Julianne Hough’s bleach blonde locks are part of her trademark look. But the actress reveals to Us Weekly that she nearly shaved her hair off last year — all in the name of finding her authentic self.
“I almost shaved my head around the holidays,” the America’s Got Talent judge tells Us. “I’ve been on this big transformational kick.” And since she’d already tried dying her hair red, brown and pink, she says she thought it may be time for more drastic measures. “They always say, you know, cut that old energy in your hair if you want a change,” she says. “And so I literally was like ‘I think I just need to shave my head and start over.’”
But the star, who’s a spokesmodel for Joico Defy Damage, tells Us she chased the idea away — at least for now. “I figured, you know, maybe next time,” says Hough. “But I think I will do it in my life at some point. That’s on my bucket list.”
The 30-year-old former Dancing With the Stars pro considers her external style changes part of her overall wellness journey. “I’ve gone through so many stages in my life — your twenties are all about exploration and discovery, and, you know, I think I’ve done that,” she says. “I’ve gone through so many renditions and versions of myself and figuring out who I am internally and externally, so I feel pretty grounded right now. I’m pretty good.”
The MPG by Julianne Hough Collection designer has always been committed to physical fitness for her health — and still is. “I’m such an outward, expressive person, so sometimes I just need to do yoga by myself,” she explains. Besides that and dancing — which she says gives her a “full body connection” — her workout routine generally consists of SoulCycle and strength training exercises with her husband, hockey pro Brooks Laich. “I’ve been doing some weight training because my husband has a full-blown gym in our garage and I’m like, ‘I guess I have it here, might as well use it,’” she says. “And it actually helps us bond because it’s his interest.”
And now more than ever, Hough counts spirituality an equally important part of self-care. “I love expressing myself and stuff, but it’s a lot of output,” she says. “Honestly, alone time is really good for me, and it’s really hard for me, ‘cause I love people so much I feel like they actually feed me, but almost too much where, like, I just need to recharge.” Other than that, she says, “Everybody knows I love to dance — things that feel very creative and expressive. I do a lot of mindfulness, just constantly learning.”
“I feel like that to me is my great sense of charge — knowing that I’m constantly evolving, constantly growing and learning new things,” she reveals. “I think when you learn something new, it gives you almost, like, a little pat on your shoulder, like ‘Aw, I learned something new today!’”
In the end, says Hough — who’s been open about how endometriosis affects her sex life and physical health — living a healthy life means listening to your body. “I believe your body doesn’t lie. So if you’re connected to your body, your body will tell you what you need. If I could tell anybody anything,” she adds, laughing, it’s “don’t listen to your head, listen to your body.”
