Dolly Parton, Queen Of The Tease: A Decade-By-Decade Ranking Of Her Best Wigs

We may receive a commission on purchases made from links.

It's no secret that the late, great Dolly Parton loved a wig. "People always ask me how long it takes to do my hair. I don't know, I'm never there. That way I never have a bad hair day," she famously joked to Vogue in 2017, revealing she had upwards of 365 wigs in her extensive collection. Parton turned to wigs for a relatable reason though; to stop her natural hair developing the tell-tale signs of damage from extensive styling. But Parton's many wigs were about so much more than just protecting her natural locks. They were statement pieces that contributed to the superstar's enviable confidence and unwavering glamor, which will long be remembered. She'd later tell Entertainment Tonight of her beloved hairpieces, "[They're] all big and they're all sexy." And, seriously, she wasn't wrong.

Parton's gorgeous hair transformation involved so many dazzling hairpieces that she left us with one burning question; which decade contained her best wigs? To find out, we looked back over the country music superstar's extensive look book to pick a winner. We ranked her top hairpieces based on how each one looked (the more flamboyant, the better) as well as how well they fit her aesthetic and career choices at each stage of her incredible life.

In 2001, we saw Dolly Parton wear one of her sleekest and most understated (for her) wigs. At the Grammys, she wore a shiny, just past shoulder length 'do with eyelash skimming, graduated bangs. The "Jolene" hitmaker wore the wig in a half up, half down style with a gravity defying ponytail held in place by a rhinestone hair tie. Parton tapped into one of the year's biggest hair trends by putting her own spin on Y2K-style straight locks, yet, she still stayed true to her personal style. The ends of the wig were slightly curled for a flattering and 'done' finish, while the tapered ponytail ensured her mane had a hefty dose of height.

The superstar released her first bluegrass album, "The Grass Is Blue," that year, which was a nod to her roots, and her move towards a simpler hairstyle may have reflected the slight deviation in her sound. "I've always believed that a part of my magic – if there was any – was the fact that I look so artificial but I am so totally real," she explained to NPR in 2001. This more attainable, practical hair style reflected her down-to-earth side, but in a way that was totally her. After all, we were never going to see her with a quick, casual ponytail.

During a 2002 House of Blues performance, Dolly Parton wore another wig that, compared to some of her other hair pieces, was more understated. As seen in photos from the event, she performed in a rounded, shoulder-skimming blond lob with her signature volume and height. The heavily styled 'do marked a fun way for the flamboyant singer to rock a shorter 'cut, as each strand appeared to be styled individually. The wig, which likely took a while to style, demonstrated Parton's dedication to always being gussied up and never having a hair out of place.

But while this wig may not have been her most experimental, she made it very clear in 2001 that she wasn't done with outrageous hairstyles. "I enjoy [dressing up]. I still like doing it [...] when they say less is more, that's not my motto. Mine is more is more. And the more I can get, the more I want of life and of everything," she told NPR.

Dolly Parton's wigs in the '20s served a little more drama, as she channelled her rockstar. While on stage as part of the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony in 2022, which came the year before she dropped her "Rockstar" album, the Tennessee native wore a wavy, loose up-do. The light blond wig featured flattering and modern face framing sections and voluminous side part bangs for a pineapple ponytail-esque look that ensured all eyes were on her. It seemed intentionally unkept and refused to play by the rules thanks to its rebellious height and messy waves, which tapped into her rockstar aesthetic at the time. "Rock is not just a sound it's an attitude. Doing things your way, being a rebel," she wrote in "Behind The Seams: My Life In Rhinestones."

We loved the way Parton made it clear she wouldn't play by the rules with the hairpiece, as well as how it encapsulated her desire to keep experimenting with wigs as she neared her 80s. "I want to look cheap. That's my look. I want to look a little bit, you know, trashy," she told WWD in 2025. "I just like that kind of almost artificial look. I like the overdone. I like the bleached hair," she added. And she clearly wasn't ready to embrace her naturally graying hair like these celebs (and there's nothing wrong with that).

Dolly Parton was fully in her "Rockstar" era by 2023. At a release party for the album, her hair matched her sparkly, rocker aesthetic via its waist length strands in non-uniform waves with plenty of volume on top. Her layered side part had seemingly gotten a little thicker and her heavy layers added extra fullness to her teased 'do.

We loved this wig because it combined the aesthetic of her latest era with her signature look in a way that felt authentic and true to Parton. Though it was slightly lacking in the out-of-this-world drama we'd seen from some of her past wigs, it also made sense in her hair transformation. She told The Guardian that year, "My hairdos have always been so out there. At the time you think you look good, then you look back on it, like, what was I thinking?"

In the '80s, Dolly Parton had truly found her footing with big hair. While performing in Illinois in 1986, Parton wore what appeared to be a wig with an extra hairpiece at the back for a truly over-the-top look. It included a choppy, platinum blond style with bangs and longer, straight lengths at the back. On anyone else, this wig wouldn't have worked. On Parton though, it was exactly what we wanted to see and complimented her out there fashion choices.

Though this 'do probably wasn't the easiest to wear (it had to be seriously heavy), it's flamboyancy helped it rank amongst Parton's best. She was already a huge star in the '80s, but reaching for accessories that pushed her "more is more" mantra to the limit only increased her notoriety. Parton was very open about wearing wigs at the time too — despite hairpieces being somewhat of a taboo subject – and confirmed during a 1984 interview with Interview she had a wig for every day of the year.

1989 was the year Dolly Parton had the biggest hair, and the seriously dramatic curls she rocked while appearing on "The Tonight Show" that year proved it. Her theatrical, golden blond hairpiece featured wispy, long bangs at the front plus several feet of tight spirals at the back. The look was oh so '80s (perms were huge at the time!) and confirmed Parton was looking to trends, but she wasn't afraid to put her own extravagant spin on them. The 5-foot star's frame looked very petite under her mountain of hair, and the intense volume, length, and texture helped her outside match her wonderfully big personality.

This XXL wig confirmed Parton knew herself and her look and she wouldn't change it for anyone. "A lot of people get all turned off by the wig, the heels, the fingernails, the whole artificial bit," she explained to Roger Ebert in 1980. Not that she minded though, as she explained she'd styled herself after the rich women she saw around her hometown when she was younger.

Dolly Parton had another iconic wig era in the 2010s. In 2011, she appeared at the "Joyful Noise" movie premiere with a heavily teased, piece-y wig that combined her passion for outrageous pieces with a little more sophistication. The star celebrated her 65th birthday that year, and the while the full wig harked back to some of her others thanks to its height and multi-directional styling, it had a more natural (for her), sophisticated, and mature vibe. The height was big but not huge, the length was sensible, and the hue flattered her complexion, which is why it ranks highly amongst her best. It also marked one of her most realistic looking wigs, as it wasn't overly shiny or plastic-looking.

The "Coat of Many Colors" singer made it clear this decade that she had no plans to abandon her signature larger-than-life manes. "I won't wear the kind of hair that they say goes with that dress. Or I won't wear the kind of shoes that are supposed to go with that dress because I have to have my hair a certain way," she told The Hollywood Reporter in 2014. She jokingly added of why she was always made up with her hair done, "I'm afraid somebody will recognize me and say, 'Oh, did you see Dolly? She looked like hell.' I'd rather them say, 'Did you see Dolly? She's so overdone.'" And that's just one of Parton's most iconic quotes about beauty and fashion.

Another reason we loved Dolly Parton's '10s wigs so much? The decade marked a rare time she experimented with color. Though the superstar never deviated from blond, she wore a platinum wig at the 2016 CMA Awards that was noticeably cooler toned that many of her other hair pieces. The mid-length number still flattered her complexion but contributed to her cooler toned aesthetic, as she paired her light locks with a white lace dress with rhinestones.

This 'do had a little less volume than some of her other wigs and, unlike these celeb wigs that look insanely cheap, this was one of the most natural looking pieces in her collection. While it may not have been as out there as some of the other hairpieces, it was still anything but boring. This 'do was still packed with personality thanks to its light color, flattering, soft layers, and face-framing bangs.

Dolly Parton didn't do wigs by halves in the '90s. Around the start of the decade, the "9 To 5" star appeared at an event in New York City with a wig only she could pull off. The golden blond number had seemingly been styled with large rollers and had choppy bangs that were styled over her forehead for a textured, tousled look. The party continued via the rounded lengths, which were full of volume and sat several inches away from her face.

The reason we love this wig? Sure, it's obvious it's a hairpiece (it would be incredibly difficult to style and cut natural hair this way without damage), but it perfectly captured her outrageous style. It was also a masterclass in transitioning from one decade's trends into the next. The intense volume was totally '80s, yet Parton gave the look a modern twist by adding '90s-esque layers curled inwards under her chin.

Dolly Parton confirmed her '90s wigs were all about fun in a publicity snap for the 1992 movie "Straight Talk." Her extreme hair featured natural-looking shade dimension and was curled and shorter on the top but longer and shaped inwards at the bottom. We loved the innovation of this wig, as Parton combined shorter curls on the top and longer, curled in lengths. The mismatch shouldn't have worked. But, on this superstar who had the confidence to pull it off, it did.

"One of the things that makes the image work is that people understand that I look one way but am another, that there's a very real person underneath this artificial look," Parton explained to Vanity Fair in 1991. "It's not like I am a joke. People can laugh at me, but they don't make fun," she added. And this extravagant wig totally fit that concept.

Early in Dolly Parton's career, she wore some of her biggest, most outrageous wigs. In 1977, she wore a larger-than-life hairpiece with dramatic, bombshell curls, plenty of height at the roots, and healthy shine. Parton's '70s wigs helped cement her status as a true glamazon, and this glitzy number proved why. Though her '70s hairpieces were over the top, they helped her transition away from the almost cartoonish hair pieces she wore in the '60s. However, they certainly weren't understated, so there was little chance of Parton blending into the crowd.

During a 1978 ABC News interview with Barbara Walters, Parton got candid about her wigs and makeup. "It's certainly a choice. I don't like to be like everybody else," she said. "I've often made this statement that I would never stoop so low as to be fashionable. That's the easiest thing in the world to do. So, I just decided that I would do something that would at least get the attention."

Dolly Parton's '70s wigs helped set the scene for her southern girl persona. Also in 1977, she wore a perfectly coiffed, just past shoulder length blond wig with a floral headscarf that was totally country star chic. Not only did the big barrel curls help Parton assimilate into the country music world, they also abided by '70s hair trends as curls were a hot hairstyle multiple stars of the time rocked. Abiding by trends was a great way for Parton to get noticed, which is why her '70s wigs are among some of her best. This voluminous hair look set the scene for decades of glamor ahead.

Parton admitted her relationship with her husband Carl Dean somewhat influenced her hair looks. The two tied the knot in 1966, and Parton told ET that he liked her hair a little looser. "There's a certain look that looks important," she explained. And Parton and Dean's marriage was certainly one in a million.

Dolly Parton's best era for wigs? The '60s. The decade brought us Parton's most showstopping hair looks, including the impossibly high, sideswept beehive she sported during a 1965 photoshoot. The hitmaker shared the black-and-white photo, which seemingly showed Parton pre-plastic surgery, on Facebook. "Big hair, don't care!" she wrote, and that sums up Parton's mantra. The wig was totally outrageous and hard to pull off, but that's exactly what made it perfect for this then young, up-and-coming star who was looking to make a statement and a name for herself.

Parton initially made a name for herself on "The Porter Wagoner Show" in the '60s and revealed in the documentary "Dolly Parton: Platinum Blonde" she made $60,000 a year. "That was more money than I'd ever seen or heard tale of," she said (via Whiskey Riff), and that made for an impressive wig budget that helped Parton carve out her signature style. In "Behind the Seams," she shared she knew exactly what she wanted to look like when she hit the scene. "Country stars had to have big hair and some sparkles, and you had to have a Cadillac. I had the big hair but not yet the Cadillac — or enough sparkles," she joked.

Dolly Parton's 1965 wig wasn't the only one that left our jaws on the floor. Around 1968, she again proved why the '60s were her ultimate wig era when she was snapped via an impossibly tall, shoulder length hair that took glamor to new heights. Literally. The huge, rounded wig featured big, loose curls and plenty of shine, but the era landed in our top spot because of what her wigs of the time represented. Speaking on "What Would Dolly Do? Radio," the late superstar recalled being encouraged to lean into a more natural look by the head of a record company around the time. Not only did she refuse to stop being herself, she was herself even more. "I just got worse with it," she quipped.

Another reason these wigs are so iconic? Because they represented Parton's early success. Parton grew up poor, but recalled in "Dolly Parton, Songteller: My Life in Lyrics" that wigs were one of her big splurges as soon as she started earning. "For one thing, they were so handy. Plus, my hair would never do exactly what I wanted it to do. So the wigs became kind of my trademark," she explained. Parton has also admitted she believes she was the trendsetter for super high hair, and its looks like this that likely inspired slews of women who came after her. "I always wore my hair all teased up. Whenever that style started, I was the first to get my hair all poofy," she said.

To determine Dolly Parton's best wigs, we combed through the Getty photo archive to find looks that made a statement and embodied her larger-than-life personality and over the top aesthetic. We chose two of her most memorable wigs from each decade, and ranked them in ascending order.