Jaden Smith has always been a bit of an enigma, hasn't he? From the weirdly philosophical tweets that defined a generation’s confusion to his unapologetic approach to gender-fluid fashion, the guy just doesn't follow the "standard" celebrity playbook. But if you ask most people what his most defining era was, they won’t point to a movie or a song first.
They'll talk about the hair. Specifically, jaden smith with dreads.
It’s been years since he first grew them out, and yet the internet is still obsessed. Honestly, it's not hard to see why. Those bleached, gravity-defying locs weren't just a hairstyle; they were a cultural reset for Gen Z style. They represented a shift from the polished, cookie-cutter "child star" image into something raw, experimental, and—admittedly—a little bit chaotic.
The Era of the Bleached Locs
It’s 2015. Jaden is moving away from the Karate Kid shadow. Suddenly, he's appearing at Harper's Bazaar parties and Louis Vuitton shows with these high-top freeform dreads.
They weren't "perfect." That was the whole point.
Most celebrities go for the neat, manicured look. Jaden went the opposite way. He embraced a messy, sculptural aesthetic that felt more like Basquiat than Justin Bieber. By the time 2016 rolled around, he had dyed them a stark, golden blonde. It was a look that screamed "I’m doing my own thing," and it basically became the blueprint for the "aesthetic" movement on Tumblr and Instagram.
People were constantly searching for how to get the "Jaden Smith look." Was it a sponge? Two-strand twists? It was actually a mix of natural growth and a high fade that kept the focus entirely on the texture at the top.
That One Time at the Met Gala
You know the photo. We all do.
In 2017, Jaden showed up to the Met Gala in an all-black Louis Vuitton fit. Standard enough for the Met, right? Wrong. In his hand, he wasn't carrying a clutch or a designer bag. He was carrying his own hair.
Yep. His dad, Will Smith, had literally helped him chop off the bleached locs a few weeks prior for a movie role in Life in a Year. Instead of tossing them in the trash like a normal human, Jaden decided they were the ultimate accessory.
"Since I couldn't bring my sister as a date, I brought my old hair," he famously told Vogue.
It was peak Jaden. It was weird, it was meta, and it solidified jaden smith with dreads as a permanent fixture in fashion history. He turned a haircut into a performance art piece. Who else is doing that?
Why the Style Actually Mattered
It’s easy to dismiss celebrity hair changes as vanity, but Jaden’s dreads actually meant something to a lot of young Black men. For a long time, the "clean-cut" look was the only way to be taken seriously in Hollywood. Jaden—along with stars like Luka Sabbat—pushed the idea that natural, freeform texture belonged in high-fashion spaces.
He proved that you could wear a tuxedo or a skirt or a $5,000 coat with hair that looked like it hadn't seen a comb in months. It was a rejection of the "respectability politics" that often govern how Black hair is perceived.
The Technical Side (If You're Trying to Replicate It)
If you're looking back at photos of jaden smith with dreads and thinking about trying it yourself in 2026, there are a few things to keep in mind. His look wasn't just "letting it grow."
- The Foundation: He usually kept the sides in a high drop fade or a taper. This prevented the hair from looking like a "helmet" and gave it that vertical height.
- The Method: These were likely started with a sponge or towel rub method to create the initial buds, then allowed to grow freely.
- The Color: Blonde is harsh. If you’re bleaching locs, you’re basically asking for breakage unless you’re doing heavy protein treatments. Jaden’s hair often looked "crunchy" in photos, which is the price you pay for that level of lift.
Life After the Chop
Since the big Met Gala reveal, Jaden has cycled through everything. Pink buzz cuts. Red hair. Rainbow tints. He even went back to a more refined "twist out" look that leans into a softer Afro-taper vibe.
But even now, in 2026, the dreads remain the reference point. When people talk about "Old Jaden" or his most influential style period, it’s always the locs. They represented his transition into adulthood and his refusal to be "normal."
Honestly, the look worked because he didn't care if people liked it. Some called it messy; others called it genius. That's usually the mark of a style that's going to stick around in the cultural zeitgeist for a decade.
Getting the Look Today
If you want to channel that energy, don't go for a perfect imitation. The spirit of Jaden's hair was independence. Start with a high-top fade, find a good leave-in conditioner that doesn't cause buildup, and let your hair do what it wants to do naturally.
Pro-tip: If you do decide to bleach them, please see a professional. We don't need another "Met Gala accessory" situation because your hair fell out in the shower. Use a silk bonnet at night to keep the moisture in, especially if you're going for that bright blonde.
Stay weird with it. That’s what Jaden would do.