’s hair is like an amalgamation of all the haircuts that have come before. Buffy’s hair is long and shifts between wavy and straight based on the episode. She keeps her hair tied back most of the time, leaving blunt curtain bangs that I am personally not a huge fan of. She jokes throughout the season that her haircut makes her look “old”, and while no haircut could ever make Sarah Michelle Gellar look bad, her hair in this season is certainly more mature and adult – fitting a Buffy who has a lot on her plate from her first adult job at Sunnydale High to the house full of teenage girls she has been tasked with keeping safe.

4. Season 1

Buffy’s hair starts strong, but there’s still a lot of work to be done. SMG’s naturally brown hair is lighter, but not as bright blonde as it will become. This hair is short and bouncy, grazing the shoulders and definitely embracing the trends of the 1990s. It’s a good hairstyle, but Buffy’s isn’t quite herself yet, and so it feels like an outlier among some truly iconic Buffy haircuts. Buffy is only a sophomore in high school here, so her hair reflects that as she begins to become more sure of herself.

3. Season 6 (First-Half)

Buffy’s hair in season six is very similar to Season 5 -- it's long and wavy and gorgeous, but when her relationship with the vampire Spike reaches a burning point, she cuts off her long hair as an act of rebellion. Therefore, Season 6 is split into two very different hairstyles, the first-half being one of our all-time favorites.

2. Season 2

Season 2 sees Buffy’s hair quite a bit shorter; she shows up in the season’s first episode with a sharp new cut, her hair straightened and just hitting her shoulders. This establishes the tone for the series’ first full-length season, and even as Buffy’s hair gets longer as the season goes along, it still looks great! The blonde is especially bright this season, and you can really see her coming into her own style wise – which is such an essential part of Buffy’s character.

1. Season 5

Season 5 is indisputably the peak of Buffy’s hairstyles. Her hair is long and healthy, the blonde is even and natural, and her curls are bouncy without looking too perfectly styled. Buffy’s hair is borderline perfect – and we would argue so is the season itself! Even as Buffy faces a breakup, the end of the world, and a lot of loss, Season 5 finds her more at home with herself than ever. She’s an older sister, she’s an exceptional slayer, and she’s settling into adulthood, all of which her hair reflects.