The sleek ponytail is the current hair trend ruling the red carpets, fashion week runways, and boardrooms. From Kim Kardashian and Selena Gomez to Chrissy Teigen, every fashionable celebrity you know is rocking the sleek ponytail.
And why not? It oozes confidence, class, sophistication, and near perfection.
A sleek ponytail works well with mid-length to long hair and can be worn to a date night, office, ballroom, and any occasion – formal or informal.
There are many ways to wear a sleek ponytail. You can wear it high, mid, or low. You can also add a side or a middle part or even add a ponytail extension for added length and volume on the tail.
Curious to hop on the sleek ponytail trend?
Here’s how to create a celebrity-inspired sleek ponytail.
What You’ll Need In Your Sleek Ponytail Kit
Before you get started, you’d want to have everything with you. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Creme of nature argan oil perfect edges (edge control)
- Got2b ultra glued
- Boar bristle brush
- Ponytail extension (optional)
- A shine serum or hair spray
- Shampoo and conditioner
Step 1: Wash And Condition Your Hair
Start off by washing your hair if it’s greasy or dirty. It’s easier to sleek down hair when it’s clean. A no-rinse shampoo will save the day if you don’t have time to wash and dry your hair.
Step 2: Blowdry Your Hair To Smoothen It
The key to a perfectly sleeked-down ponytail is starting off with smooth and straight hair, so first, detangle your hair using a detangling brush.
Next, apply some heat-protectant cream to protect your hair from the heat effects. We’d recommend the L’Oréal Paris EverPure Sulfate-Free Weightless Blow Dry Primer because it doubles up as a frizz controller.
Reach out for your blowdryer and start by blow drying your hair in the direction of your ponytail or, rather, towards where you plan to hold your pony. This can be to the sides for a pony with a side part, facing upwards for a high pony, or towards the back for a low pony.
You want to use a paddle brush when blow-drying. It’s perfect for smoothing out hair as well as detangling. Even better if you use a brush with boar bristles. This will help to evenly distribute your hair’s natural oils from the roots to the tips.
Step 3: Prep The Tail
This is totally optional, but for a perfect ponytail, we’d highly recommend you set the texture of your tail. Some women prefer a tail with waves, while others prefer a more straight look. Use a straighter for a straight ponytail, and use a curler if you prefer a wavy tail. Ensure you set your hair right after where your pony will begin. It should be a few inches after the hairband.
Step 4: Brush Your Hair Down And Create The Ponytail
Now for this step, you will need a boar bristle brush and not any other type of brush. This is what gets you that sleek look.
Gather the hair, hold it in a ponytail, position it where you want it to sit, and brush your hair towards where you want to place your ponytail – high, low, or middle. Expect your arms to ache a little bit. Yes, this is some arm workout. Keep brushing down to smooth over any bumby areas.
Once your hair is all sleeked down, and you are happy with the look, secure your ponytail with an elastic band. Even better if you have a satin hair tie as it is more gentle on hair. You want your hair to be very, very secure but not overly tight.
Grab a small section of the hair from under the ponytail and wrap it around the hair tie to conceal it. This gives a more natural look. Remember to secure the end of the wrap-around with bobby pins; otherwise, it will come off when you least expect it.
Step 5: Apply Styling Product
To clean the flyaways, take a bit of the edge control and apply it all around your hair, starting from the edges towards the ponytail. Edge control works better than gel if you have fine hair as gel tends to curl the hair instead of sleeking it. If your hair is a bit coarse, you can use any type of hair gel. Also, depending on your hair texture, you may use more or less of the product. If you have short edges, adding a little more goes a long way in holding down the short hairs.
Brush down the hair, go in with the Got2b ultra glued, and apply it all around your hair just as you did with the edge control. Many people use the Got2b ultra glued to sleek their edges, but it also works perfectly to sleek down hair. Brush down your hair again. Your hair should be all laid flat with no bumps unless you have some hair extensions on.
Step 6: Sleek The Edges
If you fancy sleeked edges, now is the time to go in and sleek them. Use an edge brush or simply a toothbrush to brush out the baby hairs to a style of your choice.
You can also go ahead and add your ponytail extension if you want to add some length. A human hair extension with a wrap-around is the best as it gives that natural look.
Step 7: Apply Some Shine Serum Or Sheen Spray
Lastly, apply some hair serum for that glossy, sleek look, and spritz a shine-enhancing spray to help your hair stay in place all day.
As you can see, it’s pretty easy to create a sleek ponytail. It takes less than five minutes once you get used to doing it. And you don’t need much, just a bristle hairbrush, the right products, patience, and a bit of arm strength.
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