Hailee Steinfeld on Cutting Her Hair Into a Bob: 'Why Don't I Just Try Something New?' (Exclusive)

When Hailee Steinfeld posted a photo on her Instagram profile on June 22, her first since April 4, she sent fans into a frenzy.

The picture – in which she debuted a bob haircut – sent shockwaves through her followers.

The actress wrote, “Hi my love!!! it’s been a minute. life is so great. I’ll let you know all the BS details soon…”

And now some of those details have surfaced.

Hailee Steinfeld Launches New Moisturizers in Collaboration with Neutrogena: ‘Full Circle Moment’ (Exclusive)

In the weeks that followed, Steinfeld teased and launched a new labor of love, Beau Society, which is a newsletter she uses to connect with her audience on a deeper level. “I think of it as a direct line where we can unpack themes far greater than what I can muster in an Instagram caption,” she wrote in her first follow-up.

Fast forward to newsletter number three, and Steinfeld updated fans on her decision behind that big hair change, along with photos she and hairstylist Mara Roszak took during the transformation.

Hailee Steinfeld attends the Neutrogena launch event in New York City on August 14, 2024.

Noam Galai/Getty

Speaking with PEOPLE to celebrate her partnership with Neutrogena, Steinfeld said she can’t remember a time when her hair was this short.

“I was looking through old photos with my mom, and there’s a photo of me — I’m not kidding, I must be nine or 10 months old in this photo — and my mom cut off one of the ponytails [extensions] into my head. So, at 10 months, this little girl had long hair. I have never had such short hair,” she said.

So for years the only change in Steinfeld’s hairstyle was the bangs that were here and there.

“This started out great — it didn’t end great,” she said. “I really like bangs and it breaks my heart when I admit to myself that I don’t believe they are for me.”

Hailee Steinfeld has officially left her comfort zone

Steinfeld also dabbled in color changing, which she described as a “fun slippery slope.”

For years she debated, “What can I do with my hair without cutting bangs, without dying it?” but he wasn’t ready for the big cut.

Until now. Steinfeld said, “I finally got to the point where I said, ‘Okay, I’m ready to make some changes.’ I love my long hair, but now I carry it around like it’s a dead weight. And I wear it more than I wear it, and I keep trying to get it out of the way. Why don’t I just try something new?”

Hailee Steinfeld attends the Neutrogena launch event in New York City on August 14, 2024.

Noam Galai/Getty

She then called Roszak to work her magic. He says that in the beginning, Roszak made little progress, but in the end she cut her hair into a bun. But Steinfeld was willing to go even shorter. “Once you get the bug it’s game over.”

Steinfeld really liked the results because she “got shorter” from the first cut.

“Who knows what will happen from here,” she said.

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Steinfeld is eager to share more moments of her life with her fans on Beau Society, a project she’s been working on for several years.

Because fans can respond to her newsletters with feedback and burning questions, Steinfeld calls it “a direct line of communication; a two-way conversation.”

“It’s a fun, meaningful, safe space that we’re going to grow and connect and share together,” she said.

Noam Galai/Getty

Followers can expect more beauty content from the star, who is the shiny new face of Neutrogena’s Collagen Bank Moisturizers.

“Since working with Neutrogena, my knowledge of collagen has grown immensely,” she told PEOPLE.

“I learned that every year we lose 1% of our skin’s collagen starting in our twenties. I’m 27 years old — this is a product I need now more than ever.”

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Steinfeld uses Neutrogena Collagen Bank SPF 30 Sunscreen Moisturizer during the day and its bakuchoil version at night. He attributes his good skin habits to his mother.

“She was always so aware of what she was putting on her skin, and I was always aware of that and appreciated that,” says Steinfeld.

“I keep having these moments where I realize I’m not 12 anymore – I’m 27 – and I thank God that she taught me everything she knew, either directly or indirectly, because now I’m at a point in my life where it matters to me.”

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Source: HIS Education