On the heels of her new haircare line launch, Beyoncé opened up about her own drastic hairstyle change in 2013.
Last week, the music superstar announced a return to her roots with her new haircare line, Cécrid, set to launch on Tuesday.
In a rare interview with Essence, the 42-year-old singer spoke in more detail about Cécrid and how it was inspired by her mother, Ms. Tina Knowles, a former hairdresser who owned and operated her own beauty salon.
“I have vivid memories of my mother working as a hairstylist right from our home. She built a small salon at the back of our house, and I can recall catching glimpses of her while I watched cartoons or played with my dolls and toys. These moments are etched into every corner of my childhood memories,” said Beyoncé.
“I saw her shampooing and trimming hair, transforming women, leaving them feeling really good. Looking back, it was more than just a hair appointment—it was therapy. I worked in her salon, sweeping the floors and helping out where I could. I used to eavesdrop and listen in on their conversations intently. It was a sacred space for these women. She was so good and so talented that eventually, her clientele outgrew her at-home salon. So that’s when she opened her first hair salon, Headliners.”
It was those early experiences that eventually led Beyoncé to make her own transformation in 2013 when she chopped off her signature locs of hair into a pixie cut.
“I remember the day I decided to just cut all my hair off. I didn’t have a particular style in mind. It wasn’t an aesthetic choice, but it was a very big emotional transformation and metamorphosis that I was going through,” said the singer.
“So much of my identity as a performer has been connected to flowing hair. Cutting my hair off was me rebelling against being this woman that society thinks I’m supposed to be. I was a new mother, and something about the liberation of becoming a mother made me want to just shed all of that. It was a physical representation of me shedding the expectations put upon me. I just wanted it off.”
Beyoncé continued, “Neal Farinah, my hairstylist and friend, was freaking out because it was really long, really thick and really healthy. I just got the scissors and chopped it off. It was very intentional. And it was what I needed to do. And after that, I became super brave. It was the first step to many more audacious decisions I made in my life and my career that have led to who I am now.”
Per Essence, Cécrid will launch as an eight-piece collection on Feb. 20, including shampoos, scalp scrubs, deep conditioners, masks, lotions, oils, and other treatments.
Beyoncé's new country-inspired album, currently known as Act II, will be released on March 29.
