Nicola Coughlan is a wildly successful actor who became a household name after starring in “Bridgerton,” particularly since her steamy Season 3 arc. While it may seem as if her road to success was easy, it was anything but. As reported by The New York Times, Coughlan’s early acting days were such a struggle that she had barely any money in her bank account and had to go back to Ireland several times. “It was like, Oh, the dream died,” she recalled. At the time, she didn’t even have money to get her hair done, which she shared on Instagram. “This is a picture of me from six years ago when I was a waitress. I remember taking it and joking about how bad my hair looked [because] I hadn’t been able to afford to get it done in months,” she told fans.

Of course, Coughlan now has more than enough funds for hair salon visits and she’s had quite a few transformations over the years. Just like her “Bridgerton” character Penelope Featherington, the actor has experimented with different styles and she’s come a long way since her breakout role in “Derry Girls.”

2019: Nicole Coughlan rocked blond hair with dark roots

Nicole Coughlan rose to fame in 2018 as Clare Devlin in “Derry Girls” and with her success came better hair than she admittedly had in 2016. During that time, she had her hair dyed a soft buttercream blond with darker ash-colored roots that resulted in a natural grown-out look. Coughlan wore her hair in a shoulder-length cut and often styled it in soft waves, unlike her character Devlin who had girlish straight bangs.

By the end of 2019, Coughlan’s hair was slightly longer, but still the same blond shade — and she was cast as Penelope Featherington in “Bridgerton.” In October, she shared a pic with her co-star Luke Newton, who plays her BFF-turned-husband in the hit Netflix show. “C&P,” she captioned. Of course, we all know that Featherington’s red hair is merely a wig and she’s just one of the “Bridgerton” stars who look completely different in real life. Red or blond, we think Coughlan looks amazing with any hair color.

2020-2021: Nicola Coughlan experimented with a bob

After having medium-length hair for years, Nicola Coughlan showed off a chin-length bob on Instagram in October 2020. Dressed as Gwyneth Paltrow’s character in “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Coughlan perfectly nailed the look down to a tee with her shaggy brown coat and short hair pinned back. “I think we’re just gonna to have to be secretly in love with each other and leave it at that, Richie,” she quoted from the film. Whether the “Big Mood” actor cut her hair just for the Halloween getup or she chose her costume based on her new ‘do, there’s no denying Coughlan committed to the look.

Coughlan wore her hair short for the rest of 2020 and well into the following year. In December, she shared a pic of her locks styled in a wavy blunt bob, which happens to be one of 2024’s most popular hairstyles. “Just me, your cool aunt popping in to say hi,” she wrote. A fan asked, “I need to know how these perfectly dreamy, effortless waves happen — is it brushed out curls? A 3 prong iron? I must know!”

2022: Nicola Coughlan went strawberry blond

Nicola Coughlan’s “Bridgerton” character Penelope Featherington is known to have a shock of brassy scarlet curls but the actor chose a much softer shade of red in October 2022. “Strawberry blonde for spooky season,” she wrote on Instagram. Coughlan then thanked her UK-based colorists Jason Hogan and Josh Wood for the pumpkin-inspired color, while giving Pete Burkill props for her fresh cut. Fans naturally loved her new look. “This color makes your eyes pop. Beautiful!” one raved. “You are absolutely stunning!!” another gushed.

For fans who want to know how she gets her hair so lush and full, Coughlan shared her go-to serum in her Instagram Stories (via Hello!). She shared a snap of hair oil made by celebrity hairstylist Jonathan Van Ness and wrote, “I’m not just saying this but how much thicker my hair has gotten since I’ve been using this is wild. You’re so clever @jvn @jvnhair.”

2023: Nicola Coughlan tried the trendy wolf haircut

2023 was all about the trendy wolf cut and Nicola Coughlan hopped on the train with her long version of the hairstyle. Her stylist Halley Brisker shared his work of art on Instagram and wrote, “Some extra lengths and a shaggy cut for Nicola Coughlan.” By this time, her hair was back to blond in an almost platinum color with some darker lowlights woven in. The sides were cut in layers around her face with the ends falling into wispy pieces.”You legend,” Coughlan commented.

Brisker shared with Elle about his client’s cut, “The inspiration behind the look was a desire for Nicola to look not effortlessly cool but ‘effort-cool’ which roughly translates to a relaxed styling but expertly executed and extra polished. It creates a nice juxtaposition in my opinion.” He revealed that extensions were put in first and then cut with her natural hair to give her layers that surrounded her face. Sadly, Coughlan grew the cut out, as we think this was one of her finest looks yet.

2024-Present: Nicola Coughlan is in her long hair era

With the success of her Season 3 storyline in “Bridgerton,” Nicola Coughlan’s star shone even brighter in 2024 — and her hair did as well. Instead of trendy cuts, she opted for a soft, timeless Old Hollywood look, often styled in long waves. The Lady Whistledown portrayer showed a behind-the-scenes glimpse of her getting ready for the Season 3 premiere of the salacious show in an Instagram post. Coughlan’s go-to hairstylist Halley Brisker was present and he shared, “We wanted something really that felt modern, felt timeless. We settled on a sort of modern Marilyn [Monroe] feeling to this vibe.”

As an ambassador for Olaplex, Coughlan has the best products at her disposal and swears by the brand’s hair oil. “I’m an Olaplex girly through and through,” she shared in a Get Ready With Me video for Vogue. She put a couple of drops in her hands and stated, “Just put like a little bit of the oil in it. Not a lot because it’s fine.” The actor then distributed the oil through her hair and the result was a buttery smooth finish. It’s safe to say, Coughlan is in her hot girl era and her hair just keeps getting better and better.