Beyoncé’s Hairstylist Just Broke Down Every Product and Detail Behind Her Southern Belle Blowout
The Cowboy Carter tour isn’t any old string of Beyoncé concerts: It’s a celebration of the legendary singer’s Southern roots, a lurid display of fashion and beauty, and most importantly, a musical homecoming for the Houston native.
Despite the ever-changing wardrobe of fringe-decorated Western garb that accompanies the songstress to every city, there’s one facet of Beyoncé’s ethereal looks that tie everything together. It’s the physical manifestation of her proud heritage, the asset she plays up the most during this tour, and the source of inspiration behind her own beauty brand, Cécred. You guessed it, this invisible string is her hair—and it’s no shocker that her Texas-size, honey-blonde curls are full of tour secrets.
To get the low-down on the Grammy Album of the Year award-winner’s hair, I gabbed with Beyoncé’s hairstylist and Cécred’s lead global stylist, Neal Farinah. Ahead, the secret message behind those big, bouncy waves, how they concocted the perfect Cowboy Carter blonde, and the very products Farinah uses to make the performer’s strands concert-ready every night. This and more about our favorite “cowboy” ahead.
The Beyoncé Blowout Breakdown
Whether it’s the built-in fans constantly blowing back her lengthy tresses or the hairography baked into every performance, any member of the Beyhive is familiar with the significance (and star quality) of Beyoncé’s blonde mane. “I’m always so inspired by big, Texas hair. We definitely wanted to reference that classic big body, voluminous look,” Farinah tells Who What Wear. “It’s a nod to Southern glam, but modernized with a lot of movement, body and bounce. You know that hair has its own choreography at this point!”
Her onstage styles are designed to stay “Flawless” despite the show’s intricate hairography, but concertgoers will notice a string of visual interludes showcasing the performer’s strands in everything from spaghetti Western micro braids to vintage-inspired (and aptly named) beehive barnets, her hair teased tall as she lights a cigar with the Statue of Liberty (IYKYK). According to the hairstylist, these styles are reimaginations of classic country Western culture in very Beyoncé iterations—meaning more glam, more creativity, and more edge.
Farinah primarily took inspiration from “bouncy Southern belle curls”—think her “Ya Ya” featured artist, Dolly Parton—when crafting the hair direction for this tour, but it was important to “make it feel classic Beyoncé” at its core. “You’ll see a lot of different hair looks throughout the show’s visuals, which tap on so many iconic Southern styles–everything from braids to bouffants. But on stage, it’s all about the bouncy blowout,” he adds. “Like I said, we need that movement, baby!”
But curls and blowouts were only half the battle. While the “16 Carriages” songstress has been known to switch up her shade from her natural deep brunette to varying shades of bronde and platinum (hey, Cowboy Carter album cover!), it was important to devise a new shade that would take her through her months-long tour and symbolize this new, genre-defying era.
