The T Pain Hair Evolution Throughout the Years

Written By Bakes

Avid writer on Men's Hair, Grooming, and Lifestyle!

Since his initial introduction to the masses back in 2005 we have seen T Pain Hair styled in various ways and colours.

These styles have consisted of his

  • Thick Dreads (With and without Blonde Patches)
  • Afro Haircut
  • Traditional locks (2nd Set of Locks)
  • Dyed Wicks

Our editorial revisits each one of these looks in detail.

T Pain Hair Evolution

In a career which spans over 20 years we have categorised the singers Hair journey into 4 Main stages

Thick Dreads

Year: 2005 – 2013

The year is 2005, you’ve turned on MTV to see Pain first sing the words “I’m Sprungggg”.

T Pain Hair back in 2005

One of the biggest hits of the year made even more memorable by his thick dreads.

For further context prior to 2005 singers & rappers with dreads were the minority which further made him stand out, today however it’s the cultural norm.

t pain hair in 2006

As T Pain’s music career grew we began to see him get even more experimental with his hair by bleaching patches of his hair blonde.

Disclaimer: Applying any sort of chemical to your hair is a very risky job as this can lead to breakage or thinning if not done correctly, therefore we always recommend you use a professional.

Afro Haircut

Year: 2013 – 2016

Having had his trademark look for so long we would later see T Pain cut his dreads which would shock the world and here’s the reason why!

T Pain Hair in an afro

In a 2014 interview with DJ Vlad T Pain explained that he was advised by his uncle to chop off his dreadlocks in order to propel his career in a dream.


We saw T Pain rock the short afro look from 2013 to 2016 before deciding to reattach his dreads again.

In this time period we were able to see Pain have lines cut into his hair to make his buzz cuts a little more creative.

Traditional locks

In the summer of 2015 we saw T Pain still rocking his short afro, several months later he revealed his long dreaded locks which were reattached.

traditional locks

Having rocked short hair for a few years Pain decided it was time to get his trademark look by attaching dreads into his afro hair.

Once this was attached we saw him dye his hair purple and continuously have it styled in 2 strand twists.

The main difference between this hairstyle and his 1st set of locks were the size. His 1st set of locks were thicker whilst traditional locks tend to be pencil sized.

Another difference you were be able to identify are his sections and parts can be seen more during this period with a more uniform neat look.

T Pain Dreadlock Styles

During this T Pain hair era we saw his dreads in barrel twists, twist outs and tied up.

T Pain Dreadlock Styles

Whilst he kept his dreads in protective styles we often saw him keep his sides tapered off with a clean fade which further added to a more polished look.

There are many benefits of having dreadlocks which is why we continue to see them grow in popularity. Low Maintenance and various styles being the 2 main benefits.

Dyed Wicks

2021 – Present

His most recent hairstyle can be seen as wicks which are the thickest form of locks.

T Pain Hair in wicks

Originating from his hometown Florida which was further popularized by Kodak Black.

T Pain trimmed his former long traditional locks and then attached 2 or 3 locks together, used a crochet hook to intertwine them together so they matt and form larger locks.

wicks dreads

In addition to this we have seen him alternate between colours from blonde to his black.

Tips if you want Similar Dreads

Do your research if you want similar Dreads

As we have shown in our editorial T Pain has had various different hairstyles and dreads, therefore you should be certain of which one interests you most.

Wicks, thick and traditional dreads are all started in different ways therefore once you select the best style for you research it like no tomorrow.

Talk to a loctician and get a Consultation.

Talking to a loctician is our best advise! They are the professionals who live and breathe hair.

Plus, it’s even more crucial if you’ve been inspired by his multi coloured dreads and wanting something similar.

During the consultations locitians will be able to have a closer look at your hair type, discuss the process, hair products to use & parting systems.

Ensure you save the images of your desired style to your loctician and explain what you’re looking for.

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