The Closest Look At Reba McEntire’s Natural Hair We’ve Seen In Years – Nicki Swift

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As a country star, Reba McEntire takes her ‘do seriously. Throughout her decades-long career, she has embraced different hairstyles to match the vibes of the era. But one thing could be counted on: her ‘do would be fiery red and bold. As such, we rarely see McEntire’s natural hair. One of those occasions happened on September 25, 2026, when she let her guard down to celebrate Dolly Parton Day following the country legend’s death the previous month. The crew on McEntire’s sitcom “Happy’s Place” cooked Parton’s favorite foods on the set, and while introducing the menu, McEntire wore casual clothes and her hair in its natural state.

McEntire had on a khaki button-down shirt and white top paired with a baseball cap. Underneath, she wore her signature red hair loose in natural curls that fell over her shoulders. It looked nothing like the perfectly silky ‘do she rocks onscreen, suggesting McEntire wears a wig on “Happy’s Place.” Some social media users loved to see it, feeling the representation of red, curly locks. “Side to Reba, my hair is EXACTLY like yours!!!” an Instagram user raved. 

Others echoed the sentiment. “As an aside, [it’s] crazy great to see [real] Reba. No make up and her real hair, and she looks amazing! Redheads [don’t] age!” a Facebook raved under the same video. Other netizens were surprised to learn that this is McEntire’s natural hair texture. “Love Reba I’ve never seen her hair look like that she must wear wigs too,” another Facebook user said. McEntire has rocked her hair in myriad ways, and she wouldn’t have it any other way.

Reba McEntire has been a proud redhead all her life (as seen below). And she has no problems with her curly texture, which she proudly embraced in the early days of her career (as seen above). But as the years went on, she discovered the convenience of wearing wigs here and there. “You go from the swimming pool to getting ready for dinner in 30 minutes when you’re wearing wigs! They’re great!” she told Dallas Voice in 2015. 

As for her huge-hair era in the ’80s? She loved it. She would actually rock the style again if she could, but it has seemingly become harder and harder to achieve. “I can’t get [my stylist] Brett Freedman to get it that high anymore!” McEntire explained to Dallas Voice. Her natural texture did make the ’80s hair trend of a perm pretty hard to deal with, and the “Consider Me Gone” singer eventually regretted the hairstyle. “I have natural curly hair. And so when my hair would be a little past my shoulders with a perm, it was just super tight because if you add a perm to natural curly hair, it looks angry. And it did,” she shared with Glamour in 2024.

Regrets or not, it remains one of her more iconic looks to this day, and she knows it. In her 2023 book “Not That Fancy,” McEntire gave readers her tips to get the look just right. “If you want to get one of my signature looks, pull out your comb and get to teasing,” she captioned an Instagram post to promote the book, with tips to recreate her ’80s and ’90s hairdos. Regardless of hairstyle, McEntire will undoubtedly remain one of the most iconic redheads in country music history.