Full curls and big wings.
A trade mark of a rodeo queen as showcasing as her crown and brightly colored clothes.
Big hair and wings are a tradition that is as much rodeo queen as bronc riding is the sport of rodeo. What started as a trend to show off big beautiful earrings and framed smiles has become an industry standard.
These larger-than-life curls and wings that last all day and all night are an art that differs from hair-type to hair-type.
That said, as a former rodeo queen with the finest, straightest hair that refused to take or hold a curl or wing, there are some steps and some products that can make even the most unruly head of hair rodeo queen ready.
Step 1: Dirty Hair
Not the sweaty, grungy kind.
Rather, hair that has not been washed the day or night before and that has had time for the natural oils to set in.
Hair can be weighed down by products such as conditioner. By skipping the hair wash this product has time to diminish allowing the hair to take a curl and hold it much longer.
The perfect rodeo queen curls begin days in advance. This first step no matter how silly or unconventional is an important building block for not just curled hair, but curled hair that lasts.
Step 2: Hair Extensions
If you were blessed with thick hair or even just hair that holds a curl skip to step 3. If you're like me and were awarded neither of these traits, you might consider using hair extensions.
The basis of a full head of curls is having the hair to curl. If your hair is finer or just not very thick, adding hair extensions can provide the needed volume.
Step two, like step one, takes time and planning.
A good hair dresser can find you a set of clip in hair extensions and dye them to blend well with your natural hair. Make sure that if you do decide to get a set of hair extensions you get natural hair, it will curl much better than anything synthetic.
When you have your hair extensions and you're ready to use them for your rodeo queen curls, Clip the extensions in layers and be sure that there are no visible bumps or loose clips before you begin curling.
Step 3: Curl and Clip
Everyday, wavy-loose curls are not the same as big full rodeo queen curls, so naturally the process to achieve these curls is different too.
Curls should be made with a half inch to one inch diameter curling iron. Separate strands of hair into sections no bigger than the width of your index and middle fingers together.
If you have hair extensions try to get part of your natural hair combined with that of the extension so that the extension will hold the real hair in place better.
Always wrap the hair away from your face to get a uniform look and to draw the hair away from your face. This is another seemingly small detail that can make a big difference. Hair that is curled away from your face will have bigger, smoother, and more natural looking wings.
Hold the hair to the curling iron for a minimum of 20 seconds. If the hair still doesn't curl very well you may need to up that number.
After you release or unwrap the curl from the iron, pinch the entire length of the curl together like a wound spring and clip the wound curl to your head with an alligator clip or bobby pin to let it cool in that position.
Leave the clips in as you go throughout your hair.
Step 4: Spray and Unclip
After you have curled and clipped each layer of your hair you may begin unclipping the curls.
The curls should be unclipped in the order that they were curled and clipped in step 3 to ensure that the curls done later have time to set.
As you unclip spray each individual curl with a moderate mist of your preferred hairspray brand.
After all the curls have been unclipped, lightly mist all the curls while lightly teasing the curls with your hands.
Step 5: Lightly Backcomb
Backcombing is a time-old technique to build fuller hair and curls and while big is the name of the game for rodeo queen hair, there is a fine line.
Hair could be full and big, but not 80's style.
Lightly backcomb your curls with a pick from the bottom of the hair so as not to make the to of the hair frizzy. Comb to the point where the hair appears full, but not "poofy."
Step 6: Wings, Wings, Wings
At this point you will be ready to build those all-essential wings.
Begin by placing an old ball cap on your head (something you won't mind getting hair spray on) and use this as a guide to shape where your wings will begin underneath your cowboy hat.
Take the hair that sits directly below the hat and is closest to your face and begin pushing the hair up and out with your fingers. This should give you a good idea for the shape of your wing.
Once you have an idea of the shape, Lift up the hair at the base of your wing and begin back coming. Move your way up from the bottom to the hairs closest to your face. you should now have a big full wing that stays in place when your hand is moved (don't worry if it doesn't look smooth yet).
Continue back coming and filling in hair until you are satisfied with the shape and fulness. Then hit the wing with a moderate mist of hair spray.
After the wing is sprayed begin combing normally over the outermost hair of the wing to smooth it out and give the hair a clean appearance.
Do the same for both sides and be sure to build the hair so that it looks even on both sides.
Step 7: Freeze Dry
After curling, clipping, combing, and spraying in between, It's time to spray some more.
Rodeo queens spend a great deal of time outside in the wind and messing with animals and those curls need to not move an inch.
To make sure your hair and wings have staying power, you must freeze dry them.
I start with my wings so as not to disturb them to get to my other hair. I begin by spraying a generous amount of hair spray to one wing. Before it can dry, take a blow dryer on low heat and hold it one to two inches from the hair. hold this until you feel the hairspray wing stiffen.
Do this on both sides before moving to the back.
To do the back you might need some assistance. Apply a generous amount of hairspray to your curls and be sure to spray the bottoms and underneath. Then take your blow dryer on low heat and slowly serpentine it over your hair while fluffing it with your hand until the hairspray is dry.
Hair Fit for a Queen
Rodeo Queen hair is not just a fashion or trend, but a tradition.
It can be time consuming and difficult to perfect those flawless curls and the bad hair days are real.
Be sure to practice a time or two before completion so that you can gage the time it takes to do your hair and so that you can pick out areas that you might need to work on more.
The big hair can be intimidating, but once you find a system that works for you, nothing will make you feel more like a rodeo queen.
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