Make your cheekbones pop and show off your sculpted shoulders with this soft pony.
Get the Look
1. This tousled style works best on second-day hair. But if you just washed yours, add grip with a few spritzes of dry shampoo. Try Pantene Pro-V Root Reboot Dry Shampoo ($5, drugstores).
2. Tease your crown. A good tool to use: the Conair Styling Essentials Teasing Hair Brush ($6, drugstore.com). The height gives a dressier feel.
3. Gather your hair — smoothing out any bumps with a fine-tooth comb — and secure it with a clear elastic, lining up the base of your ponytail with the tops of your ears. Try Scunci No-Slip Grip Evolution Jelly Ponytailers ($3 for 14, Walmart stores).
4. Take two small sections of hair from underneath the base of your pony and twist them around each other. Secure with a clear elastic, then wrap the twisted hair around the base of the ponytail and fasten with a pin.
5. Mist a shine spray onto your hands and run them over your hair to tame flyaways. We like John Frieda Frizz Ease 100% Shine Glossing Mist ($6, drugstores).
Take your gym pony up a notch. This sleek version won't slip out when you run, plus it will boost your confidence when you catch your reflection.
Get the Look
1. Run a flatiron through your hair for a supersmooth finish. (Skip this step if you want to go with your natural texture.)
2. Gather strands into a low, tight ponytail at the nape of your neck while smoothing out any bumps with a boar-and-nylon-bristle brush, such as the Denman Grooming Brush With Natural Bristle & Nylon Pins ($12, folica.com).
3. Hold the pony in place with a thick nonslip elastic. Try Goody Slide-Proof Black Elastics ($3 for 10, Walmart stores). For more security, reach for a bungee tie, which lets you cinch hair even tighter. We like the Rickycare Black Bungee ($5 for four, rickysnyc.com).
4. Using a piece of braided faux hair, like the Mia Beauty Braided Tonytail ($8, Alta stores), wrap the elastic or bungee.
5. Smooth on a pomade to lock hair in place. Try Garnier Fructis Style Pure Clean Finishing Paste ($4, drugstores).
Originally published in FITNESS magazine, May 2014.