Let’s Go Girls: Inside Shania Twain’s ACM Awards Hair With Sami Knight

Last night, country (and pop!) icon Shania Twain hosted the 61st Academy of Country Music (ACM) Awards, the first time in her career, and she brought hair moments thanks to collaborator, celebrity hairstylist Sami Knight.

Knight created two dramatic looks using Calista hair tools and styling products — from hot rollers and blowout brushes to texturizing foam. He says, “For Shania, I really wanted to give her two uniquely iconic looks. Firstly, for the red carpet, we went full glam. Long, beautiful hair with a soft, feminine bang.”

He goes on, “for the show look, we went classic Shania.” This meant mega volume and waves for days.

Read on for the exact techniques and products he used for Twain’s ACM Awards hairstyles.

Get the Look: Look 1

1. “To achieve this look, I prepped the hair with Calista GLOSS Shine Recovery Serum, which provides instant smoothness and shine. This serum is so lightweight, it works beautifully on both wet and dry hair.
2. I rough-dried throughout, and then used the Calista FAUXblo Thermal Blowout Brush (1.5” size) to curl her ends under, enhance shine, and give a little extra va-va-voom.
3. I brushed through from root to tip with the Calista SMOOTHIE Brush, lightly spraying Calista STRATOSPHERE Finishing Spray into the brush for extra smoothness and hold. The water-free and lacquer-free formula ensures that the spray applies lightweight and touchable, providing amazing hold without stiffness or crunch. A perfect lineup for a shiny, touchable blowout.”

Get the Look: Look 2

1. “I prepped the hair with Calista EMBELLISH Texturizing Foam, which builds volume, texture, and a soft hold without any stickiness or crunch. Infused with fiber technology, it’s a great blow-dry prep step or easy product for air-drying hair.
2. Once dry, I used the long Calista Ion Hot Rollers on smaller sections, twisting the hair slightly as I wound them around the barrel. The individual heaters and extra length on these hot rollers ensure each section gets even heat to create perfect, spiral curls.
3. Once cooled, I removed the rollers and gave a generous spritz of Calista STRATOSPHERE Texturizing Spray for definition, volume, and a little tousled texture. I worked through the hair with my hands to lightly diffuse the curls into waves until everything looked perfect. Yeehaw!”

If you giddy-on-up to recreate either of these styles, we want to know about it. Tag @readthetease on Instagram and TikTok.