DALLAS MORNING NEWS LOCAL/NEWS Top Stories It's all about hair at Miss Texas pageant By JESSICA SIDMAN / The Dallas Morning News jsidman@dallasnews.com Frisco salon owner Troy O'Neil of the Troy Richard Salon, styles contestants in Miss Texas pageant. FORT WORTH – Miss Frisco sits cross-legged in front of a hotel mirror with strawberry blonde hair extensions sprawled across her spray-tanned legs. Behind her, hairstylist Troy O'Neil clips them to the back of her head, then teases her hair into a big wavy mass. This week, 40 Miss Texas contestants and 38 Miss Teen Texas contestants competed in preliminary swimsuit, interview, evening gown and talent events. The pageant culminates tonight in a finale and crowning ceremony at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth. Behind the glitz and glam of the pageant lies a small army of trusted confidants and fashion gurus – the hairstylists. From coloring to curling to extensions, stylists often dedicate an entire week to primping and prepping. And no matter what anyone says, big hair is not dead. "We hate to admit it's still there, but it really kind of is," says Mr. O'Neil, who is styling six Miss Texas and Miss Teen Texas contestants. "It is more flattering," adds Miss Frisco, 20-year-old Brooks Dennard. "But it's not like we have '80s big hair. Oh my god, that was ridiculous." About half of the contestants have hairstylists working out... Confidants, coaches The relationships between hairstylists and pageant contestants are more than skin, or scalp, deep. Mr. O'Neil and his roommate, Ricardo Tomas, who sits on the Miss Plano Frisco Scholarship Organization's board, invite the regional winners to stay in their house to prepare for the Miss Texas pageant. Ms. Dennard lived there for a month. "It was almost like Camp Miss Texas," she says. Not only does Mr. O'Neil help her train and stay focused, they also watch the reality TV series So You Think You Can Dance together every week. And although Mr. O'Neil and Mr. Bounds can't be backstage tonight, they'll be in the audience cheering on their contestants. "I want to go with one of these girls to Miss America in Vegas," Mr. Bounds says, "so of course I'm rooting for my girls." "Heck, even if we don't win, let's go to Vegas together," Julia Anderson, Miss Grapevine, says while combing her brunette extensions. After all, at the end of the night, one thing tops Texas hair – a crown. READ THE FULL STORY AT THE DALLAS MORNING NEWS WEBSITE WWW.DALLASNEWS.COM
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