June 2, 2026, 9:42 a.m. ET
For Britney Spears, summertime is makeover season.
The Grammy-winning pop star showed off her new hairstyle in a rare candid photo shared on Instagram Monday, June 1. Spears, 44, enlisted the beauty expertise of celebrity hairstylist Chris Appleton, who is best known for his work with reality TV star and media mogul Kim Kardashian.
Spears, who in recent years has been styling her platinum blonde mane in wavy locks, opted for a sleek, straight look. The “Baby One More Time” songstress could be seen posing alongside Appleton after the hair transformation, playfully sticking her tongue out for the camera while holding a bundle of haircare tools.
“As a kid growing up in England, Britney Spears was the soundtrack to so many moments,” Appleton wrote in the post’s caption. “Never in a million years did I think I’d one day be standing behind the chair (or in this case her standing behind mine, lol) styling her hair.”
Appleton’s styling collaboration with Spears comes seven months after the singer was spotted hanging out with Kim Kardashian and her sister, Khloé Kardashian.
“Some moments really do come full circle,” Appleton concluded. “She is not only an icon but one of the most genuinely kind and gentle souls I’ve ever met.”
Spears’ new look arrives nearly two months after the pop star voluntarily entered rehab treatment following her recent arrest on suspicion of driving under the influence in California.
Police arrested the singer March 4 outside of Los Angeles County after authorities spotted her driving a black BMW 430i “erratically” at high speeds on the highway in Ventura County. A California Highway Patrol spokesperson told USA TODAY on March 6 that Spears allegedly showed “signs of impairment and submitted to a series of field sobriety tests.”
Spears pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge on May 4 and was placed on 12 months of summary probation, in addition to paying several fines and taking a three-month first offender DUI program.
In light of her legal troubles, Spears reflected on her renewed outlook in a May 9 Instagram post.
“I’m so damn thankful to my friends and so many new beautiful people I have met through my spiritual journey… all a blessing in disguise,” Spears wrote. “I still have to learn how to be kind to myself and the way I speak to myself… It’s a never-ending journey and sometimes I just stop, look up and say, wow God I think that was you, and smile on!!!!”
Contributing: KiMi Robinson and Brendan Morrow, USA TODAY
