I have this saying, “I would have been cool in the nineties!” If only I were born in the 70s, then I could have been in my prime during the 90s instead of a little kid. Instead here I am, adoring the music & fashion of my childhood. When it comes to fashion, I couldn’t be any more influenced by both the 90s grunge and minimalist chic looks. My all time favorite fashion icons are Kate Moss and Victoria Beckham. Normally the grunge look is a little bit easier to pull off because its so effortless and I’m not that good at putting in effort, especially when it comes to hair & makeup. But I’ve always loved the very chic hair and makeup of the 90s – all those ultra sleeked back hair-dos, sometimes with spikey flyaways, and minimalist makeup (usually a bare face and mega black eyeliner). Now that my hair has grown out past my shoulders, there is not too much I can do with it in terms of styling. I’m not that great at doing my hair, but.. I can do a simple and easy, rather sleek & long ponytail. There is a trick to my look also because when I do tie it up in a regular ponytail, it’s actually not all that long. So here we go… this is how you get that ultra sleek, slick, & long ponytail.

1. Dampen, Shizzat, and Part
First you are going to want to start with damp hair and put some shizzat in it… Remember I am not your hair stylist so I can’t actually recommend any good products. To me shizzat is a concoction of gel, mousse, or hairspray… anything that’s going to give your hair some stickiness. However, I do not recommend any There’s Something About Mary hair products (90s throwback!). Then you are going to want to take a very fine comb and comb the front of your hair forward so it covers your face. Then putting the comb to the side, part your hair about half way from the middle of one of your eyebrows. You can part it straight down the middle also, but I did an offset part for my look today. You can also plan to slick it all back without a part. It’s all up to you.

2. Straighten That Mane
Now with your hair parted, you are going to need to straighten up that hair. I usually take to my damp hair a big rolly brush and my hair dryer to straighten it out. I put my hair half way up and start from the very back of my head rolling the hair up in the brush and pressing my blow dryer to it as I brush it out. I paid attention one time while at a hair salon, and it’s always how they do it, so I tested it out and learned the ways. When you straight your hair out this way, it’s going to be a lot less damaging then a flat iron and will give your hair a little bit of fluff. However, I usually combine the blow out with a flat iron when I’m going for ultra sleek hair. I flat iron my hair in a similar way by tying my hair up about half way and starting from the bottom and working my way up to my crown, I straighten a good chunk of strands. Then I have beautiful sleek hair that I can put some more shizzat in, usually some type of hair gloss that I use from my sister’s cabinet. I don’t have any on me, so I didn’t get super glossy on this one.

3. Pull It Back Twice
Now here is the trick. With your super straight hair you are going to pull your hair back into a half up-do, starting from right behind your ears to about the middle lower back of your head. The key to a long looking pony tail if your hair isn’t super long is to not put it on top of your head, but lower back. Hold the ponytail in position and make sure to use a brush to brush back the sides and top so that you don’t have any knotted or bunched up hair. It’s also a good idea to take a fine comb and do the same. After you have your hair successfully half way up you are going to do a similar effect on the leftover hair. Yes, you are going to make two ponytails. The second ponytail should sit just under the first. The second pony tail is going to be lower then the first, elongating the over pony tail. You can actually do as many ponytails as you want, creating a sort of pony-tail mow-hawk effect. I usually stick to two or three and no more then that.

And so that is it. The thing about slicking you hair back is that you are going to bring attention to your face. It’s a good look to pair with fresh makeup, intense eyes, or an interesting pair of earrings. Sometimes hair is used as a comfort zone. it’s almost like you can hide behind it. If you wear your hair slicked back, it automatically speaks confidence and that… is very chic.