The underwater shots in "Pray You Catch Me" are all about hair and light. Bey sheds her black hoodie to reveal soft, voluminous hair. "In that time, my hair I grew past my ankles," she says. Kim Kimble says this shot illustrates what they were going for throughout the shoot—highly textured hair. "It looked like a cloud underwater. Of course we didn't use a lot of product for those scenes."
For "Hold Up," Beyoncé's hair is a center-parted curtain of long, loose bronde curls that fall to her hips. It's a familiar Beyoncé look, reminiscent even of her Destiny's Child days, but the texture appears more natural. "We want to inspire women with natural hair to love it and take care of it and style it," Kimble explains. "I think it's great to see Beyoncé wear texture."
In "Don't Hurt Yourself," Beyoncé leans against a car, her hair styled in tight cornrows. The style went with the mood of the song. "Cornrows can be tough; baby hair softens it up a lot," Kim explains. "I like finished edges. Cornrows, braids, and we love baby hair."
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"Sorry" features three unique hairstyles and Lemonade's most talked-about lyrics: "Becky with the good hair." First up: these glorious Beyoncé braids. "Some of the most time-consuming styles are the braid hairstyles," Kimble says.
YouTube Look #2 from "Sorry" features loose, soft waves that end in two long braids that cascade over her shoulders. "My team is very careful. If we have three or four looks, we find easy ways to transition between styles. We didn't use a lot of heat. We did a lot of braids and when we braid, we make sure we don't pull too tight. When you're very cautious to begin with, there's no damage done," Kimble explains.
Look #3 from "Sorry" is a true homage to African culture. We see nods to the traditional styles of the Congo's Mangbetu women. "That was our Nefertiti crown, all done with braids," says Kimble. "I would say it took at least three to four hours."
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At the beginning of "Emptiness," Beyoncé's hair is long, full, blond, and textured. She is wearing an elaborate spiked headpiece, like a crown that partially covers her ears and face. The style is ferocious but contained.
"Six Inch" packs a few distinct hair looks–the statement hat over a side braid; long, loose sexy center-parted curls while Bey dances or swings that red light bulb overhead; and this lovely, braided, almost bridal updo; intentionally soft and romantic as juxtaposed with white lace lingerie and a bedroom on fire in the background.
The final exterior shot for "Six Inch" reveals Beyoncé in a floral Gucci suit, her braided updo now transformed into a center-parted blunt bob with soft edges as she stands serenely in front of a house that's burning down.
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Much of Lemonade's aesthetic positions the Victorian antebellum era through a modern, Afrocentric lens, and Beyoncé's look in the video for "Daddy Lessons" makes the statement through and through. "That's the most retro look we did; it's natural hair put into a Victorian hairstyle. It's easy to do when you have a lot of texture," says Kim.
Beyoncé has been reminding us all that she's from Texas throughout her career, and "Daddy Lessons" is a culmination of those reminders. In this video, she's singing a country song and then she's seen riding a horse while rocking some phenomenal, chunky, long braids that swing as she leans under tree branches.
"Reformation" begins with Beyoncé lying alone on a lush, green football field; her hair is soft, curly and blond with darker roots. "For a long time we've done glamorous hair and straight styles. Here I think it's really about showing that texture and natural hair is still fashionable, still glamorous."
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Midway through "Love Drought" we get this visually arresting moment–a close-up of Beyoncé's face rotated on screen 360 degrees. She is rocking hair that's parted into puffy segments, a style many African Americans might have rocked as children, but with a grown-up, glamorous, highly textured twist. Here, her hair looks straighter in this puffy style.
"Sandcastles" is a rare, raw ballad on this album, and for this hair look Beyoncé is all soft curls and headphones. Here her hair is darker than in other scenes, deepening into brown that looks truly natural, healthy, and lustrous.
When Beyoncé sings the riveting "Freedom" before an audience that includes the mothers of Mike Brown and Trayvon Martin, her hair is long, loose, and light. Kimble emphasizes the need for hydration when dealing with color-treated hair. "I'm a big fan of steam conditioning; I have several steamers in my salon. Or you can use a steam cap, as opposed to a hair steamer. Or you can do this at home–warm a towel, put a plastic cap on your head and wrap the towel on your head to trap the heat."
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