33 Trendy Ponytail Hairstyle Ideas for Long Hair

woman with chanel chains in ponytail — @justinemarjan

A ponytail is one of the most versatile hairstyles. It's simple to achieve, and yet it has the power to communicate so much personality. From sassy to sporty and snatched to straightened, there's a wide range of ponytail inspiration for us to all to choose from. While it was extremely hard to be selective with all the good ponytail hairstyles out there, we took a stab at it and rounded up 33 takes on the classic style, equipped with pro trips and product recommendations that you'll want to try ASAP. Keep scrolling to see all the ponytail hairstyle inspiration.

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Pony Puff

Celebrity stylist Vernon Francois has coined this look the "pony puff." The sleek roots draw special attention to Aisha Dee's gorgeous coils.

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Short and Retro

Ponytail Hairstyles Short Retro Scarlett Johansson — Getty Images

Scarlett Johansson proves that short hair can go a long way when it comes to sporting a lively ponytail. Fine hair is no exception to volume, either. Begin prepping clean, dry hair by blow-drying a good mousse into it. (Push the hair back and forth in varying directions to get the most volume, perhaps even upside down.) Once the product is worked in, finish with a dry texturizing or volumizing spray and some back-brushing at the root. That and a deep side parting, and you'll be wearing a short '50s or '60s-esque beehived ponytail in no time.

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Low Wrap

In between haircuts and looking for some styling inspo? This inventive low wrapped ponytail will serve you well. When mid-to-long length haircuts don't have too many layers or too much shaping to them, it will enable you to pull the hair back low and loose without any strands falling out of place. You can use any material—from ribbon to suede to leather—for a little extra pizazz. The stiffer the material of your wrap, the more of a structured curvature to your ponytail. We suggest keeping your grip loose and starting your wrap at the neckline.

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Natural Pony

Wearing your natural texture in a ponytail isn't as low-key as it sounds. It takes just as much effort to keep your natural curls and edges looking fresh. Try using a toothbrush or the end of a rattail comb to help set edges with your favorite edge control product. Also, make note of this micro braid detail wrapped around Joyjah Estrada's ponytail base—a great style idea to give your ponytail a little something extra.

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Bedazzled Pony

Ponytail Hairstyles Bedazzled Dorit Kemsley — @justinemarjan

We love the way the bedazzled bobby pins in this look by Justine Marjan offer a not-so-subtle surprise when you turn your head.

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Braidband Pony

This otherwise basic ponytail got a serious upgrade with the addition of an infinity braid at its base. Infinity braids can be confusing to do on yourself at first and take some serious getting used to. We'll just sit back and lust over this one until the next time we're a bridesmaid in need of some new hair style inspo.

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Braided Half Pony

If having all of your hair in a ponytail on top of your head can feel a bit heavy, try wearing a half-up, half-down style, like this ribboned look by Kristin Ess.

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Bejeweled Hairline

We're obsessed with this entire look, but we're here to discuss ponytails. To get a similar style, prep your hair by applying a strong hold gel to the hairline of your choosing. Then, use a fine-tooth comb to rake through the application and help evenly distribute the gel so that it sets the hair in place. A strong-hold gel may be enough to hold the placement of your jewels if they're applied while the product is still wet. If not, try cutting tiny pieces of extension tape and dotting them along your hairline (or anywhere, really) before applying your jewels. If your hairline is fragile, thinning, or experiencing any breakage, stick to the gel application and opt out of additional adhesion, as this could cause further damage.

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Futuristic Pony

Ponytail Hairstyles Futuristic Hailey Bieber — Getty Images

This snatched high ponytail is giving off some futuristic vibes. To get a clean, sleek look with minimal effort, use a smoothing treatment to brush your hair back using a flat brush (use the heat from your blow dryer here as well if you need to reset the direction of your hair). Spray a little hairspray directly onto your flat brush to provide extra hold as you bring your hair back to be tied. Once you've secured your ponytail, wrap a small section of hair from the bottom of your ponytail around your hair tie (or use a ribbon instead) and secure using a bobby pin or hair pin of your preference.

Byrdie Tip

When recreating this look, try using a clean toothbrush spritzed with hairspray to tame baby hairs and flyaways.

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Bubble Bows

There's no such thing (to us, at least) as an overdressed ponytail. Take your bubble pony from basic to extra by adding a velvet bow over each hair tie. Keep the top sleek and let all the texture live in the tail.

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Waterfall Pony

To get your ponytails looking extra long, create two to three horizontal sections and secure a ponytail for each section, one underneath the other. This is especially great for hair with tons of texture and body, and also darker hues, because it's easier for the hair to hide behind itself and give the illusion of extra length. (A bow on top never hurts!)

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Twisted Tail

Ponytail Hairstyles Twisted Tracee Ellis Ross — @patternbeauty

A twist is a simple but unexpected take on a classic braided ponytail and is a great option if you're short on time. Adding a side part for a swoop of front bang adds some visual interest.

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Bridal Vibes

Ponytail Hairstyles Bridal Mandy Moore — Getty Images

My favorite bridal hairstyles are the ones influenced by runway looks and red carpet 'dos, like this soft ponytail worn by Mandy Moore. Gone are the days when updos coated with hairspray and teased for extra volume are among the desires of modern brides (and we're so thankful). Opt out of the traditional and expected low bun and try something more modern on for size, like Moore's low ponytail. It's simple, soft, and sophisticated, which has us feeling all the bridal vibes.

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Head Turner

This perfectly poised high ponytail can be achieved with one all-star product: BedHead by Tigi's Queen for A Day. It's a wet thickening spray with amazing hold. With the help of a flat brush, it will ensure you get a clean, tight pull on the sides. Rough-drying the product in with your hands up top can give you that piecey, volumized texture similar to that seen here on Priyanka Chopra. With the support of such a versatile product, your ponytail is sure to be a head-turner.

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Fairy Princess Vibes

Ponytail Hairstyles Fairy Princess — @eponavalley

Delicate accessories placed strategically in this ponytail make the wearer look like she's just emerged from a magic forest. We want to visit for sure.

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The Ariana Grande

Ponytail Hairstyles Ariana Grande Inspired — @amaka.ae

Ariana Grande's classic side-parted, high ponytail can be worn with any hair texture. Just part your hair to the side and work your hair onto the top of your head using a fine-toothed comb and a bit of gel.

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Box Braided Pony

Ponytail Hairstyles Box Braids Kerry Washington — @kerrywashington

Boss babe Kerry Washington wore her box braids in a high pony while on set directing for HBO's Insecure. Bungee cords are great for tying your braids up with good tension and flexible sizing. You could also get a spool of elastic and cut your own custom-sized hair ties. For a looser ponytail, tie two of your braids around the perimeter of the rest and secure with a hair pin at the center of your knot, if needed. Tight or loose, we love a ponytail chock full of box braids.

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Chained Up

Ponytail Hairstyles Chain — @justinemarjan

Don't limit yourself to objects labeled as "hair accessories". There are so many options on how you can dress up your strands just by thinking outside the box, like this Chanel necklace for example. The jewelry you already own—think necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and more—might just serve as your hair's best accessory.

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Pearl Parting

Accessorizing the hairline to our updos is a trend on the rise, and thanks to lines like LeLet NY, looks like this ascending pearled parting are easy to achieve with pre-made pieces ready to be clipped into place. If you're more of a DIY-er, you can use wig or extension glue to adhere whatever sized pearls, rhinestones, or other gems into your parting with discretion. Make sure to have an alcohol-based spray on hand (I like to use Bumble & Bumble's Thickening Tonic) for glue removal.

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The Sassy Ponytail

Ponytail Hairstyles Sassy Joan Smalls — Getty Images

This ultra-high ponytail can be yours for the taking (and with minimal effort, might I add) thanks to user-friendly extensions like these Invisi-Ponytails from Glam Seamless. They're essentially pre-made ponytails with clips that slide directly into the base of your natural ponytail, and they have a separated section for you to wrap around and disguise where it's connected. With fool proof, ready-to-use clip-ons like these, you'll be flipping your lengthy ponytail from side to side with a little extra sass.

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Perfect Your High Pony with Justine Marjan

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Baby Hair Art

Ponytail Hairstyles Baby Hair — @fashionbombhair

A low, sleek ponytail presents the perfect opportunity to put your baby hairs on display.

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Fun and Flirty

Ponytail Hairstyles Flirty Rachel Brosnahan — Getty Images

A fun, flirty ponytail is all about preparation. To give a solid foundation to your ponies, try using a good volumizing primer or thickening tonic on wet hair before your blowout. Then, set each round-brushed curl with a flat, creaseless clip so that the hair holds its shape as it cools into place. After your hair has cooled, remove your clips and brush the hair out with a mixed-bristle brush for soft, fluffy volume and those perfectly imperfect curled ends. For a mid-height ponytail like Rachel Brosnahan's, follow the eye line up at a subtle angle and secure.

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Volumized Ponytail

Ponytail Hairstyles Volumized Tyra Banks — @tyrabanks

An easy way to get a little extra volume and height in your ponytail is by using a triple-toothed teasing comb. With three rows of superfine "teeth" in a unique zig-zag pattern, it's sure to push up some major volume, no matter your hair type.

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The Tucked Pony

Ponytail Hairstyles Tucked — @marineserre_official

Not a single tie, accessory, or pin in sight here. Sometimes all it takes to get a casual-cool girl ponytail is the right neckline. Note to self: a hair tuck does not have to be seasonal and is pretty much always a good idea.

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Bubble Ponytail

Ponytail Hairstyles Bubble Ariana Grande — @arianagrande

If you've got extra-long locks, this ponytail is a fun and unique way to break things up. Beginning near the temples and pulling up towards the crown of the head, create your first horizontal section (as if you were doing a half-up high ponytail) and secure it with an elastic that matches your hair color, so it's easily disguised. Continue creating two or three more sections down toward the nape of the neck before continuing down the length of your ponytail. Use a little dry texture spray on each section and back-brush to get that bubbled-up volume.

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Diagonal Parting

The details in your ponytail hold the potential of being its defining feature. See Madelaine Petsch's diagonal parting—such a simple detail can be the component to your hairstyle that really makes it stand out. If you want to switch up your parting, spritz the area with some water and blow-dry in the desired direction with a fine-tooth comb. A tail comb is sure to get you the cleanest parting of your choosing.

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Wet 'n Wild

Ponytail Hairstyles Wet Look Jasmine Tookes — @jastookes

You don't need to have wet hair to get a wet and wild ponytail. If you're starting with dry hair, apply a liberal amount of hair oil or serum to your ends and finish off by pulling the hair back with a heavy coating of shine spray and/or pomade for a glistened look. Brush it back partially for smoothness at the roots. You could also use a lightweight hairspray for extra hold without creating too much product buildup.

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Go Long

Ponytail Hairstyles Long Ashley Graham — @ashleygraham

This voluminous high ponytail on Ashley Graham is one to covet. If you don't have extra-long locks, that doesn't mean you can't rock an extra-long ponytail. In this day and age, extensions are becoming so much more accessible and user-friendly that it'd just be a shame not to play with them more often. Another line we love that makes easy-to-apply ponytails is Hidden Crown's Bungee Ponytail. Just wrap it around and hook it into place—nothing to it!

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Curled High

Ponytail Hairstyles High Curly Tori Kelly — Getty Images

These combed-out curls are giving some serious shape to Tori Kelly's ponytail. For an equivalent amount of perk to your pony, back brush those ringlets before coating them with any curl enhancing products. You can manually fluff things into place after you've tidied things up, securing your desired shape with a strong hold hairspray.

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The Mohawk Pony

Ponytail Hairstyles Mohawk Zazie Beetz — Getty Images

We're perpetual fans of a good faux-hawk, especially one that's decorated with delicate bobby pins for the perfect contrast of hard and soft.

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Big Bows

Ponytail Hairstyles Big Bow — @jenniferbehr

They say the higher the hair, the closer to heaven, but the bigger the bow? Well, we're not entirely sure how that saying goes, but we're confident it ends well.

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Low and Simple

Ponytail Hairstyles Simple Francesca Hayward — @frankiegoestohayward

This simple ponytail is made chic by its precision. To guarantee sleek strands, you'll want a reliable flat iron like this Single Pass iron by T3. Its plates maintain an even temperature, and your strands won't pull or get caught in the plate's edges.

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