Priscilla Presley, the former wife of rock ‘n roll icon Elvis Presley, was known for her classic beauty and signature beehive hairstyle during the 1960s and 1970s. While her jet black hair color became an integral part of her look, it turns out this wasn’t Presley’s natural shade.
Priscilla Presley’s Natural Hair Color
According to multiple sources, Priscilla Presley was born with a natural light brown hair color. During her time with Elvis, she dyed her hair an inky black shade that complemented her husband’s own dark locks. This striking contrast of black hair against her fair skin and blue eyes became Presley’s signature style.
In a 2011 interview with Good Housekeeping, Presley confirmed that her natural hair color is brown. “I’m a brunette and I’ve fooled around with different colors — blond, red. But I always go back to brown because it’s the color I was born with,” she stated.
So while the raven-haired Priscilla remains the image most strongly associated with Elvis’s wife, her real shade is a light brown hue. This natural color likely lent itself more easily to experimentation with different dyed shades over the years.
History of Priscilla Presley’s Hair Evolution
While little photographic evidence exists of Priscilla Presley with her natural brown locks, some photos over the years have shown her hair in transition between colorings.
In the late 1950s, as a young teenager before meeting Elvis, photos show Presley’s hair in a soft brown tone with blond highlights. But by the early 1960s, when she began her relationship with the rock star, her hair was colored a much darker brunette shade.
| Year | Hair Color |
|---|---|
| Late 1950s | Soft light brown with blond highlights |
| Early 1960s | Dark brunette |
| Mid 1960s | Jet black |
| 1970s | Jet black beehive |
| 1980s | Black with softened style |
| 1990s | Dirty blond |
| 2000s | Lighter brunette with blond highlights |
By the mid-1960s, as Elvis’s fame grew, Presley’s hair became even darker, almost black. This provided stark contrast against her pale skin and made her blue eyes stand out strikingly. The beehive hairstyle she wore also complemented Elvis’s pompadour.
Throughout the 1970s, Presley maintained the signature jet black beehive even after she and Elvis divorced in 1973. It remained an integral part of her look during this decade.
In the 1980s, Presley began softening her style, lowering the beehive into a simpler flipped hairstyle but maintaining the striking black color. By the 1990s, she made a dramatic change, coloring her hair a dirty blond shade. She continued lightening it over the next two decades, wearing a lighter brunette in the 2000s with blond highlights.
Now in her 70s, Presley keeps her hair colored in a light brown hue, sometimes with subtle highlights, closer to her natural shade. While still recognizable, her look today is far softer than the severe black beehive that once defined her image.
Why Did Priscilla Presley Darken Her Hair?
What motivated Priscilla Presley to make such a drastic change from her natural light brown hair to the black shade she became so strongly associated with? A few key factors likely influenced her decision.
Complementing Elvis’s Look
Elvis Presley was known for his jet black hair, which he enhanced into a sculpted pompadour style. Darkening her own hair allowed Priscilla’s look to seamlessly complement Elvis’s striking appearance.
The matching black hair created a cohesive and stylish look for the famous couple. Priscilla’s beehive even mirrored the height and drama of Elvis’s pompadour in a feminized way. Creating this unified visual style was likely an important motivation.
Fashion Trend of the Era
In the early 1960s when Priscilla began darkening her hair, black or very dark brown hair was coming into fashion. Models like Jean Shrimpton popularized nearly black hair, which looked striking and dramatic against the mod fashion of the era.
As a teenager when she met Elvis, Priscilla was likely influenced by the hair trends of the time. Adopting almost-black locks allowed her to stay current with the increasingly bold hair colors of the 1960s.
Making a Bold Fashion Statement
Along with complementing Elvis and reflecting the latest trends, black hair also allowed Priscilla to make a bold fashion statement. As Elvis’s girlfriend and eventual wife, she was thrust into the spotlight at a young age.
Darkening her hair to such an extreme shade made Priscilla instantly recognizable and cemented her status as a beauty and fashion icon. The severe color commanded attention and remains unforgettable.
Priscilla Presley’s Hair Care Routine
Achieving such a dramatic black shade during an era without widespread hair dye availability required careful maintenance on Priscilla Presley’s part. To keep her hair color looking striking, she followed a rigorous multi-step hair care routine.
Home Dye Applications
Since professional salon dye jobs were not as common at the time, Priscilla reportedly dyed her own hair at home using store-bought colorings. Clairol Nice ‘N Easy and Lady Clairol were likely her products of choice based on era-appropriate options.
The frequency of dyeing likely depended on her natural regrowth, but touching up the roots every 4-6 weeks was probably necessary to avoid conspicuous lighter regrowth showing. Regular re-dyeing kept her hair color uniformly dark and crisp.
Deep Conditioning Treatments
Applying such harsh dye so frequently damaged and dried out Priscilla’s hair over time. To counteract this, she reportedly relied on intensive deep conditioning treatments to keep her hair soft, shiny and healthy.
Thick conditioning masks left on for 30+ minutes underneath a plastic cap helped reintroduce lost moisture. Quality protein-rich treatments also strengthened and protected the hair against breaking.
Careful Styling and Rollers
Creating Priscilla’s voluminous beehive required meticulous styling using plenty of hairspray and rollers. After deep conditioning, her hair would be set in large Velcro or sponge rollers and dried into the intended beehive shape.
Generous lacquering of strong setting hairspray held the height and endured the active lifestyle of touring and performing. Frequent touch-ups maintained the structural integrity of the beehive shape between thorough washings.
Priscilla Presley’s Influence on Beauty Culture
Priscilla Presley’s striking ebony hair left a lasting mark on fashion and beauty culture, inspiring generations of women’s beauty looks.
Mainstreamed Bold Hair Colors
While daring hair colors existed before, Priscilla helped push the trend into the mainstream. After she adopted inky black tresses alongside Twiggy’s pixie cut, more women felt empowered to go bold.
Hair colors diversified beyond routine blonds, browns and light brunettes. Reds, jet blacks and shades in between became popularized thanks to trendsetters like Priscilla breaking ground.
Inspired Copycat Beehive Styles
Priscilla didn’t invent the beehive hairdo, but she certainly popularized the dramatic styling. Women across the globe imitated her towering black beehive, cementing it as a hallmark of the 1960s.
The beehive remains iconic today in large part due to its association with Priscilla. Even modern pop stars like Amy Winehouse and Lady Gaga have paid homage by adopting their own exaggerated retro beehive styles.
Bold Makeup Looks
Priscilla’s heavy black eye makeup also set trends, inspiring women to experiment with smoky eyes, thick lashes, and cut-crease shadow shapes. Her makeup was designed to complement her bold hair and fashion.
Makeup trends followed suit, becoming more daring and dramatic. Priscilla’s striking appearance as a whole set the tone for women to embrace bolder fashion and beauty experiments.
Conclusion
While Priscilla Presley never wore her natural light brunette locks publicly, dyeing her hair an inky black color had an enormous impact. The dramatic shade came to symbolize her status as a beauty and pop culture icon.
By adopting a bold, contemporary dye job, Priscilla complemented Elvis’s rock-and-roll look and made a daring fashion statement. She inspired women everywhere to experiment with their own hair colors and styles.
Although black hair became Priscilla’s signature look, it took careful maintenance to achieve. Home dyeing, conditioning treatments and rigid styling kept her locks looking flawless during Elvis’s rise to fame. She influenced the beauty world for decades to come with her fearless, trendsetting style.
