Keke Palmer Returns to the Dark Side With Deep Espresso Hair
Plus, the \201cmillennial diva\201d style she also paired with the look.


Keke Palmer may have gone back to black hair. After a few weeks masquerading as a redhead, the entrepreneur revealed the new look on an episode of her podcast, Baby This Is Keke Palmer. Clad in a black, white, and blue leather jacket, Palmer revealed a fresh dark espresso hair color, keeping the rest of her outfit fairly simple and opting for a white tank top and dark-wash denim jeans. Shimmery mauve eyeshadow and matte skin were the name of the game in terms of her makeup, and her nails were short, square, and painted in a black French tip, a look she’s been spotted in before.
That being said, Palmer has never been one to shy away from embracing a glam moment, and her hair was simply the icing on the cake of her look. Loosely curled, the style was the epitome of Old Hollywood glamour, thanks to the volume that the spirals added to her hair. And it didn’t stop there—Palmer’s tresses were sectioned off into a deep side part, which created a faux side bang that perfectly framed her face. She opted out of using any accessories, allowing the classic style to be the star of the show.
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Palmer is somewhat of a hair chameleon, having been spotted in everything from braids, locs, jumbo twists, teeny weeny afros, and more. She’s played around with multiple hair colors as well, bouncing between jet black, cherry red, blue, and even pastel purple. I’m admittedly very indecisive when it comes to making any decisions with my hair. Still, the recent influx of inspiration from celebrities like Palmer, Eiza González, Michelle Obama, and more, are really motivating me to step it up. Keep reading to see the cues I plan to take from Palmer’s new dark espresso look.
The key to that effortless, undone curl that Palmer was wearing is a large-barrel curling iron. This two-inch one from Hot Tools is the perfect thing to have on hand to recreate her hairstyle.
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Ariel Baker is the Beauty Writer at Marie Claire. Previously the associate beauty editor at PS and briefly freelance, she has bylines in InStyle, Forbes Vetted, Women's Health, and more.
Since she started out in the non-profit sector, Ariel enjoys looking at beauty from a sociocultural lens, looking to avenues like politics, music, and the arts, to inform her views on the space. That being said, as a true beauty-product obsessive, testing the latest items to hit the market, keeping up with trends, and meeting industry icons, will always be her favorite part of working in the beauty space.
When she's not working, Ariel can be found hanging out with her fiancé and loving on their two cat daughters: Cow and Chicken.
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