There exists no enchanting wizard, either in the present or the past, who can alter the stunning visage of Cynthia Erivo. She embraces her clean-shaven head with unwavering love. Reflecting on her journey of beauty evolution, the Wicked star shared her disinterest in growing out her hair. "This is what I want to look like," Cynthia, 38, declared to Harper's Bazaar in an interview published on October 28th. "I adore heels, nails, a strong jawline, a bald head, and a fabulous outfit. It's a genuine way to express various facets of myself."
Indeed, the Broadway actor isn't afraid to experiment with her hair. She has donned various styles over the years, including braids, a buzz cut, an understated bob, and short blonde curls. But Cynthia took a bold step further and shaved her head—and later, her brows—when she played Elphaba alongside Ariana Grande's Glinda in 2021. (Similar to her costar, Ariana underwent her own transformation and dyed her signature brown hair blonde.)
With Cynthia's dramatic look, she's developed a go-to moisturizing routine to keep the cut fresh. "Between each shave, maybe like three days, [I’ll use a] hot towel immediately," she explained to Refinery 29's Unbothered in February. "Keep the pores open with a little spray, like a tea tree one, to ensure everything is taken care of."
After hydrating her skin, the "Defying Gravity" singer locks in the moisture with Beyoncé's Cecred Hair Oil. "It just keeps everything good," she raved about the popular product. "It keeps the scalp really moisturized and healthy."
Though her bald cut has become synonymous with her role as the Wicked Witch, this look also represents her years-long self-love journey. In fact, the Color Purple alum revealed that she tried to shave her head early in her career, but it didn't go as planned. "I remember saying to myself, 'I'd like to walk into a room and have people just see my face,'" she told Self in March 2023. "[My hairdresser] would only cut some of it. So I left with a haircut that I didn't want. I allowed her fears or something she was projecting onto me to affect how I made my decision."
Cynthia eventually found another stylist who gave her the chop of her dreams, and that comforting interaction made her realize that "my beauty doesn't stem from how I do my hair." "Being powerful is finding the most authentic version of yourself every day and sticking with it," she continued. "Not allowing other people's perception of who you are or what you are to sway you. How you feel about yourself—that's powerful for me."
