Lupita Nyong'o reveals she shaved her hair off 'on a whim' as she covers InStyle

it was a bold move - especially for a working actress.

But Lupita Nyong'o has revealed that her decision to shave off her hair was taken 'on a whim'.

And the Star Wars: The Force Awakens actress admitted in the April issue of InStyle magazine that she wasn't sure she could pull it off at first. She explained: 'I wasn't sure if I could pull off [the bald look]. Because hair is the frame of the face, right? 'And we

spend so much time on it, trying to get it perfect. It often defines one's beauty and feminine value.

'Almost on a whim, I was like, 'What if I didn't have it?' And so I shaved it all off - I was a complete baldy!'

But it took Lupita a while to adjust to her new look.

'It was shocking at first, especially for my mom,' said the 33-year-old. 'But I learned to embrace my features. And I like myself a lot more now that I'm not constantly fussing over my hair.'

Lupita triumphed in the Best Performance by an Actress in a Supporting Role category at the 2014 Academy Awards for her role in 12 Years a Slave, but told the magazine she didn't realise it would have such a profound effect on her life.

She said: 'Right after the Oscars, I had no idea what I was going to do next. Zero clue. 

'There's part of me that thought my life would go back to normal. Like at school. But it didn't. I did not get out of that unscathed, you know?'