When you look back at picture day photos from your childhood, we’re sure they’re filled with absolutely adorable hairstyles. Pigtails with bows, tight ringlet curls, and locks decorated with beads are style staples from everyone's childhood, but you probably wouldn’t be caught wearing those hairstyles now.
While not all of our favorite childhood hairstyles matured along with us, others (like the half ponytail) are perfect for adulthood—as long as you know how to style them. If you’re ready to bring your half ponytail from third grade to a date night with your partner, look no further. We’ve found three ways to make your half ponytail look just as grown up as you feel—dark brown hair or red.
Accessories
The fastest and easiest way to elevate your half ponytail is to add a killer accessory. The hair accessories that are popular now are all about glitter, glamour, and edge. Think gold hair clips, crystal bedazzled bobby pins, statement headbands, and colorful hair scarves. The great thing about half up ponytails is that they’re so versatile, you’ll love how they look with any accessory.
Volume
Nothing feels more grown up than big, sexy hair. Take your half ponytail to the next level by adding lots of volume and get ready to turn heads. To achieve sky-high volume that will last all day long, all you’ll need is a fine-tooth comb and a medium hold hair spray.
For this look, you’ll want to begin by washing your hair with a volumizing shampoo to ensure lots of volume at the roots. Once you’ve blown out your locks, section off the hair at your crown and flip it over so it hangs in front of your face. Then, lightly spray the sectioned off hair with a medium hold hairspray and backcomb your locks to create volume at your roots. Once you’ve backcombed the entire section of hair, flip it back over and gently comb the top so it looks smooth. Then, gather the backcombed section of hair at the center of the back of your head, and secure it with a hair elastic. Set your look with a medium hold hairspray.
Texture
Adding texture to your ‘do is a great way to take your go-to childhood styles right into adulthood. If you’re looking for an on-trend style, consider crimping your hair before styling your half ponytail. In case you hadn’t heard, crimped hair has officially made its comeback and it’s better than ever. To put a modern spin on this ‘80s style, opt for a jumbo crimped style that you can create using just your flat iron.
Start at the back of your head, working with 2-inch sections of clean, dry hair. Spray each one with a heat protectant before clamping the base of the section with your flat iron. Once clamped, flip the flat iron down and hold it there for about 15 seconds. Then, move your flat iron down the section of hair, flip the flat iron up, and hold it in place. Continue twisting the flat iron up and down until you reach the bottom of the section. Once you’ve crimped your whole head, style your half ponytail and set your look with a flexible hold hair spray.
