Beyoncé's hair colourist has revealed that the singer went for a short cut because she felt "empowered".

As previously reported, the superstar showed off a pixie-esque hair style on Instagram recently as she shed her long locks.

It provoked a mixed reaction from internet commentators, with some believing Beyoncé doesn't suit a shorter style.

Speaking to Us Weekly, the 'Grown Woman' star's hair colourist Rita Hazan said that the singer wanted to ditch her extensions to allow the real Beyoncé to come out. She said:

"I was shocked. I think she was just feeling empowered, like a strong woman, and she said she's been feeling it for a long time. She didn't want to hide behind her hair in real life. I'm so happy because the extensions give women the wrong expectation of what their hair should look like - it's great for onstage, but everyday women shouldn't have or want to have five pounds of hair on their head. This hair is more natural, more realistic."

Hazan added: "[Dyeing] it took some time to do - like four hours - because we wanted to keep her natural shade at the root so it would grow out well. We made it a champagne blonde - it's very old Hollywood, like a Marilyn Monroe blonde."