Licence To Slay: Turn Heads In This Bond Babe-Inspired Pony Tail

13 Mar, 2018

No longer is the ponytail just for the gym. With the right flair and edge, the humble pony is a real prize-winning style this season!

There’s a million and one ways to do a ponytail, but the one that is going to be trending this Spring is the textured, 60’s variety! It’s all about volume and the perfect amount of texture to give your pony the modern, sexy edge it deserves. Never fear, with the right tools and a product that’s going to help you defeat the laws of gravity, this hot Spring style is pretty much in the bag.

Step 1: Volume. This style is all in the prep, and you need to create as much volume as possible upfront! I blow-dried the hair upside down using a Paddle Brush and a firm-holding volumizer from Oribe called Grandiose Hair Plumping Mousse to create hair that’s thicker, fuller and larger than life from the roots up. Note: The key to obtaining as much volume as possible is to blast the hair with cold air out of your hairdryer before turning you head back up the right way!

Step 2: Texture. With a medium-to-large sized tong – I used BaByliss Pro Larger Dreamer Tong for this length hair- start picking up and tonging the mid-lengths and ends of your hair in 2-3inch sections. Spray each section of the hair with a flexible-hold hairspray like R&Co’s Outer Space Flexible Hairspray. Wrap the hair around the tong, going away from the face to help lift the hair up and away from the face to help get volume and an easy style up later. Once hair has cooled, shake out the curls and give your hair another all-over spray with Outer Space Hair Spray.

Step 3: Styling. Now comes the product we have all been waiting for! I have talked about this product before, but when you’re onto a winner like this, it’s worth the reminder. It’s called the Tease Me Volume Kit and is from Natalia Ann Haircare – a two-part powder kit to give you the ultimate root lift as well as major texture and hold. Start with your roots and tapping the Volume Powder (Na-S1) through the roots from top to bottom of your head. Tip: Use your fingers to massage and activate powder, forcing the hair roots to stand tall for the ultimate lift! The second step is to lightly dust (less is more with this little magic maker- the Dry Texturising Powder through the mid-lengths and ends. Give the hair a little shake to distribute the powder through the hair and activate it, thus maximising your texture!!

With a backcombing Brush – try Lady Jayne Fuscia Teasing Brush – pick a large section of your hair up and back comb it! You want to keep the backcombing close to the roots so put the bristles of the brush in about 4 inches from the roots and push the comb right to your scalp. Repeat until the entire head has been done.

Step 4: Final tweaks. With your fingers, start working the hair all back and into the shape you desire. Pull out any pieces around the face before you start to rein the length of you hair into a pony tail at the crown of your head. Remember, this style is all about the texture and looseness, so don’t pull it too tight or worry about it being overly smooth! Once you have mustered all you hair up and you feel like your have a nice shape and height at the top, lasso your prize winning pony into place with a Hair Bungee Elastic. Whoever invented these ‘one hand only’ life saving elastics is a genius!! With your spare hand, simply hook the hook on one end of the elastic in the hair between your hand and your head and start winding. Once you have the right amount of tension push the hook on the other end of the elastic in you hair and you are DONE!

I like to finish with a Outer Space Spray to finesse pieces around the face and give a little love and shape to the ponytail itself. Remember, There’s no wrong – it’s all about ‘Making it your own!’

Photographer; Darren McDonald / Hair & Makeup; Max May / Model; Luana at Chic Image

Special thank you to Alex from Vera Xane