How to Create a Woven Ponytail

A woven ponytail is a great way to add a little flair to your favorite ponytail style. You can opt for a simple style that only requires you to pull two stands of hair through your ponytail. Twisting sections of your hair over an existing ponytail gives you a slightly more complex look, or you can try a more intricate design that incorporates two types of braids. No matter what type of woven ponytail you try, your hair will look amazing!

EditSteps

EditPulling Your Hair Over the Top

1. Use your fingers to part your hair. Start at both temples and move your fingers straight back so they meet in the middle of the back of your head. This should divide your hair in roughly half.^[1]
   
2. Put your ponytail up in a clear elastic. Use a clear elastic band to put the top section of your hair into a ponytail. Don't pull it too tight against your head, because you need enough room to weave your hair over it.^[2]
   
   
3. Poke a finger through your hair on the right. Near the base of your elastic, poke a finger up from the bottom side of your ponytail through the hair in the middle of your ponytail. Don't make this hole too big, since that can cause the ponytail to fall apart^[3]
   
4. Pull over a piece of loose hair from the left. Take a section hair from the loose hair on the left side of your head. Lay it over the top of your ponytail and pull it down through the hole in your hair you made on the right side. Pull the section of hair down so that it lays flat.^[4]
   
   
5. Repeat with the left side of your ponytail. Poke another hole up from the bottom on the left side near your ponytail. Then pull a section of loose hair from the right side of your head and lay it over your ponytail. Pull it through the hole you made with your finger on the left side until it lays flat over your ponytail.^[5]
   
   
6. Use bobby pins if necessary. Once you've pulled hair through on both sides of your ponytail, the woven ponytail is finished. But you can use bobby pins to secure it if you want to feel like it has a little more structure. Start with the bobby pin underneath your ponytail, facing the back of your head. Slide it over the end of the piece of hair you've woven over the top of your ponytail up and into the hair behind your ponytail. Repeat this for the other side of your head.
   
   

EditTwisting Your Hair

1. Divide your hair into three sections. The sections should be relatively even, although you can make the two side sections slightly smaller than the middle section.^[6]
   
   
2. Pull the middle section into a ponytail. The base of the ponytail should rest near the middle of the back of your head. You shouldn’t pull it totally tight against your head, but it should be close so that it’s easy to twist your hair over it. Secure the ponytail with a clear elastic.^[7]
   
   
3. Twist a small section of loose hair. Starting on the right side, separate a small section of your loose hair near the front of your face. Twist it back toward your ponytail. Lay it over your ponytail toward the left side. Then wrap it under the existing ponytail and tuck the end into the elastic.^[8]
   
   
4. Repeat by twisting your hair on alternating sides. Repeat the same process on the left side, twisting a piece of hair, laying it over your existing ponytail toward the right side, and securing the end under the existing ponytail elastic. Repeat this process until you’ve twisted back both sections of loose hair.^[9]
   
   
5. Add more elastics as necessary. As you twist more and more of your hair, you’ll need to secure the ends of the twists with another elastic. Keep the new elastic close to the original elastic so that your hair will look loose in the ponytail once you’re done.
   
   
6. Tie up your full ponytail. Once you’ve twisted all of your loose hair over your existing ponytail, add a final elastic over all of it. This makes sure that all of the twists are secure.^[10]
   
   

EditBraiding Your Hair

1. Part your hair in half. If you have a side part you can keep it, just split your hair in half at the crown of your head. Otherwise, start from the front of your head and part your hair evenly down the middle.^[11]
   
   
2. Secure one side of your hair. This keeps that side of your hair out of the way while you work on the other side. It’s up to you which side you’d like to start with, just make sure one side is secured and out of your way.^[12]
   
   
3. Divide a section of hair into three. Start near the front of your face and near the part. Take a 3 inch (7 cm) section of hair and divide it into three equal, smaller sections.^[13]
   
   
4. Make a simple plait. A plait is just the first section of a braid. To make one, cross the front and back strands over the middle strand. Start with the back strand – the one closest to the back of your head – and cross it over the middle strand. Then cross the front strand over the middle.^[14]
   
   
5. Add more hair to the back strand. After you’ve made the first plait, add another, small section of hair from behind the back strand to it. Then cross the thicker back strand over the middle strand. This allows you to incorporate more hair into the braid and keeping moving toward the back of your head.^[15]
   
   
6. Let the front strand drop. Instead, grab a section of hair from immediately underneath the front strand. Use this as your new front stand and incorporate into the braid by crossing it over the middle section. This creates a waterfall effect.^[16]
   
   
7. Repeat this until you get to the back of your head. Keep repeating the process until you reach your part. Then braid the loose hair at the end into a regular braid and tie it off with an elastic. You may need to pin it to get it out of the way as you work on the second braid.^[17]
   
   
8. Create a French braid. On the same side of your head where you created the waterfall braid, create a French braid. You should do this underneath, but close to, the first waterfall braid.^[18]
   
   
   • Divide a section of hair near the front of your face into three sections, using one waterfall piece as one of the sections. Cross the back strand over the middle, then the front. Once the first plait is complete, add the next waterfall section to the back strand, moving toward the back of your head.
9. Repeat until you get to your part. Once the French braid reaches your part, braid the loose hair into a regular braid. You should now have two regular braids from the first side of your hair.^[19]
   
   
10. Repeat the process on the other side of your head. Take the hair on the opposite side of your head out of the elastic and repeat the whole process on that side of your head. Make sure you keep the braids close together to maintain the woven effect.^[20]
    
    
11. Gather all four braids into a ponytail. Once you’ve finished braiding your hair, gather all four regular braids (the ends of the waterfall and french braids on each side of your head) into one ponytail near the middle of the back of your head. Then take the smaller elastics out of each braid so that the hair in the ponytail is loose.^[21]
    
    
    • You might need to gently brush or run your fingers through the loose hair in the ponytail so the hair looks evenly distributed.
12. Pull gently on braid edges. Don’t pull too hard, since you can pull the braids out. But pulling lightly on the edges makes the woven effect look thicker and more incorporated.^[22]
    
    

EditTips

• If you don’t have a lot of experience braiding your hair, start with a simpler style.
• You might have to start over a few times to get your hair look right – that’s okay!

EditSources and Citations

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via Peter