Niall Horan's hair is naturally black in colour

Niall Horan has shocked One Direction fans with a rather startling new hairstyle - a purple rinse.

The singer, 18, showed off his new look in a photo uploaded to Twitter by hairdressing salon Bleach London.

'Just doing some funki highlights for @NiallOfficial,' Tweeted staff at the salon.

Luckily for fans of Niall's signature blond 'do, his violet style isn't a permanent one - hair often turns that colour when bleach is put on it.

But the Irish star - who's back in the studio with his bandmates today - has been considering changing his barnet for a while.

'My natural hair colour is nearly black,' Niall told Channel 955 last month.

'So I'm thinking about heading towards that kind of thing, because I've been doing this for a while.'

SEE PICTURES Niall Horan and One Direction sign copies of album Up All Night in New York>>

SEE PICTURES Niall Horan with One Direction and red carpet guests at the Brits 2012>>

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Anna Duff

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