Did Reba McEntire Wear A Wig To The 2024 ACM Awards? Our Hairstylist Has Theories
With Reba McEntire hosting and performing at the 2024 Academy of Country Music Awards, there was no doubt that the show was going to be a success. And while the country icon looked absolutely breathtaking — unsurprisingly since McEntire's been a style icon since the '70s — one little detail about her hair caught our eyes.
McEntire hit the red carpet in a stunning updo with slightly side-swept bangs and face-framing tendrils. Once she debuted her second look of the night, the star rocked her hair down in tousled waves. Getting a quick hairstyle adjustment backstage at an event like this certainly isn't impossible, but later in the night, McEntire showed up on stage with a stunning updo again — one that was incredibly similar to the one she rocked on the red carpet hours earlier. In fact, the positioning of her bangs and tendrils made us wonder whether the star was wearing a wig for the big night. After all, McEntire is no stranger to wigs. In 1996, she released her 21st album, "What If It's You," but she'd undergone a major hair change beforehand — one she didn't want to reveal until the timing was right. "I had actually cut my hair off in June, but the album didn't release until November, so I had to wear a wig until we were ready to reveal the new look," she admitted in "Not That Fancy," her 2023 memoir.
Knowing this makes us wonder even more if McEntire wore a wig at the 2024 ACM Awards, so we reached out to Luna Viola, a fashion/editorial hair and makeup artist. Here's what she had to say about the country star's hair.
Lack of movement and incredible similarity could indicate Reba McEntire rocked a wig
Hairstylist Luna Viola admits that there's a decent chance the updo hairstyle is a wig. "I think it's definitely possible that Reba was wearing a wig. The easiest way to spot one is the deep side part and extra volume on the top with no visible scalp underneath," Viola exclusively tells Gliz. "Sometimes the texture of the wig can appear too uniform and can make the wig look too perfect or slightly unnatural." But there's no denying that even if it is a wig, it's a great one, as we wouldn't have even considered it not being Reba McEntire's hair had she not switched back to the exact same updo later in the show.
Viola also explains that a wig isn't the only option for a voluminous and perfect updo like the one McEntire rocked throughout the night. "It is also possible that Reba was wearing a multitude of clip-in extensions that matched her hair color perfectly," she adds. "Those kind of extensions are clipped mainly to the sides, the natural hair is teased, then styled with curling irons to add shape and body."
And as far as the lack of movement goes, Viola clarifies that it's possible to achieve a hairstyle that will stay in place no matter what by using "a strong hold hairspray and finishing products." And we have to give it to her — some hairsprays out there actually give the hold they promise.
How difficult is it to maintain iconic hair like Reba's?
If Reba McEntire was rocking a wig at the ACM Awards, there's no denying that her hairstylists have ensured it receives the proper care that it needs in order to look realistic. "Wigs made of human hair are washed regularly with sulfate-free shampoo, deep conditioned, then combed and detangled before storing to maintain shine and maximize their lifespan," Luna Viola tells us exclusively, adding that this also applies to clip-in extensions. Apart from using the right products, McEntire's hairstylists also had to ensure that the star's hair matches the color of the clip-ins perfectly, as this prevents them from being obvious and creates "a seamless match that is as natural as possible."
Ultimately, while we couldn't help but be intrigued by McEntire's suspiciously similar updos at the event, there's no denying that the country legend looked absolutely stunning at the event, wig or no wig.