Solange's *Saturday Night Live* Hair Took 50 Hours

It's a universal truth that Solange Knowles is cooler than any of us will ever be. And that's why we weren't all that surprised this past weekend when Solange's Saturday Night Live hair was truly the stuff of legend. She's a crazy-talented singer and songwriter, an outspoken social activist and she can pull off hair, makeup and fashion ensembles that us mere mortals simply cannot. Remember that jumpsuit she wore to the Met Gala last year? Oh, to look that slamming rocking Big-Bird yellow.

During her appearance on Saturday Night Live last weekend, Solange Knowles was once again at the top of her style game, debuting an elaborate, halo-esque hairstyle while performing tracks from her new album A Seat at the Table. According to Knowles' Chicago-based hair artist, Shani Crowe, Knowles' intricate braid crown took nearly 50 hours to create, incorporating more than 100 feet of braided hair and 2000 Swarovski crystals to complete the final look:

Crowe, who has been braiding hair since she was eleven-years-old, told the Fader that, unsurprisingly, Solange's Saturday Night Live hair was the singer's own brainchild. "[Solange] expressed that she wanted to add Swarovski beads for a highly reflective look, and sent some images of bedazzled clothing she was inspired by," she said. "I worked within those parameters and started to create the piece."

A few other awesome hair stories you might like:

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2. Hailey Baldwin Just Dyed Her Hair the Prettiest Rose-Gold Color
3. The Tiger Eye Hair Trend Takes Over Instagram

The braids were also a nod to Knowles' heritage, as Crowe recently explained to Fusion: "Because [braids] are coming out in pop culture and being exploited as a trend in the fashion scene, I think it’s important for me to honor them, before there’s a time when people don’t even remember them as a traditional black art," she said. Crowe is likely talking about the multicolored and controversial locs Marc Jacobs sent down his spring runways, and the "boxer braids" some celebrities have worn and others have scorned.

We're going to go ahead and say this is one look you can't try at home. Instead, may we suggest marveling at the incredible amount of handiwork and talent behind the halo. After all, that's what Beyoncé did :

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Now watch adorable model Lula get the cutest Afro pixie haircut we ever did see.

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