5 surprising celebrity hair transformations that were totally spur-of-the-moment decisions

by Katie Steckly May 14, 2015

A photo posted by Beyoncé (@beyonce) on May 4, 2015 at 6:41pm PDT

We all know that our fave celebs like to keep things fresh. And while we wish we could enjoy the luxury of that kind of spontaneity, unfortunately a fresh dye job every other week is too costly and time-consuming to consider. So to avoid experimenting on our own locks, we revel in the glory that is Rihanna‘s ability to rock every colour of the rainbow, and Beyoncé‘s power to remain totally flawless no matter the style she’s sporting.

Despite how put-together these celebs are on the red carpet, sometimes the behind-the-scenes story reveals a more chaotic scene. Take for example Beyoncé’s now-iconic high pony from this year’s Met Gala, that was apparently styled during the elevator ride down to the red carpet (causing Queen Bey’s noted 2-hour tardiness). Bey’s longtime stylist revealed that the singer’s locks were originally wrapped up in “an asian-inspired chignon,” but after consideration, she felt that it might be too costume-y, inspiring the spur-of-the-moment decision. “Then we were in the elevator on the way down, and she looks at me and says ‘I want to change my hair, will you change my hair?'” the stylist explained. Despite warning from her stylist about the possibility of paparazzi intrusion during the quick change, Beyoncé had a vision she wanted to see through.

Shortly before the 2012 MTV Video Music Awards, Rihanna made a last-minute decision to chop off her hair, revealing the pixie cut that we all know and love. According to her stylist, Ursula Stephan, “[We’d] been talking about going short for a while now, and it was actually planned for [the following] week, but I just felt like, why wait?” Rih is no stranger to making a statement, and chopping off her locks last second is just another reason we love her.

Kristen Stewart also made the decision to lose her length before hitting the red carpet for the Chanel Fall 2014 show. The starlet’s stylist, Ken O’Rourke revealed in an Instagram snap that the look really was a “wash and go,” and that on Stewart’s request, he whipped out his scissors in the hotel bathroom and gave her an updated look. Plus, the only products he used to create the look were a bit of hair wax and dry shampoo!

More recently, Kim Kardashian surprised us all with an update that we really didn’t see coming. She decided to go platinum blonde just before appearing front row at the Givenchy show in March. Kim revealed her inspiration for the new ‘do, saying “I’ve always had this image of Madonna with platinum hair in my references folder on my computer [and] I thought what better time than right now for Paris Fashion Week.” She added, “It was a really last-minute decision.”

Unfortunately its not always last-minute bursts of creativity that cause celebs to change up their look, but sometimes too much damage can be the deciding factor. Jennifer Aniston revealed that a botched Brazilian blow-dry is the reason she had to lose six inches of her luscious locks. “My hair did not react really well to it,” she said about the fact that she had to go for the chop in order to get it healthy again.

See the surprising celebrity hair transformations that turned out to be last-minute decisions below.