How to: Get it on with the Side-Part Pony Tail

Winter's windy and cold weather outdoors and heated dry conditions indoor not only wreak havoc on skin but is also very damaging to hair.

And if you find that your hair's looking shabby (as mine currently does) and you don’t have time for a cut, then the current trend of a sleek pony tail will give your hairstyle a new lease in life as you can easily hide the messy hair.

Other than using a great hydrating shampoo and conditioner, you will also need to up the anti on your styling products to keep your hairstyle looking in tip-top condition in the colder months. 

My current product of choice is the Wella SP Elegant shape Body Mousse 300ml - RRP A$33.50 as it adds a flexible hold to hair, gives it a bit more structure and adds body and volume to the roots of hair.

Applied to towel dried hair and you not only have something to work with on your hair, you're also giving your hair some heat protection from hairdrying and also has UV filters to protect again from sun rays.

Now back to the pony tail style -  it's easy to achieve and looks great on anyone any age, it’s elegant, classy, chic, seductive, hide bad hair and was all over the run way at the Marc Jacobs Fall Winter 2011/12 show.

Nars for Marc Jacob NYFW 2011

For a something a little different though, try the sleek side parted pony tail which Lucy Liu sported when she stepped out for the NYC Kong Fu Panda 2 premiere last month. The side part works as it's more wearable and helps to diffuse attention away from an uneven hair line.

image credit: John P Iblis/jpistudios.com

To get the look:
Start with straight dried hair and create a strong side part with a comb and then brush hair down. If you have curly hair, you might want to use an anti frizz serum like before hand to smooth the hair down first.

Brush hair back towards the back of the head and make sure to brush out any bumps on the side. Depending on how high your front hair line is (the higher your hairline, the lower your pony tail should sit to balance it out at the back), fasten hair with a hair tie and then smooth down flyaway bits with hair spray.

Smooth some Gloss Shine Concentrate at the ends of the ponytail to make your hair shiny and prevent frizz during the day/night

Products used:
Wella SP Perfect Hold hairspray 300ml - RRP A$33.50  
Wella SP Exquisite Gloss Shine Concentrate 40ml - RRP A$37.00  
Medium tooth comb and round paddle hair brush

What other styles do you use to hide bad hair days?

Additional image credits: Google images
Wella SP products were provided for consideration.