Beyoncé Reveals the Family Story Behind Jay-Z’s Hair Makeover

Beyoncé says Jay-Z’s recent hair transformation began years ago, after their daughter Blue Ivy Carter, now 14, felt insecure about her own hair when she was about 5. In a new video for her hair-care brand Cécred, Beyoncé said Blue told her father how she felt, and that conversation inspired him to grow the famous locks he wore for more than eight years.

Beyoncé said Blue did not realize her hair texture was similar to Jay-Z’s. “I always thought it was beautiful that the real reason Jay grew his hair out was to show Blue that her hair is just like his,” she said, adding that they wanted Blue to “love and accept every inch of her gorgeous curls.” The video included old family clips and references to her songs “Formation” and “Brown Skin Girl,” both of which feature Blue.

Jay-Z recently decided to change his look again, this time at a performance in Philadelphia with The Roots, which Beyoncé said he planned “a few months” earlier to honor his late father, Adnis Reeves. She said his father, whose favorite team was from Philadelphia, always wore an afro, so Jay-Z wanted to do the same in his memory. Beyoncé admitted, “I did not really want him to cut them,” but described the process as an “emotional hair transformation.”

Over five days, Beyoncé and Blue Ivy worked with a trusted hair team to carefully unravel the locks, spending up to one or two hours on each individual loc. She said patience and love were the key ingredients, along with several Cécred products. The result was an afro that Jay-Z unveiled on stage in Philadelphia, which Beyoncé called beautiful from start to finish. She thanked him for trusting Cécred and said, “He will always be the blueprint.” The timing also follows months of public teasing from Nicki Minaj, who has claimed Jay-Z hides his real hair under wigs and extensions.