Pull all your hair back and up, tie it together with a hair band and walk out of the door, ready to take on a new day! That’s really all it takes to get a messy ponytail right. This, in turn, partly explains the immense popularity of this simple look—it’s so easy to achieve. The other component to its enduring fame is just how versatile it is.

Recommended Video

The Showiest Messy Ponytail Hairstyles

A messy pony can be upgraded, updated, and modified to suit all face shapes, hair textures and lengths, as well as any occasion. So here are our 35 picks of the most ingenious ways to sport everyone’s favorite ponytail style.

#1: Messy and Teased Gray Pony

Source

It’s amazing how easy you can create this sexy look, whether with your naturally long hair, or with ‘fake’ strands (i.e. a weave). Simply tease all your hair, or air dry without a comb. Put it high up into a ponytail, fasten with an elastic and take a few strands at the hairline out, to complete the look.

#2: Low Loose Pony with Side Bangs

This is a low messy ponytail achieved on the base of a long layered haircut, so the one thing that sets it apart from the others is how the bangs have been worked into the look. Strands of different lengths frame the model’s face, while the ponytail itself has been slightly teased, for extra volume at the back.

Source

#3: Poofy Pony with Face-Framing Strands

We love simple ideas, and this one is definitely a winner. The ponytail rests high on the crown. The model’s hair is not very thick, but it gets plenty of bounce from backcombing. As for the rest of the hair, loose locks at the front make this style seem more effortless and carefree.

Source

#4: Romantically Messy Ponytail

Get a messy-yet-feminine hairdo that looks like it’s straight out of a storybook! Twist the side sections and gather everything into a loose ponytail at the nape of the neck. Wrap the base (or allow excess hair to drape over it).