15 Ways To Change Up Your Ponytail

Fed up with looking like a basic bitch? Ok, we’re sorry if that’s slightly rude but when there's about 999 ways to style our hair, why do we all always favour a boring af ponytail?

Well, it’s partially due to the fact that we can never get out of bed on time in the mornings but that's no excuse for playing it safe with our hair all the time.

No matter how much time you have, what your face shape is or how much effort you want to put into your hair regime that day, there's a fancy ponytail for all of us.

Here's ALL the inspo on how to up your hair game so you can swish swish swish your sassy new ponytail until you're basically a backup dancer in a Beyoncé video.

1. The Perfectly Polished Pony

If your hair feels greasier than a chip fryer, you have more options than throwing it up into a messy topknot. Make sure you’ve got poker straight tresses, then slick it all back so it looks deliberate. Spritz a toothbrush with hairspray to tame flyaway and you’re left with a super sleek mirror shine finish. 

2. The Bubble Pony

Perfect for adding volume (and hiding extensions), this look is all about amping up a basic pony. Use thin, clear elastics or hair ties that match your natural hair colour and secure every few inches to create the bubble illusion from the base all the way to the ends. Pull each section apart slightly for a more undone look.

3. Double Up

Create the illusion of a longer, thicker ‘do by stacking two ponytails on top of each other. To recreate this borderline genius hack, start by taking the top half of the hair and creating a high pony. Gather the rest of the hair and secure underneath. If you’re feeling even more daring, try for 3 ponytails on top of each other

4. The Sky-High Swoosh

The beauty of a sky-high ponytail is its swoosh-ability (yep, that is a word). The tightly pulled style also pulls your facial features up and back to show off your killer cheekbones and chiselled bone structure (or seven chins in our case) but is also softened by curling the ends.

For a seamless look, wrap a thin section of hair around the base of your ponytail to conceal the elastic which makes a ponytail look red carpet-ready in seconds. 

5. The Braid-Ponytail Hybrid

Perfect for keeping your hair totally out of your face, this braid-pony hybrid is a really simple way to up your hair game. Put your hair in a central patron and create two French braids on each side then pull the rest in to a high pony. New gym hairdo sorted.

6. The Effortlessly Cool Side Pony

How should you style your beachy waves on holiday? Create an effortlessly cool side pony by putting some volume in the crown, leaving pieces of gently waved hair to frame the face and avoid looking too harsh. Don’t worry if you’ve got short layers poking out; it adds to the boho effect. 

7. The Voluminous Masterpiece

Volumize your ponytail for maximum impact! Zendaya is a perfect example to show that a ponytail can be sexier and edgier than we ever thought possible. 

Slick down the top half and secure hair into a low pony, before curling the bottom half of the hair into tight curls. Brush out and then tease and backcomb the bottom half, using volumizing mousse to add texture to your 'tail. 

6. Festival Glam

It’s festival season and you want to be practical but still look like you’ve made a massive effort. Forget Goldilocks, enter glitter locks. Try a glitter parting for ultimate festival chic or spin some sparkle into your hair by weaving glitter into a braid. Guaranteed to make you feel more magical than a unicorn. 

9. Wrap It Up

Head down to the haberdashery shop to pick up some ribbon before wrapping it around the base of the ponytail to instantly turn the style from sporty to picnic chic. It’s one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to change up a pony, so we won’t judge if you buy a different colour ribbon for every day of the week…

10. The Fishtail Braid

It's like boxer braids and the classic pony had a baby. The fishtail braid is practical af but you’ll look like you’ve made some serious effort because this hairstyle looks bomb. You might need to hire a hairdresser (a.k.a your BFF) to help with this one because it’s tricky to do alone. 

11. The Ariana Grande

If you’re gonna do a fancy pony, there’s no one that does it better than Ariana. Her signature style is extra af, sleek, silky and flows all the way down to your bum. Better start saving up for those extensions…

12. Accessories Galore

Whenever we think of hair charms we think of the neon butterfly clips our mum used to force us to wear in primary school, but hair accessories are back with a bang and there’s no easier way to turn your pony from basic to snazzy in seconds than by adding some bling.

Whether it’s hair charms, metallic hair ties or sparkly barrettes, your hair will never feel boring again. 

13. The Undone-yet-still-done Pony

Summer humidity plus getting caught in a few storms (because a British summer = 80% rain) can turn your hair haywire. Don’t fret because you can get away with making your 'undone' hair look 'done'. The more tousled, the cooler it looks. 

14. The Dye’d ‘do

There's no better way to take your ponytail from boring to banging than by adding a little colour. It doesn’t have to be permanent - you can use a coloured hair spray or hair chalk and target just the bottom half of your plait or pony. Be creative! Pastels are always on trend for Pinterest-worthy locks. 

15. Braid The Tail

Love a plait-pony mix but don't have time to pull off an intricate French braid? Pull hair into a high ponytail, braid the shaft, then secure with a clear elastic. Pull apart slightly to create the illusion of thickness. Gigi’s got this style nailed. 

Now check out Love Island's Alex and Olivia taking the Girlfriend Does My Makeup Challenge...