I Tried Chris Appleton's Half-Up Half-Down Hair Hack: Photos
This Easy Hack From J.Lo's Hairstylist Forever Changed My Half-Up Ponytails
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As I've gotten older, I've learned to accept certain things about myself. I now understand that I have sensitive skin, so testing 10 different products in one week isn't great for me. I've also learned that I have fine hair, which means thick, luscious hairstyles probably aren't in the cards for me without the help of extensions (or Jesus). Although I've come to accept this, it doesn't mean that I don't still search for ways to fake the look of fuller hair. That's why when I saw Jennifer Lopez's hairstylist, Chris Appleton, showcasing a hack for adding volume to a half-up, half-down ponytail, I knew I wanted to try it out.
I've always loved the look of half-up hairstyles, but I can't say I've ever really been able to master them. Although I've been seeing tons of cute looks on my social media feeds lately, I learned to just scroll past them because I honestly just thought the style didn't work for my hair.
Previously when I would attempt the look, I would just separate my hair into two sections and then tie up the top section in as tight of a ponytail as I could manage. However, a huge issue I always have is that the top half of my hair never stays in place. It always loosens over the course of the day, or it flops to one side. Regardless of how tight I tie my ponytail, the style just never seems to last.
I wasn't sure if my fine hair was the culprit, or if I wasn't using the right tools, but I eventually came to the conclusion that those kinds of styles just weren't right for my hair. So, although I was optimistic about Appleton's hack since so many of his past hacks had worked wonders for me, I would definitely say that I was cautiously optimistic.
To test this hack, all I needed was a hair tie. I opted to use the Goody Forever Ouchless Elastic Hair Ties (£20). These have been my favourite hair ties for my thin hair because they are great at holding my hair in place throughout the day.
To start, I brushed all of my hair out to make sure there were no knots. I divided my hair into two sections by gathering the top half of my hair into a ponytail using my hands. Next, I secured the ponytail with my seamless hair tie, tying it around three times. I then loosened the elastic by dragging it down the ponytail about a half of an inch. After that, I took the top half of the ponytail situated above the hair tie and separated it into two sections, which formed a small hole. Next, I used my pointer finger and thumb and reached through the hole, then grabbed the bottom half of the ponytail (situated below the hair tie) and flipped it through the hole. The final step was to tighten the ponytail.
When I looked in the mirror, the first thing I noticed was that securing my hair in this way had given my hair tons of volume. While I used to have to position my ponytail basically at the top of my head to get similar amounts of volume, this hack let me achieve the look easily and seamlessly. However, the real test was going to be whether or not the style would stay in place, or if I would end up seeing my high half-up ponytail become a low ponytail in a few hours time.
I decided to take my daily hot girl walk during my lunch break, and I hopped on the treadmill. When my hot girl walk turned into a hot girl run and my hair was still looking pretty good by the end of my 30-minute workout, I knew I had found a winner.
I've been looking for new ways to style my hair, and this hack is making the top of my list. Plus, I've been using this method with my regular ponytails as well, and it always gives my hair tons of volume. My boyfriend has even noticed — and the compliments keep rolling in. If you've been looking for a way to master the half-up, half-down hairstyle, or you just want to make your ponytail look fuller, definitely give this trick a try.
