The ponytail has been through every stage of fashion, from a sophisticated and classy statement, to trendy and messy, to forgotten or ubiquitous. You’ve been doing ponytails since you were a little girl, and they have been a nice standby that’s about to get better.

This fall, it’s time to rock the pony with more drama than ever before. We’ve seen royalty like Meghan Markle demonstrate the classy, regal approach while rock royalty like JLo and pop superstar Ariana Grande prove that more is more!

Let’s look at this season’s hottest ponytail statements and talk about how to get there.

Tools to create ponytail happiness

If you’ve got your brush in one hand and an elastic tie in the other, you’re really not ready to make a ponytail statement. While those two old standbys helped you get your hair back and out of your face, they never really gave you a showstopping look. 

To be the queen of the tail, you’ll need the following tools at one point or another.

♦ Fake hair, clip-ins work well

♦ Elastic bands

♦ Damage-free hair ties

♦ Bobby pins

♦ Rat tailed comb

♦ Wide-toothed comb

♦ Narrow-toothed comb

♦ Paddle or soft smoothing brush

♦ Hairspray

♦ Hair La Vie Serum

Must-have ponytail styles

It’s time to create a tail that people talk about. The following options give you a great start, but the better you get at working a pony, the more options you’ll come up with on your own.

1. The higher, the better

Tools: Fake hair, elastic bands, wide-toothed comb, smoothing brush, hairspray

Jennifer Lopez is creating quite a stir with her new pole dancing role in the movie “Hustlers.” While her body is rocking, hair enthusiasts are loving her sweet and ridiculously long ponytail. Don’t worry ladies, most of that hair is fake, which means you can have that style too.

To work in fake hair, make a very small ponytail at the top of your head. Leave hair all around it. This needs to be securely clipped into place as it forms the base. Then add layers and layers of clip-in hair around the pony. Finally, gather your real hair and swoop it up into the final ponytail, and paddle brush it smooth before spraying the crown into place.

2. Low-slung glamour 

Tools: Damage-free hair ties, wide-toothed comb, narrow-toothed comb, hair serum

To get Meghan Markle’s low and classic style, apply some hair serum and then comb your hair back with the wide-toothed comb, you may also need a narrow-toothed comb to pull in fly-aways. 

Work your hair all back into one hand at the nape of your neck and secure with a damage-free hair tie.

3. The grand grande

Tools: Narrow-toothed comb, elastic bands, hairspray, bobby pins, fake hair, rat tail comb

If you love Ariana Grande’s hair, then this ponytail is for you. A little warning—this is not your everyday ponytail.

Gather the hair at the top half of your head and pull it back into a ponytail. The point of the rat tail comb helps you divide your hair, and it’s also good as you work it under your hair and gently lift it from your scalp. This takes practice, you lift the hair to create space between the follicle and the ponytail holder, while repeatedly tightening the ponytail by splitting it in half and equally pulling both sides.

Once it’s puffed out around your scalp and looks sufficiently messy, begin teasing and ratting the hair underneath near the base of your head. This will then be gathered into a second ponytail below the first one. 

At the base of both ponytails, create an X with bobby pins to lift the look. Wrap fake hair around the elastic ties and tuck ends in to cover the elastic. Finally, tease and fluff all of your hair to create the full look you want and spray it into place.

Final thoughts

Ponytails are taking center stage again this season, but with an added dose of drama. Whether you like to wear them low and sleek, high and long, or full and sassy, the look is getting a lot of attention and puts you at the front of fashion.

Work on mastering the tools needed for these looks and getting the effect you want, then start playing. The great thing about the ponytail is it’s just begging for some amazing accessories, and since this fall is all about hair jewelry, it’s the perfect way to let your personality shine.