‘Texas hair’ is back and bigger than ever thanks to Beyoncé

‘The higher the hair, the closer to God’

‘Texas hair’ is back and bigger than ever thanks to Beyoncé (Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.)

Beyoncé is bringing back big, voluminous “Texas hair.”

With high-volume ‘90s blowouts seeing a resurgence in 2023, it’s only fair that this year, the big hair trend gets kicked up a notch with a decidedly Southern twist. The “Texas hair” trend has been blowing up since Beyoncé donned the look during her appearance at the Super Bowl, promoting her upcoming country album and two singles titled “Texas Hold ’Em” and “16 Carriages.”

The “Alien Superstar” singer’s hairstylist, Neal Farinah, called it “Super Bowl Texan hair” in an Instagram post of the pop star rocking her big, bouncy hair. Western influences have been cropping up in beauty, with the “cowgirl copper” red hair look making waves last year.

The “Texas hair” look is inspired by common Southern aesthetics that follow the age-old adage, “The higher the hair, the closer to God.” Women in states like Louisiana, Tennessee, Georgia, and Alabama are known to rock big, bold hair no matter what’s trendy at the time. The look is antithetical to the sleek, minimal looks that have dominated the past decade, instead, it favours the glamourous, gravity-defying looks of the ‘70s and ‘80s. Hairstylists are taking audiences on a blast to the past back to the Studio 54 days, with va-va-voom hairdos dominating the dancefloor.

The full-bodied ‘70s hair had a moment when Miley Cyrus paid homage to her Nashville roots and famous godmother, Dolly Parton, at the 2024 Grammys. On the look, the “Flowers” singer’s longtime hairstylist Bob Recine told People, “I’ve been working with Miley for a long time and tonight we wanted to create different than last year, with a style that felt like it had a ‘70s, Barbarella feel while still having a modern, punk edge. By creating a big hair look, while still leaving some of the teasing visible, it allows the look to maintain a fresh, sexy feeling.

He added to Byrdie that he and Cyrus were also inspired by ‘70s sex symbol Raquel Welch’s big, teased hair. With her hairdo, they were also reportedly nodding to the late Tina Turner - who frequently rocked sky-high hair and Bob Mackie dresses back in the day.

The easiest way to achieve this look is with a set of hot rollers, or a set of Velcro rollers will also give your locks a boost. Southern Living recommends that people use medium and large-sized rollers in a set together after blow-drying, and keep their hair in the rollers until they cool completely. Finish with hairspray to keep everything in place. People with fine hair can achieve more volume by boosting their strands by adding volumising hair products at their roots and blow-drying their hair by using a round brush in an upward motion.