How To Achieve A Sleek Ponytail For The Holidays
Ponytail hairstyles are often women's all time favorite. The ponytails we do at home vs the sleek-and-slick ponytails they create at beauty salons seem like they are worlds apart but in reality it just takes a few simple hair hacks, the right products, and a little bit of practice to get the job done. If you are thinking about rocking a sleek ponytail for the holidays, here are 5 great tips on how to achieve a salon quality DIY sleek ponytails right at home!
Thoroughly Wash Your Hair
When most of us complain about not being able to get our hair straight enough or our curls defined how we want them to be, we blame it on what we're using to achieve the look. “Well maybe I need a better flat iron” or “this curl pudding isn't for my type of hair” are said more often than not, and it's a shame because sometimes that's not the issue at all. Yes, sometimes, it all comes down to you not washing your hair good enough!
Dirt and product build up can weigh down and stiffen your hair to the point of not being able to style it how you'd like to. If you want to slick your hair down perfectly, you need to thoroughly wash your scalp, roots, strands, and ends. Use a shampoo that promotes hydration and protection like the nutrient-rich ORS Creamy Olive Oil Shampoo,rinse with cold to warm water, and you're good to go!
Prep With The Right Product
Before you style your hair, make sure that you have ORS products on hand that do one or all of the following three things: moisturize, nourish, and protect. Your hair health should always be a priority when starting a new hairstyle, so products should be free of harmful chemicals and full of ingredients that benefit your hair.
Now this doesn't mean you should use any ol’ product just because it's good for you! You do have to keep in mind that some formulas just won't work for certain hairstyles. For an example, a water-based product may be great to hydrate and moisturize your hair before you style it, but would only make your curls come back full force if you try to use it to slick your hair straight. For this particular hairstyle, pomades, oil, and edge control works best; You could even use hair gel if you want your ponytail to be slick and wavy!
Blow Dry And Flat Iron
Blow drying and flat ironing your hair is important for a sleek ponytail because it stretches and smoothes your curls straight and helps give a polished look. If you're weary about using all that heat, ditch the flat iron and do your best to get your hair straight with a comb attachment on your blow dryer.
Before you begin applying heat, always remember to use heat protection! ORS Olive Oil with Grapeseed Oil 2-N-1 Shine Mist and Heat Defense is the ideal option. This lightweight formula shields hair from heat while offering a very natural luster and all the nutrients olive and grapeseed oil can offer! Rub a small amount through damp hair, and you'll see the effects as soon as you begin blow drying.
The Invisible Ponytail
The Invisible Ponytail is quite simple: you pull your hair back and braid the ponytail, apply a small amount of hair glue to corner of the weft of extension hair you're going to use, press it on the tip of your braid and begin wrapping the hair upward until the braid is fully concealed.
You can secure with more glue, a pin, or an elastic band, just remembered that the whole point of this is to keep the ponytail looking natural!
The Touch Ups
Final step in this DIY sleek ponytails tutorial, the key to a great slick and sleek ponytail is laying the edges nicely. For this, you'll want to use an edge control instead of a water-based gel to avoid your edges curling back up to their natural state. ORS Olive Oil Edge Control Hair Gel is an oldie, but goodie. It's thick and moisturizing, but not oily or greasy like other edge controls with similar ingredients.
Just take a small amount and put it on your edges, smooth down and style with a small comb, brush, or tooth brush. Do not forget to lay your edges down with a head scarf or black edge strips for at least 30 minutes.
