Ariana Grande claims she was a ''hot mess'' when she was younger.

The 'Problem' hitmaker - who is rumoured to be dating Big Sean - has confessed that although she's now a stunning star, she too has embarrassing pictures from her past that make her cringe.

Quizzed on how she feels when she sees old snaps of herself, she said: ''Oh my God! You know when you scroll a little too far back on your Facebook and you're like, 'Oh my God - I didn't want to see that! Why am I going through this?!

''I was a hot mess. I had to dye my hair red for a role [in 'Victorious'] and it put me in a challenging position because I liked to wear black but it just made me look edgy.

''So to combat that I had to be super girly with my clothes but then I ended up looking like Strawberry Shortcake.

''It went down hill from there.''

The 21-year-old beauty also spoke about the condition of her hair - which she referred to as ''ratchet'' earlier this year - to insist that although she still wears extensions, her own hair is looking much better.

She added to We Love Pop magazine: ''It's actually really healthy. It's funny because whenever I post a picture my fan will be like, 'Weave on point gurl!' And I'm like, 'I DON'T WEAR A WEAVE! ... I still wear extensions but my real hair is almost completely restored.''