How to get the perfect high ponytail

The perfect high ponytail is the style to master for the sleek, ‘clean girl’ aesthetic. The ideal day-to-night style, it’s perfect from the office to a night out, as it’s a glossy style that exudes power and confidence. And it looks so easy, right?

Well, anyone who’s attempted to recreate the iconic Ariana Grande high ponytail at home will tell you that it’s easier said than done. Turns out that there’s more to doing a high ponytail than a brush and a hair tie.

That’s not to say you need a full team of stylists on hand to achieve the perfect high pony – far from it. All you need is a couple of tools, a couple of products, and a little bit of patience.

Step 1: Blow-dry your roots

It might seem counterintuitive to blow-dry your roots straight up before you try to smooth it all down with no bumps. But this is how the pros do it.

Flip your hair forward and use your blow-dryer and a boar brush to dry your hair so it sticks straight up from the root.

If you’re starting your high ponytail with dry hair, dampen it with a little water before spraying liberally with TRESemmé Thermal Creations Protective Spray Heat Tamer before you start shaping your style

Step 2: First half

Part your hair in half with a comb, horizontally from the top of your left ear to your right. Gather the top half of your hair, using a boar-bristle brush to smooth it into position. Aim to align the ponytail on a diagonal from your cheekbones, pulling it back to that point.

Once it’s super smooth, fasten this top half in position with a tie. If you want it super-sleek, you may want to use TRESemmé Extra Hold Hair Gel at the roots to really smooth out any bumps before you fasten it.

Step 3: Second half

Dividing your hair into two halves and handling the top section first makes it easier to handle any tricky bumps when you come to the bottom section. As you can imagine, trying to tackle all your hair at once will have you battling bumps top and bottom.

Brush this bottom section upwards, joining it to the top ponytail with a second hair tie.

Step 4: That’s a wrap

The ultimate finishing touch for doing a high ponytail is to wrap a little hair over the hair ties. That way, they aren’t visible. Pick a section of about half an inch in width from the underneath of the ponytail and wrap it around until the ties are covered. Secure it in place with a bobby pin.

Alternatively, you can braid that little section of hair before wrapping it around the ties for a fun finish.

Step 5: Pump up the volume

Volume is key if you really want your high pony to ‘pop’.

Use a fine-toothed comb and work in sections from the middle to the top of the ponytail, teasing the hair gently towards the root.

Once you’ve achieved the volume you’re looking for, blast your ponytail with TRESemmé TRES TWO Ultra Fine Mist Hair Spray and finish with TRESemmé Dry Texture Finishing Mist through the lengths.

Step 6: A final smoothing

A handy tip for smoothing down any flyaways or baby hairs is to spray hairspray directly onto your palm before smoothing over the top of your head and round your edges.

Like any hairstyle, learning how to do a high ponytail that really wows the crowds takes practice. But it shouldn’t take too long to perfect when you’ve got a great TRESemmé product arsenal behind you!