Exclusive: Why Rihanna cut her hair

Stephen has been tending to the ever-changing tresses of Rihanna for years. The stylist and the star are not afraid to experiment - Stephen took Rihanna peroxide blonde earlier this year and now she has now lopped off the singer’s hair. Of this haircut she told ELLE, 'we were ready [for a change]'.

ELLE spied the pictures of Rihanna en route to the MTV VMA Awards in Los Angeles yesterday and couldn’t wait to get the lowdown from Stephen. The hair was cut especially for her MTV VMA Awards appearance last night and Stephen told ELLE that the inspiration for the look was ‘ourselves! We were craving what we have done before. But wanted it to be a bit different’.

While Rihanna’s last short hairstyle back in 2008 was longer on top, this time Stephen describes it as a ‘pixie cut’ which is what you should ask your hairstylist for if you want to recreate the look.

If you naturally have afro-textured hair Stephen says ‘relax, wrap and flat iron your hair to create this look’. If you hair is naturally straight or just has a slight wave you will be able to go straight for the cut.

When it comes to products you will just need a heat protector, shine spray and a pomade to add a nice tousled texture to the hair. Stephen recommends Motions Light Working Spritz, £2.99 and Shine Enhancing Pomade, £2.99 (both at Pauls Hair & Beauty World).

If your hair is relaxed, at night wrap your hair and tie with a silk scarf to protect it and to keep the hair lying flat.

What’s great about short hair is that it’s surprisingly versatile – you can play with different textures and accessories. We loved the scarf Rihanna wore on stage at the MTV VMA Awards last night.

Keep up-to-date with Rihanna on Twitter @rihanna and Ursula Stephen @UrsulaStephen