LOS ANGELES, Jan. 19 – Bearded hippie cult leader Charles Manson, charged with instigating the murders of actress Sharon Tate and six others, is now clean-shaven hippie cult leader Charles Manson.

Manson shaved his beard after asking for a safety razor in the jail at the Hall of Justice in Los Angeles Sunday morning, according to jail deputies.

He was quoted as saying he always had been clean-shaven in the past, except in Independence, where he was held on stolen-car charges prior to his transfer to Los Angeles to face trial in the Tate case. He said there were no shaving facilities in the Independence jail.

His hair remains shoulder-length, deputies said. If he wants a haircut, it probably will be done by one of the several part-time barbers among the 2,700 prisoners in the jail.

Manson shaved with the safety blade under close supervision of deputies.

The judge will get his first look at clean-shaven Manson Jan. 28, when he is due to enter a plea if the court schedule is followed — and if Manson keeps on shaving.