Get the hang of a Ponytail

Whether the prudes like it or not, men love sporting long hair these days, especially ponytails. With Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan, Ranveer Singh, Shahid Kapoor and down South even stars like Ram Charan, setting the trend, ponytails are definitely the “in” thing.

However, as most women will vouch, long hair can be a pain to maintain during summers. Here’s what the experts have to say about pulling off the cool look in the summer.

Well known hair expert Jawed Habib gives a few tips on how to take care of long hair before tying it up. “First one must apply a little oil before shampooing. It is extremely important to use a serum after bath,” says Jawed.

Talking about how a good foundation haircut is essential, Jawed says, “If you want to tie your hair in a ponytail, you must have a good haircut first. The side locks should be short so as to keep the look neat. The trick lies in avoiding a messy hair situation.”

City stylist Neeraja Kona too stresses on the importance of a good haircut. “Men should go in for a regular trim and get rid of split ends if they do want to sport a ponytail. The best way to style it is by using a water-based gel which will keep the look intact,” she says.

Jawed, however, puts in a word of caution for the men. He says, “Long hair in summers is not really recommended. The Indian climate does not suit regular hair gels. Especially in South India because of the humid weather; the ponytail will look best on men who naturally have good hair texture.”

“But if someone does want to go ahead with the look, they must blow dry their hair before tying it up as that will make the ponytail look much nicer,” adds Jawed.

Meanwhile, one mustn’t forget the accessories. Neeraja says, “In my personal opinion, when men tie up their hair with a baseball cap it looks really good. The ponytail looks best with t-shirts but not very good with anything formal.”