5 Of The Best Low Ponytail Hairstyles

I recently talked about how messy buns are terrible for your hair. And on Tiktok, you guys had the absolute funniest comments for me! “I look like a founding father when I wear a low pony”. So this prompted me to give you all 5 different low ponytail hairstyles that are gentle on your hair.

I know it can be hard to stop putting your hair into a messy bun. It becomes a habit similar to a nervous tick like biting your nails. I once had a roommate that was trying to stop putting her hair into a messy bun. I would often catch her doing it and she didn’t even realize it was happening! The habit was simply automatic. Having other options that you know are better for your hair and are also super cute will help you to break the habit.

To learn more about other types of hair breakage and how to stop it, see my post here.

Why messy buns are bad for your hair

Let’s first talk about why messy buns are bad for your hair. Messy buns are actually the number 1 cause of breakage that I see in the salon. This may be surprising to you, but pay attention to where you see breakage and flyaway hair.

Low ponytails are better than high ponytails simply because of gravity. When your hair is in a high ponytail, the weight of your hair is pulling on the elastic causing tension. But when your hair is in a low ponytail, the tension is much less because the hair is already laying down in its natural position.

And when the hair is in a ponytail vs. a bun, there are less areas on the hair that have tension. In a bun, there can be 5 or 6 sections on one strand of hair that are being kinked and pulled against the elastic on the hair tie. This can weaken the hair strand and cause breakage all throughout the hair.

I also highly suggest using scrunchies instead of bare elastic hair ties. With a scrunchie, the tension is distributed a little better and it takes some pressure off of a single area of hair.

Ultimately wearing your hair down is always going to be best, but there are times when we just need to get the hair off of our neck. Opting for a low ponytail is going to be your best bet in this situation.

Cute low ponytail hairstyles

Since we are searching for low ponytail hairstyles that are replacing the messy bun, the goal here is to find a style that can be replicated easily. I know that some of these styles may be hard to do with no experience.

These styles are merely to help get your mind going so that you can find low ponytail options that are best for you. I suggest giving them your own spin or mixing and matching hairstyles. Find what’s easy for you to do and mix it with the look you love the most.

Below you’ll find images of the 5 different low ponytail options, but for a full tutorial on how to create these styles, watch my Youtube video at the top of this post.

1. The traditional low ponytail

This traditional low ponytail is the most basic and simplest style to do. This is the option that should replace your messy bun when you don’t have anywhere to be.

I will alternate between wearing this straight in the back with pulling it to the side. Pulling it to the side definitely gives you a cuter look and it’s so easy to do!

After I secure the hair into the scrunchie, I like to pinch and pull up on the hair in the crown to create a little volume. This alters the shape of the style giving you some height on top.

I then pull out some hair in the front for some face framing. Even if your hair is long, I still recommend doing this! You don’t need to have short face framing pieces to pull a few hairs out around your face.

You can add waves to them as well to enhance the look.

2. The fancy low ponytail

This fancier version of the traditional low ponytail is also extremely easy to do. It creates more of an elegant look to the back of your ponytail than the traditional ponytail does.

This hairstyle is created by flipping the ponytail inside out which gives the wrapped effect at the nape of the hair. (see my Youtube video above for a demonstration)

I also pinched out some hair where it’s wrapped to create a slightly looser effect. You can pinch the hair at the crown for added volume as well as pull out some face framing pieces for the front.

3. The fishtail braid

You can create this look with any type of braid, but the fishtail is my absolute favorite braid so that’s what I used for this example.

It’s also very simple to do, as you are just working with 2 main sections of hair instead of three. (see my Youtube video above for a demonstration)

I chose to braid the hair to the side as I love the look of wearing a braid to the side, but you can definitely wear it straight back as well.

I pinch and pull this hair out slightly to create a looser effect, and you can do it even more than I did in this example.

4. The braided headband

This style is another spin on the traditional low ponytail and is easy to do as long as you know how to do a basic braid.

For this braided headband, you’ll just braid hair on either side of the head and secure the braids with a small hair tie. Next, pull all the hair back into a traditional low ponytail. You can then remove the small hair ties holding the two braids, or leave them if you choose.

As always, I pinch the hair at the crown to add height and create volume, as well as pull a few face framing pieces out in the front.

5. The side braid

Of all the low ponytail hairstyles I’ve demonstrated here, this one is probably the fanciest. I actually have worn my hair like this in weddings before! All that being said, this is probably the most difficult hairstyle on this list to achieve.

If you already know how to french braid hair, this will help you out. If not, I suggest learning how to french braid before attempting this.

This is essentially a moving french braid, where I start it on the front side and move it around my entire head to the other side. You’ll need to move your hand position several times as the braid moves. (see my Youtube video for a demonstration)

Again, we pinch and pull the braid to loosen it, create volume, and add face framing pieces up front.

What are the best hair ties to use?

Now that you know what hairstyles to try out, I want to give you options for what hair ties you should use when creating these looks.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t recommend using elastic hair ties as they can create tension damage on your hair. Instead, you should use scrunchies and softer hair ties that will distribute tension better.

Even for small hair ties, I choose to use a scrunchie like material over the small clear elastic hair ties that WILL pull and damage the hair.

***Since I’m sharing the products that I love to use with you guys, this page includes affiliate links to these products. If you take action and purchase a product through clicking one of my links, I’ll make some commission money from it at no extra cost to you. This enables me to be able to continue giving you awesome hair tips, so thanks! ***

Traditional Satin Scrunchies

Mini Soft Hair Ties

Conclusion

Since messy buns are one of the main causes for hair breakage seen in the salon, utilizing a low ponytail is going to be your safest ponytail option.

Try out these 5 low ponytail hairstyles to enhance your look:

1. The traditional low ponytail
2. The Fancy low ponytail
3. The fishtail braid
4. The braided headband
5. The side braid

Leave me a comment and let me know which hairstyle is your favorite! And make sure you subscribe to make everyday a good hair day.