A Chic High Curly Ponytail with a Loose and Wispy Look (Tutorial)

With long, thick curly hair, mastering the high ponytail always seemed like an impossibility to me.  But with 2 hidden hair accessories, this look is surprisingly comfortable and lasts the entire day without sagging.  It’s a ponytail worthy of more than a lounging weekend.

Though the hairstyle appears quite basic, there are a few tricks to mastering the look.  From hair prep to styling tips and accessories, here’s a chic high ponytail to add to your style lookbook.

Wet or Dry?

With a loose curl type like mine, this styling works best on fully dried hair.  That way your curls can be fully formed and full of volume.  I typically use gel and hairspray to style my hair and diffuse it until fully dry.  If you’d like to see my frizz-free curly hair styling routine, watch this video!

For day 2 hair or beyond, you might opt for refreshing some curls to prep for this look as needed. I love a curl-by-curl refresh, especially on the curls and loose baby hairs around my face that usually need more guidance. 

Ponytail Placement

This High Curly Ponytail looks amazing when placed at the crown of the head.  It’s a fun and flirty placement that allows you to see your hair from the front view.  Not only does this frame your face, but it shows off the gorgeous texture of your hair as well.

Crown of the Head – The highest point on your scalp, toward the back of your head.

Ponytail Holder

Whether your curly hair is thick or thin, a coily hair tie or ponytail holder is perfect for a soft hold that won’t create a strong bend or dent in your hair.  No dents, or even a soft dent, means you’ll more than likely be able to refresh and restyle your hair for another day.  Still, with thick, heavy hair like mine, a soft hold is prone to sagging by the end of the day… but there’s a solution for that!   First, tighten up your ponytail by tugging your hair in opposite directions.  This will force the ponytail holder to move closer to your head.  Don’t worry if you create some bumpy parts of your hair.  Just pull out a few more curl bumps to round out the volume.

The Anchor

Here’s the hack! This is a great option for a long-lasting ponytail without having to make it super tight.  To prevent your ponytail from sagging, add a tiny or small size claw clip just below your ponytail holder.  To set it into place, lift your ponytail up and out of the way.  Then open the claw clip and clip it to the hair beneath your ponytail holder.  This will give your ponytail more structure to sit on. 

Loose & Wispy Edges

You know I’m not a fan of smoothing out my edges.  I do love a sleek look, but it comes with such a fight, that I’ve learned instead style with the natural wispiness.  The soft and wispy edges give it all a graceful and feminine look.  Also, trimming some face-framing layers gives them some curl families to settle in and live with too.

Let me know if you try this hairstyle!

If you’re also looking for more curly hairstyles, head over to this inspo page!

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Posted By: April · In: Hairstyles