Ponytails are the LBD of hairstyles. They go with everything. They can look romantic, rebellious, preppy or casual. They can work just as well on off-duty days as they do on special occasions and they work across a range of shapes and sizes (or, in this case, textures and lengths).
Of course, any of us can wear any style we fancy, but three styles in particular look universally beautiful, the trick is to personalise the styling to your taste. Here’s how…
The high ponytail
It’s not called the Croydon facelift for nothing. Sky-high ponytails help to lift and elongate the face. However, different tweaks can give them a totally different vibe.
Ultra snatched styles (aka super-tight, to the uninitiated), call for every single strand of hair to be pulled neatly into place, and every bump to be combed into submission. The look, which was big in the nineties, has made a firm comeback with fans like Kim Kardashian, Sofia Richie and (of course) Ariana Grande all adding to its popularity.
If you’re currently rocking braids, a high ponytail is an easy win for pulling your hair out of your face and looking stylish at the same time.
If you want to wear a high ponytail without it looking too severe, try not to flatten it down too much. Instead, when you lift it back, be gentle and avoid pulling to keep some of the volume. Then, go in after and tease some pieces loose around your ears and hairline to make it look a bit more lived-in.
And if you want a sporty style, keep it semi straight and extra swishy by adding volume at your hair tie with the help of a couple of extra hairbands or some back-combing.
Top tip: the single easiest way to upgrade any ponytail is to take a small section of hair and wind it round the band, then fasten into place with a bobby pin.
Four ways to wear it:
Straight & snatched high ponytail
Loose & tousled high ponytail
Braided high ponytail
Sporty high ponytail
The half pony
The half-up, half-down pony is the best of all worlds. It gives you the drama (and comfort) of having your hair down, but with the intricacy of an updo.
Depending on how you style it, it can look relaxed and casual, especially if you embrace your natural texture. It can look cute, especially when worn high on your head which, bonus, offers up extra volume. It can look sleek and classic, if your wear the ponytail lower down around the crown of your head, or ultra glam if you tease out your hair for XXL oomf.
And – perhaps the most democratic of the pony styles – it’ll even work on super short hair that won’t make it into a full pony.
Four ways to wear it
Casual and cute half-up ponytail
Short half-up ponytail
Sleek half-up ponytail
Glam half-up ponytail
The low ponytail
Last but not least, the low pony is endlessly chic. You can style it super glossy and neat for fancier occasions, loose and romantic, centre parted and slick, or studded with accessories and clips for a more boho vibe.
Four ways to wear it
Loose low ponytail with tendrils
Centre-parted and slicked back low ponytail
Ultra neat low ponytail
Boho and embellished low ponytail