Cruise Control par Raquel Welch
Cruise Control par Raquel Welch
The morning you put on Cruise Control by Raquel Welch is the morning your getting-ready routine changes permanently for the better. A naturally effortless, lower-density pageboy bob from the Raquel Welch Signature Collection, Cruise Control is what Raquel Welch calls a "joy ride" — a style so classic and so well-constructed that it simply works, every time, without asking anything complicated from the wearer. The subtle layering at the bottom bevels the sculpted shape under beautifully on its own. The hand-tied monofilament top and extended lace front create a natural-looking parting and hairline simultaneously. The Tru2Life® heat-friendly fiber is pre-styled and ready to wear while also supporting heat tools for variation when you want it. No permatease. Lower density. Clean, polished pageboy silhouette that looks pulled together without looking fussy. At 4.66 oz with hand-tied construction throughout the crown, front, sides, and back, Cruise Control is described by reviewers who find it as their daily wear wig they reach for first — and the one they immediately order in a second color.
Part of Raquel Welch's Signature Collection, Cruise Control occupies a specific and distinctive position: it is the mid-length pageboy bob with hand-tied construction throughout, no permatease, and the beveled underlayer silhouette that creates the style's characteristic clean finish without any styling effort. In this complete guide we cover everything: what the beveled underlayer silhouette is and what it creates, the construction details including the honest density note, what Tru2Life® delivers in a straight pageboy specifically, the measurements in the context of this series, the color range, and who Cruise Control was made for.
What Is Cruise Control by Raquel Welch?
Cruise Control by Raquel Welch is a medium-length pageboy bob from the Signature Collection — described in Raquel Welch's own language with characteristic efficiency: "Accelerate your morning routine with this naturally effortless, lower-density bob. So classic. So very lightweight. Subtle layering at the bottom does all the work, allowing this elegant, sculpted shape to bevel under beautifully." Every phrase is specific and load-bearing. Lower-density: the style is intentionally not maximally full, creating the natural, polished quality of well-maintained real hair rather than the theatrical volume of a densely constructed wig. Subtle layering at the bottom: the layers are specifically at the ends, not throughout — creating the beveled-under silhouette at the bottom of the bob without disrupting the clean, smooth character of the rest of the style. Bevel under beautifully: the specific end result that the bottom layering creates — the ends curve under naturally, giving the bob its characteristic sculpted, polished finish without any styling intervention.
Reviewers describe Cruise Control as "the one I grab for every day casual wear" — a style that looks "pulled together without looking fussy." One reviewer describes it as the first wig that made them feel comfortable wearing a wig out in public. Another describes immediately ordering a second color. The "joy ride" metaphor in the style's name is earned: once you find Cruise Control, you stay on it.
The Beveled-Under Pageboy Bob: What Makes Cruise Control's Silhouette Distinctive
What "Bevel Under" Means for a Bob
The "bevel under" silhouette is a specific and important cutting technique that distinguishes Cruise Control from other mid-length bobs in this Raquel Welch series. A standard bob hangs with its ends falling straight or with natural outward flick depending on the fiber's pre-set. A beveled-under bob has the bottom layers cut and set to curl under toward the neck — creating a clean, rounded, inward-curving finish at the bottom of the style that frames the neck and jawline with the smooth, polished quality of a professionally executed blow-dry finish.
The beveled-under effect is created by the "subtle layering at the bottom" that Raquel Welch specifically highlights. These bottom layers are not meant to create volume or dimension throughout the style — they are specifically placed to direct the ends under, creating the characteristic curve-under finish that gives Cruise Control its sculpted, classic character. Without this bottom layering, the style would be a straight-hanging bob. With it, the style has the specific polished refinement of a well-cut pageboy — the kind that looks like the result of a precision salon blowout rather than a ready-to-wear wig straight from the box.
Why "No Permatease" Matters
One of Cruise Control's most enthusiastically noted qualities — confirmed by a reviewer at Wigs.com — is the complete absence of permatease at the crown: "Cruise Control thankfully has none [permatease]." This distinction is meaningful in the context of the Raquel Welch Signature Collection, where many styles use permatease crown construction to create volume and lift.
Permatease creates pre-built lift at the crown that adds volume and prevents the crown from looking flat. In some styles this is desirable. In Cruise Control's lower-density, clean pageboy silhouette, permatease would work against the style's fundamental character — a style designed to look naturally flat-crown smooth rather than volumized would be undermined by the very feature intended to add fullness. The no-permatease construction is what allows Cruise Control's crown to sit naturally close to the head, creating the sleek, polished, understated elegance of the pageboy silhouette rather than the more dramatic lifted-crown quality of styles designed for visible volume.
The Lower-Density Character
Raquel Welch specifically describes Cruise Control as "lower density" — and this is a meaningful design choice worth understanding clearly. Lower density means the amount of hair in the cap is intentionally reduced relative to what might be considered maximum fullness. The effect is a style that reads as natural and refined rather than dramatically voluminous.
One honest note from confirmed reviewers: some wearers find Cruise Control denser than they expected from the "lower density" description, with one reviewer specifically noting she finds herself wearing it "in a half up because of the density." This reviewer still wears and loves the wig. The density is real — "lower density" for Raquel Welch still means a fully finished, high-quality synthetic bob construction; it is lower relative to maximally full styles, not low in absolute terms. Wearers who have very thin natural hair or who prefer the most minimal possible density may want to consider this before purchase. For the vast majority of buyers, the density reads as exactly the natural, polished fullness that the pageboy silhouette requires.
The Construction: Why Cruise Control Looks This Natural
Hand-Tied Throughout — The Complete Construction Story
Cruise Control's construction is one of the most comprehensively hand-tied in the mid-length Signature Collection styles reviewed in this series. NameBrandWigs confirms: "Extended Lace Front, Monofilament Top, Hand Tied, Closed Wefted." Wilshire Wigs provides the most specific breakdown: "monofilament top with hand-tied sides and back." Frannie's Hair simply lists it as "Cap Type: Hand Tied."
In practice, this means the following areas are individually hand-knotted in Cruise Control: the extended lace front (hand-knotted individual hairs on transparent lace for a natural hairline), the monofilament top (hand-knotted fibers throughout the crown for natural scalp simulation and multi-directional parting), and the sides and back (hand-tied rather than machine-wefted). The overall construction is the most comprehensively hand-tied of any Signature Collection mid-length bob reviewed in this series outside of the dedicated hand-tied styles like Bella Vida. For wearers who have previously owned machine-wefted bob styles and found the movement quality limited, Cruise Control's hand-tied construction throughout creates a qualitatively different, more naturally moving wearing experience.
The Extended Lace Front
Cruise Control's extended lace front runs temple-to-temple, creating a natural-looking hairline across the full front perimeter where individual hairs are hand-sewn into ultra-fine, transparent lace. For a mid-length pageboy bob where the clean front profile is prominently visible at all times, the quality of the lace front is critical — it creates the natural-looking hairline that prevents the style from having the visible manufactured boundary that distinguishes a wig from real hair at the forehead. The extended span also enables the off-the-face styling freedom that is part of Cruise Control's design: the bob can be worn away from the face in different positions without revealing an artificial cap edge.
The Hand-Tied Monofilament Top
Cruise Control's monofilament top — specifically described as hand-tied — covers the crown area with individually knotted fibers on a sheer, skin-toned mesh base. This creates the appearance of hair growing directly from the scalp throughout the full crown, allows parting in any direction with natural scalp appearance, and contributes specifically to the no-permatease clean crown quality: hand-tied monofilament crown fibers lie naturally close to the scalp without requiring permatease lift, creating the sleek, natural-looking flat crown that is the pageboy's most characteristic quality.
The multi-directional parting flexibility is a practical daily advantage that Cruise Control's monofilament top provides: the part can be placed at center, left, right, or slightly off-center across the crown, with a natural scalp appearance in every position. For a classic pageboy silhouette where the part's position significantly affects the style's character and face-framing quality, this flexibility is especially meaningful.
Tru2Life® Heat-Friendly Fiber: What It Creates in Cruise Control's Straight Bob Context
Pre-Set Performance: Ready to Wear Straight From the Box
Cruise Control's Tru2Life® fiber is heat-friendly to 350°F — but its most important quality in a straight pageboy bob is the pre-set performance. The beveled-under silhouette, the clean smooth crown, and the straight, polished layers are all pre-set in the Tru2Life® fiber and return consistently after every wash without heat tools. This is the foundation of the "joy ride" morning routine experience: Cruise Control genuinely does not require heat styling to look polished and put-together. Shake it on, position the part, wear it. The beveled underlayer and the clean straight character are already there.
Heat-Styling Range: From Straight to Variation
The Tru2Life® fiber extends the range when variation is desired. For a straight pageboy bob, the most useful heat-styling approaches are:
- Flat iron: Smoothing the straight layers to an even sleeker, more polished presentation — useful for formal occasions or professional contexts where the cleanest possible bob profile is desired
- Curling wand on the ends: Reinforcing and defining the beveled-under curl at the bottom layers for a more pronounced bevel-under finish on days when the pre-set feels less defined
- Curling wand on the body: Adding soft waves or curls throughout the length for a completely different, more relaxed character from the same straight-bob base
- Directional blow dry: Using a round brush and low-heat blow dryer to reinforce the under-bevel at the ends for the most precise, salon-quality bob finish
Always apply heat protectant before any heat tool contact and work at 275°F–300°F for best fiber preservation results.
Cruise Control by Raquel Welch: Full Specifications
| Fonctionnalité | Détails |
|---|---|
| Brand | Raquel Welch |
| Collection | Signature Collection |
| Fibre | Tru2Life® Heat-Friendly Synthetic (up to 350°F) |
| Construction d'une casquette | Extended Lace Front + Hand-Tied Monofilament Top + Hand-Tied Sides & Back + Closed Wefted Base |
| Taille du bouchon | Moyenne |
| Front | 11" |
| Couronne | 12" |
| Sides | 7.5" |
| Retour | 11" |
| Nape | 10" |
| Poids | 4.66 oz (132g) |
| Style | Mid-Length Pageboy Bob — Beveled Under |
| Texture | Straight — subtle bottom layering for bevel-under finish |
| No Permatease | Yes — confirmed clean flat crown, no permatease |
| Couleurs présentées | RL12/16 Honey Toast · RL17/23SS Shaded Iced Latte Macchiato |
| Heat Safe Up To | 350°F |
Want to see how Cruise Control by Raquel Welch looks on you before you buy? Use the Face Shape Analyzer to find your most flattering styles — then preview it on your own photo with the MyHairMagic virtual try-on app. The only premium wig and topper try-on app of its kind.
Style and Length: The Pageboy Bob Measurements
What Cruise Control's Measurements Create
Cruise Control's measurements describe a genuinely mid-length bob — and the measurement profile is distinctive in this Raquel Welch series because of the relationship between the crown and nape. The crown at 12" is the longest measurement — creating the generous mid-length body of the pageboy bob. The front at 11" and back at 11" are nearly equal to the crown, creating the clean, uniform-length character of a classic pageboy rather than a dramatically graduated A-line bob. The sides at 7.5" are shorter, creating the beveled taper from the longer crown and back toward the face sides that gives the pageboy its characteristic clean profile.
The nape at 10" is notably long — nearly as long as the front and back. For a mid-length bob, a 10" nape means the style provides substantial coverage at the back of the neck, falling to well below the nape's natural hairline. This long nape is what creates the full, enveloping coverage that makes Cruise Control work so beautifully for wearers managing hair loss: the entire nape and neck area is covered with confidence-giving length throughout.
The Shoulder-Grazing Length
At 11"–12" front and crown, Cruise Control grazes or touches the shoulders on most wearers — placing it firmly in the longer end of the mid-length bob category. This is meaningfully longer than the shoulder-length styles like Always Trending (8.5" crown) or Born to Shine (6" crown) reviewed elsewhere in this series. Cruise Control is a genuinely substantial mid-length bob with real, enveloping length that creates the flowing, polished character of a classic pageboy. Wearers who expect a short bob may be surprised by the generous length — one Wigs.com reviewer notes "the length just barely touches my shoulders." Setting this expectation correctly before purchase ensures the style is chosen by exactly the wearers who want this length.
Cruise Control's Color Range
Cruise Control is available in Raquel Welch's comprehensive RL and SS color range — the full Signature Collection palette spanning brunettes, blondes, reds, auburns, silvers, and Shadow Shade rooted options. Featured colors are RL12/16 Honey Toast (a warm light brown blended with golden blonde highlights) and RL17/23SS Shaded Iced Latte Macchiato (honey blonde shaded with cool blonde and darker roots).
The RL12/16 Honey Toast is particularly worth highlighting in the context of the pageboy bob silhouette: warm light brown with golden blonde highlights creates the natural, dimensional color depth that a clean, straight bob showcases beautifully. In Cruise Control's smooth, polished layers, the highlights catch the light at different points along the straight length — at the crown under direct overhead light, at the mid-lengths in ambient light, and at the beveled ends where the underside of the curl shows a different surface of the color blend. The result is a color that looks professionally maintained and naturally dimensional throughout the day.
The SS Shadow Shade colors are also particularly beautiful in Cruise Control's straight bob context: the darker rooted quality distributes naturally through the smooth straight layers, with the transition from darker roots to lighter mid-lengths playing out gradually across the bob's length rather than in concentrated wave surfaces. This creates the most natural-looking root growth presentation available in Raquel Welch's synthetic palette — and in a straight, clean pageboy bob where the root area is continuously visible, the SS rooted quality is more consistently apparent than in any wavy or curly style.
Who Is Cruise Control by Raquel Welch Made For?
The Classic Pageboy Bob Devotee
Cruise Control is specifically for women who love the classic pageboy bob — who want the clean, smooth, shoulder-grazing silhouette with the beveled-under end finish that has been one of the most consistently flattering and professionally polished haircuts in modern style. Among the Signature Collection styles reviewed in this series, Cruise Control is the most definitively executed classic pageboy: not an A-line, not a wavy bob, not a textured or shaggy interpretation — the genuine, straight, polished, beveled-under classic. For women who want this specific silhouette at its best, Cruise Control is the most direct answer.
The "Pulled Together Without Fussy" Daily Wearer
The reviewer description that best captures Cruise Control's daily wear character is "you'll look pulled together without looking fussy." For women who want an everyday wig that looks polished and intentional without the theatrical glamour or stylistic commitment of more dramatic styles, Cruise Control's lower-density, no-permatease, clean-finish pageboy delivers exactly this. It is a style that reads as genuinely good natural hair rather than as a styled wig — the absence of permatease, the hand-tied natural movement, and the lower-density character together create the "I woke up like this" quality that is the hardest thing for a wig to achieve and the thing Cruise Control most consistently receives credit for.
The No-Permatease Preference Wearer
Among Raquel Welch Signature Collection styles, the confirmed absence of permatease in Cruise Control is a specific and meaningful differentiator for wearers who have found permatease-crown styles too volumized or too obviously lifted at the crown. For these wearers — particularly those with naturally very flat or very fine hair who find any additional crown volume reads as obviously artificial — Cruise Control's clean, flat, naturally-positioned crown is exactly what they have been looking for. The reviewer who specifically chose Cruise Control over other styles because it has "no permatease" confirms this as a real and meaningful buying criterion.
The Hand-Tied Movement Priority Wearer
Cruise Control's comprehensively hand-tied construction — lace front, monofilament top, hand-tied sides and back — creates the most naturally moving mid-length bob available in the Signature Collection's straight bob category at this price tier. For wearers who have owned machine-wefted mid-length bobs before and found the movement slightly stiff or panel-like, Cruise Control's hand-tied construction throughout creates a qualitatively different experience: the bob moves with individual-strand freedom at every point, settling and shifting naturally with the body's motion in the way that genuinely good real hair does.
The Medical Wig Wearer
For women managing hair loss, Cruise Control addresses the specific construction requirements of this wearer comprehensively. The extended lace front creates a convincing natural hairline. The hand-tied monofilament top provides realistic crown scalp simulation with multi-directional parting flexibility. The hand-tied sides and back create natural individual-strand movement throughout the entire style. The no-permatease crown allows the style to sit naturally against any scalp without the elevated, artificial-looking crown lift that permatease creates. The generous 10" nape provides complete, comfortable neck coverage. And the lower-density character means the style reads as natural rather than dramatically full — which is, for many medical wig wearers, the most important quality of all.
Cruise Control vs. Other Mid-Length Raquel Welch Styles in This Series
The Most Classically Understated Mid-Length Bob
Among the mid-length styles reviewed in this Raquel Welch series, Cruise Control occupies a specific aesthetic territory that no other style shares: the clean, straight, no-permatease, lower-density, beveled-under classic pageboy. Crowd Pleaser (dramatic side-swept bang, lush waves, glamour-forward), Always Trending (shoulder-length bob with subtle layers, polished professional), Ahead of the Curve (undone diagonal bang, Vibralite® fiber, casual elegance), Bella Vida (Sheer Luxury Collection LOB waves, Tru2Life® heat-friendly) — all of these have distinctive characters that differ from Cruise Control's specifically classic, clean, understated quality. Cruise Control is the mid-length bob for women who want their style to read as naturally good hair rather than as a deliberately distinctive wig look.
Cruise Control vs. Always Trending
Both are Signature Collection Tru2Life® heat-friendly straight mid-length bobs. Always Trending (Memory Cap® III, Sheer Indulgence™ lace front, full monofilament top, 8.5" crown, shoulder-length, 5 oz) has more premium Memory Cap® III construction, a full monofilament top, and a shorter shoulder-length silhouette. Cruise Control (hand-tied throughout including sides/back, 12" crown, longer pageboy length, 4.66 oz, no permatease) has more comprehensively hand-tied movement, a longer shoulder-grazing length, the beveled-under silhouette, and confirmed no-permatease construction. Choose Always Trending for the most complete Memory Cap® III premium construction in a shoulder-length straight bob; choose Cruise Control for the longer, more classically pageboy silhouette with comprehensively hand-tied movement and no permatease.
Care and Maintenance for Cruise Control by Raquel Welch
Lavage
- Frequency: Every 10–15 wears using a gentle sulfate-free synthetic wig shampoo in cool water
- Method: Gently submerge and swirl — never rub, scrub, or wring; allow water to flow in the direction of the straight layers throughout; be gentle at the lace front and monofilament top areas
- Conditioning: Apply a lightweight synthetic conditioner to mid-lengths and ends — avoid applying directly to hand-tied areas to protect the knotted fibers; rinse thoroughly in cool water
Drying and Bevel Restoration
- Drying: Gently press out excess water with a towel — never wring; air dry on a wig stand; the Tru2Life® fiber's style memory restores the straight layers and beveled-under ends naturally as it dries
- Bevel-under restoration: If the beveled-under ends need enhancement after drying, a curling wand or round brush on the bottom layers at 275°F–300°F reinforces the under-curl precisely; allow to cool completely to set the position
- Between wears: A gentle comb-through restores the straight pageboy character; position the part in the preferred direction within the monofilament top area
Stockage
- Store on a wig stand or in a breathable bag away from direct sunlight and heat sources
- A wig stand maintains the beveled-under end position and the straight layer alignment between wears
Frequently Asked Questions About Cruise Control by Raquel Welch
Is Cruise Control heat friendly?
Yes. Cruise Control uses Tru2Life® heat-friendly synthetic fiber, safe for flat irons, curling wands, and blow dryers up to 350°F. The pre-set straight pageboy style works beautifully without heat tools; heat extends the styling range. Always use a heat protectant and work at 275°F–300°F for best fiber preservation.
Does Cruise Control have permatease?
No. Cruise Control has no permatease — confirmed by a reviewer at Wigs.com who specifically chose it for this quality. The crown lies naturally close to the head, creating the clean, flat, naturally-positioned crown of a classic pageboy rather than the pre-built lift of permatease-crown construction. This is one of Cruise Control's most distinctive differentiators among Signature Collection bobs.
What does "hand-tied" mean throughout Cruise Control's construction?
Cruise Control has hand-tied construction at the extended lace front (individual hairs on transparent lace for natural hairline), the monofilament top (individually knotted fibers for natural scalp simulation and multi-directional parting), and the sides and back (hand-tied rather than machine-wefted). The overall effect is individual-strand movement throughout the entire cap — the bob moves with the organic, free quality of real hair at every point rather than as wefted panels.
Is Cruise Control's density really "lower"? Some reviewers say it's denser than expected.
Raquel Welch's "lower density" description is accurate relative to maximally full Signature Collection styles — Cruise Control has less hair than the densest styles in the lineup. However, some reviewers with very thin natural hair find it denser than the description suggests. "Lower density for Raquel Welch" still means a fully finished, high-quality bob construction — denser than a deliberately sparse style, but lower than a maximally voluminous one. Wearers who prefer the most minimal possible density may want to research further before purchasing; most wearers find the density reads as exactly the natural, polished fullness the pageboy requires.
How long is Cruise Control exactly?
Cruise Control grazes or touches the shoulders on most wearers — the front and back at 11", crown at 12", and nape at 10" create a genuinely mid-to-longer bob length that is longer than many short and shoulder-length styles in this series. Wearers expecting a very short or chin-length bob should note this is a longer, shoulder-grazing pageboy silhouette.
Is Cruise Control suitable for women with hair loss?
Yes. The extended lace front creates a natural-looking hairline. The hand-tied monofilament top provides realistic multi-directional crown scalp simulation. Hand-tied sides and back create natural individual-strand movement throughout. No permatease means the crown sits naturally for any scalp type. The 10" nape provides complete, generous coverage. The lower-density character means the style reads naturally rather than artificially full.
The Final Verdict: Is Cruise Control by Raquel Welch Worth It?
Cruise Control by Raquel Welch earns every word of its name and every word of its own description. The hand-tied construction throughout — lace front, monofilament top, sides, and back — creates the most naturally moving mid-length bob in this Raquel Welch series outside the dedicated hand-tied Sheer Luxury Collection styles. The no-permatease clean crown creates the specific flat, natural-looking top that the classic pageboy requires and that distinguishes Cruise Control from every permatease-crown bob in the Signature Collection. The subtle bottom layering bevels the ends under beautifully without intervention. The Tru2Life® fiber holds it all through every wash. And the lower-density character reads as genuine, naturally good hair rather than an obviously constructed wig — which is, ultimately, the highest standard a wig can meet.
For women who want a mid-length pageboy bob that looks like excellent real hair — classic, polished, naturally moving, no permatease, no fuss — Cruise Control is the Signature Collection's most direct and most consistent answer. Take a joy ride. You will keep driving.
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