Mom Has French Twist Hairdo For 37 Years But Makeover Makes Her Look Decades Younger

For the past 37 years, Joan Irvine has dedicated herself to her exquisite French twist. Joan’s daughters, Christine and Cindy, told the Oprah Winfrey Show that their mother’s twist is part and parcel of her very being. As children, Christine and Cindy recalled how Joan once canceled a family trip for fear of setting off the airport’s metal detector with her hairpins.

Growing up near Lake Adirondack, the two now-grown children reminisced how uncommon it was for their mother to join them in the water as it would mean taking apart her twist. The two women begged Oprah to give their mother a new hairdo. Christine and Cindy felt that the French twist belongs in the 1950s and makes the 63-year-old Joan look much older than her actual age. They also asked Oprah to update Joan’s wardrobe, which mainly consists of denim and khaki clothes.

While Joan was more than willing to accept Oprah’s help, she also wanted to share her weekly haircare routine with the megastar’s audience. Joan told producers with the talk show that each Wednesday, she gets up at around 5:30 in the morning to begin the arduous process. Pulling out the hairpins from the week before, Joan shampoos her hair before putting a vast array of rollers in it. Next, Joan sits under a hairdryer for as long as an hour. To finish, Joan sculpts her hair into her magnificent French twist with tons of hairspray and countless hairpins. The process takes Joan about four hours.

To makeover Joan, Oprah turned to three of the country’s top stylists and makeup artists, including Ken Pavés, Rita Hazan, and Cathy Highland. When the three discussed her style, Joan said that while Christine and Cindy might think her twist makes her look old, she doesn’t feel a day over 50. With the help of the three fashion gurus, Joan adopted a younger, more modern look.

When it came time for the big reveal, Joan confidently strutted onto Oprah’s stage to the applause of the audience. Barely recognizing their mother, Christine and Cindy brought Joan into a big embrace as Oprah looked stunned at the amazing transformation. In the closing moments of the segment, style guru Victoria Principal declared that Joan resembled Christine and Cindy’s sister rather than their mother.

What do you think of Joan’s incredible makeover on Oprah? Did you or a friend of yours ever have an extreme makeover? Pass this along to see your friends’ reactions!