Melania Trump's Natural Hair Color Is So Different From Her Usual Look

Say what you will about Melania Trump, but the FLOTUS has certainly established a distinct image for herself since appearing on her international platform. Along with her wardrobe choices, her hair has slightly changed over the years, but she tends to stick to a few staples that the world has come to associate with her. She generally opts for curtain bangs and face-framing layers that typically make her look younger, along with blond highlights that have become increasingly ombré during her terms as first lady. The level of bleach in her hair varies, sometimes limited to a few select streaks and other times giving her an overall blond feel. But old pictures of Melania as a child confirm that her natural hair is a warm brown, rather than the brond or blond she wears now.

Not many photos of Melania from her life prior to becoming a Trump are available, but her sister, Ines Knauss, occasionally posts throwback snaps on her Instagram. One such photo of Melania, taken when they were children in Slovenia in the '70s, shows Melania with rich, brown locks. 

Given that Melania was just a toddler when the photo was taken, it's difficult to know exactly what shade her natural tresses are today — though it's common for children's strands to go from blond to brown, hair can also get lighter with age. But given that her roots are typically dark brown even when she does go blond, we're guessing that her natural hue hasn't changed that much over the years. 

Melania Trump's hair transformation has seen her with a few different styles and colors, with a heavy leaning toward blond since becoming first lady. But photos from the late '90s, when she was first dating now-husband Donald Trump, show that she initially rocked her natural brown mane during her modeling and socialite days in New York. In 1998, she had a uniform dark-brown shade and long layers, but she made the move to a slightly lighter brown with curtain bangs — which would become her favorite — the following year. It's difficult to judge from photos whether the mousier brown of 1999 or the darker chocolate brown of 1998 is closer to her natural color, but her eyebrows show a closer match to the lighter shade in most photos. 

The future first lady began dyeing her hair darker in the noughties, opting for nearly black at the fashion event of the year, the Met Gala, in 2004. But before long, after experimenting with bangs and deeper tones of brown, she settled on the brond ombré, complete with highlights and lowlights, that she maintains now. For more insights into the first lady's fashion and beauty, check out our deep-dive into Melania Trump's complete style transformation.