Bob Ross, the beloved painter known for his soothing voice and happy little trees, wasn’t always sporting the curly hair that became his trademark. In fact, Ross’s hair was naturally straight, and he opted for a perm as a cost-saving measure.

While his curly mane became a defining feature during his time on PBS’s “The Joy of Painting,” earlier photographs from his service in the Air Force show him with short, straight hair. These black-and-white images depict a clean-shaven Ross, and another photo on his official website, BobRoss.com, captures him as a young man with a tall quiff.

Annette Kowalski, Ross’s longtime business partner, explained in an interview with NPR in 2016, “He got this bright idea that he could save money on haircuts. So he let his hair grow, got a perm, and decided he would never need a haircut again.”

Ross’s perm became so iconic that it was even incorporated into the logo of his company, cementing its place in pop culture history.

The perm became so iconic it was even used in his company logo. 

But it also became a bit of a curse.

Bob Ross’ famous curls weren’t natural – the iconic painter’s hair was naturally straight until he got a perm to save money

Though his curly locks became instantly recognizable on PBS’ The Joy of Painting, photos from his Air Force days show him with shorter, straight hair

Kowalski said: ‘He could never, ever, ever change his hair, and he was so mad about that. He got tired of that curly hair.’

She also recalled in the NPR interview: ‘Bob used to lay in bed at night, he told me, he rehearsed every word. He knew exactly what he was going to say on every one of those programs.’

It wasn’t the first time Kowalski had spoken about Ross’ hair. 

She told Mental Floss in 2015: ‘When we got a line of paints and brushes, we put his picture on. 

‘The logo is a picture of Bob with that hair, so he could never get it cut. He wasn’t always happy about that.’ 

Before his TV career, Ross served in the Air Force, but because of his height and flat feet, he couldn’t undergo pilot training and was assigned to a desk job as a medical records technician. 

It was during that time he took his first painting lesson, setting him on the path to becoming a household name.

Toward the end of his television career, despite being ill, Ross wore a wig to maintain his signature look and keep his condition private. 

Photos from Ross’ Air Force days show him with shorter, straight hair

Black-and-white images reveal a clean-shaven Ross, while another pic from his website BobRoss.com show him as a young man with a tall quiff

Annette Kowalski, his business partner, told NPRin 2016: ‘He got this bright idea that he could save money on haircuts. So he let his hair grow, he got a perm, and decided he would never need a haircut again’

His son Steve Ross later recalled the final stages of his father’s life as he battled lymphoma.

 ‘He didn’t have any hair,’ Steve explained. ‘He was skinny, so skinny. And we had to wet his lips because he couldn’t drink.’

The Joy of Painting premiered on PBS in 1983 and ran for 31 seasons, with Bob teaching viewers to create landscapes in under 30 minutes using ‘wet-on-wet’ oil painting techniques. 

Beyond the lessons, the show became famous for Ross’ gentle demeanor, his iconic phrases like ‘happy little trees,’  and the way he made viewers feel that anyone could make art.

Ross died of lymphoma in July 1995 at the age of 52.