Kelsea Ballerini Shares Her Secret to Healthy Hair and the Country Singer She Has on Speed Dial for Beauty Advice (Exclusive)

NEED TO KNOW

• Kelsea Ballerini is opening up about her haircare routine after embarking on her journey with Pantene

• The country singer, who recently starred in the “Fixins for Country Fried Hair” campaign, says she’s been getting her “hair health up to speed” using the brand’s Miracle Rescue Collection during and after tour

• She chats with PEOPLE about all things hair — including her tour wig — building a friendship with Carly Pearce and her country style icons

Kelsea Ballerini is entering a restful season of her life.

Not too long ago, the country superstar and Grammy-winner, 31, wrapped up a months-long stint on the road for Kelsea Ballerini Live on Tour. Now, in between the months she has to herself before she jets off to Australia in December for another set of headlining arena shows, she’s so ready to embrace a slower routine.

“This is the biggest break I’ve had in a while, and it’s interesting, it kind of takes a minute to settle into,” she tells PEOPLE during an interview in New York City on July 15. She plans on reflecting on the whirlwind journey she’s been on the past year (she also made her debut on The Voice in February) by doing the things she loves, and that includes nurturing her hair.

“I’m trying to just really focus on keeping my hair health up to speed,” says the “Cowboys Cry Too” singer and Pantene ambassador, who, with the help of the brand, has been learning to lean into a solid routine.

Earlier this month, Pantene and Ballerini launched the “Fixins for Country Fried Hair” campaign for the regenerative Miracle Rescue Collection, which Ballerini genuinely uses to keep her signature blonde locks thriving. She started incorporating the powerhouse lineup last December, right before touring, which she calls her “personal Super Bowl.”

“I knew that we were gearing up to really go through it with hair. Then, we went straight from tour to finishing The Voice. So I was like, ‘Okay, how do we game plan this where I can still keep my hair intact and healthy?'” Her godsends: Pantene’s Miracle Rescue Regenerative Hair Oil — a super reparative product rich with vitamins and antioxidants — and a wig for her concerts (more on that below).

“Every night we would put in the oil and we’d braid my hair back. Pop the wig on, do the show, pop the wig off, brush through the oil, sleep in it, and then wash it the next day,” she says, adding that she relied on Pantene’s Miracle Rescue 3-in-1 Rinse-Off Conditioner too. “That was my routine through that three-month period and it really helped me protect my hair.”

Ahead, read more on Ballerini’s beauty routine, including her hair philosophy, glamming on tour, the fellow country singer she calls for tips and, yes, what went behind her “Hannah Montana” transformation pre-concert.

PEOPLE: Are there any trends that you’re leaning towards this summer?

KELSEA BALLERINI: I just started watching Love Island USA. I know it just ended, but I just started and I’m going to get on that faux freckle train tomorrow.

PEOPLE: Do you hit up any of your fellow country singer gal pals for any beauty advice? Who’s the first person you call if you have a stage malfunction or you need to come up with a look?

BALLERINI: That’s funny. Carly Pearce and I probably talk the most often, and we run the full spectrum. We’ll talk about life, we’ll talk about love, we’ll talk about what’s happening on tour. And, honestly, when girls get together, especially touring musicians, and talk, it’s like, “How do we sleep better? How do we look like we’ve slept better? How do we not put our body and our mind and our skin and our hair through the wringer even though we kind have to? What are we doing to not look as haggard as we feel?” That’s pretty much the baseline of our beauty conversations.

PEOPLE: Let’s talk about the wig. You shook the internet with that reveal. 

BALLERINI: I felt like Hannah Montana. For sure.

PEOPLE: Did you ever have a moment when you thought you were going to blow your cover?

BALLERINI: No, I don’t think so, but also, it wasn’t a secret to me. I’ve always been really open about wearing a wig for tour to protect my hair. It’s also really fun to just flip it and not worry too much about it. But, I think my hair and makeup artist on tour Brittany Leslie probably had more panic attacks than I did about what would happen if it fell off.

https://people-app.onelink.me/HNIa/kz7l4cuf

PEOPLE: When you’re getting your hair done, what’s your favorite thing to do to pass the time?

BALLERINI: The thing about me is I love glam time before a red carpet or before a show. That to me is the calm before the storm. So, we always allot more time than we need to listen to music or the Crime Junkie podcast, we’ll put on whatever, and light the candles. Glam is also built-in girl time, which we love.

PEOPLE: You’ve been open about getting inspiration from a few of your country idols. Have you traded any beauty tips with them?

BALLERINI: One of the things that country music is known for historically is the [saying], “The higher the hair, the closer to God.” When I think of that, I think of Dolly Parton. We’re both from east Tennessee so growing up, she was and still is, to me, the North Star of women in country music. That woman is just, she’s an icon in every way. I certainly think that she was one of the first women in country music to really allow her aesthetic to be a part of her brand and she’s so beautiful. Her heart is just so golden. Also, there’s Shania Twain with her big curly hair and wigs. So, it’s really fun to grow up with women that express themselves through their hair, through their fashion, through all of it.

PEOPLE: Do you have any fun summer plans now that tour is wrapped?

BALLERINI: I try to take a girls’ trip every year, but we were panicking this year because everyone has different schedules and different jobs. On a whim, five days out, we decided to meet up with our friend in Paris for four days. And it was just, I mean, I felt like we were in Emily in Paris. It was just the best time. That, for me, has been the highlight of the summer so far.

Read the original article on People