How can I get a less puffy ponytail?

[naples]

I am new and a guy so I don't know a ton, but my ponytail puffs out like in the picture unless I put another tie on it like half way down, but I don't like how that looks much. Any tips are appreciated. looking forward to getting to know you guys.
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af106/z1dizzle/Mattshair300907a-1-1.jpg?t=1282866695

[naples]

OOPS, here is a picture with normal color
http://i998.photobucket.com/albums/af106/z1dizzle/Mattshair300907a-3.jpg?t=1282866881

[Gumball]

If it fluffs out you probably have some curl or wave in there, and really outside of having to beat it up with a straightener, the best thing to make it stop trying to be a triangle is just length. Length tends to weigh hair down some since gravity takes its course. You could try to use products to make it a little more contained, too.

ETA: Seeing the normal color shows that you have wave and a lot of thickness, and it makes the fluffiness much more apparent until there is more length to either weigh it down more or until it's long enough to do something else to in order to keep it all together (like braiding).

[Capybara]

Wow you have a thick ponytail! It looks great!

Maybe you could try braiding it?

[Gumball]

Wow you have a thick ponytail! It looks great!

Maybe you could try braiding it?

I'd definitely go with that. When I began growing my hair out (it's curly) it went from loose, to being tied back, to being braided. Once I was able to braid it my hair didn't end up going everywhere anymore. I knew exactly where it was because I put it there. :wink:

[naples]

THanks for the braid idea. a friend tried that the other day, but it is too thick and to short right now so it looked like a blob at the back of my head. guess i just have to wait. Has anybody tried using gel or something like that though?

[MissCoco]

You could try washing your hair and then braiding it (hair is a bit longer when wet and more manageable), but if it's still too short for that, you can try aloe vera gel, serums or oiling your hair. Welcome to LHC, by the way! :)

[christine1989]

I love the way it looks! If you really don't like the poof then a leave in conditioner can help weigh it down and de-poof it a bit.

[cindy58]

I like your color and shine! Keep growing!

There will be times during the growing when it's not quite the way you want it, but hang in there.

[sunrain]

AAAAHHHH!!!! Your hair is amazing! The color, shine, wave, and thickness... *falls over*. Just gorgeous! Though, having really thick hair is another reason some styles might not work for you. Since you haven't said how long it is, it's hard to tell if there is a style that might work. I would second the braiding, when it gets long enough to braid with your thickness. Are you sure that you wouldn't be able to just make a short braid? It looks like you could, from the picture. Or perhaps you could do some sort of french braid! I know at least one of the other guys french braided his hair at about (what I assume) is your length. Otherwise, wait it out and try the oiling/leave in conditioner/aloe vera that others have mentioned. My goodness, I can imagine your hair longer. It would be perfect for elvish styles! Speaking of which, are you trying to come up with a style that contains all of your hair, to keep it off the neck? Otherwise, you might try just pulling the top half up, and perhaps braiding that section. You would definitely be able to braid half of your hair.

[naples]

Thanks for the replies and compliments. Since the braid doesnt work yet (its just like 2 bumps with stuff going everywhere) i will try the other stuff and see if that helps.

[MandyBeth]

My braid is a 2 bump version. But French works well. Also try Mariika's lemon juice rinse in the herbal section to help tame the fluff.

[Phexlyn]

If the braid doesn't work yet, try French braiding and/or weighing it down with product (leave-ins, oils, aloe gel,...). It will get less puffy when your hair gets longer, so keep growing :)

[naples]

Thanks for the advice everybody. Tried some oil stuff today and it was better but kinda greasy so we will see. And as of right now I dont have the guts to wear a french braid anywhere.

[sunrain]

Ahaha, why does it not surprise me that you don't want to wear a French? Though in some cases, practicality outweighs how silly (or girly) you think you will look. If it helps at all, go and research styles of long haired men in movies (personal favorite for this- Lord of the Rings). That way you at least have things to add to your possible repertoire of styles. And go look for and ask the other male members what they do/did with their hair! (If you need help with that, ask around. I also think there's a gentlemen's club among the social groups. I still haven't made my way out of the Mane forum, much, being a newbie myself. Hours of browsing have helped me identify lots of key members, though!)

If your hair is greasy, you probably used too much oil. For your length, one drop rubbed between your hands and then through your hair should be enough for daily oiling. There's definitely a thread on oiling around here, somewhere. Use the search function. :)

[PLH]

brushing in olive oil to damp hair really reduces the volume of mine, especially useful to avoid big puffy ponytails.

[Idun]

Your hair looks extremely thick and very beautiful! I would suggest that you try a two strand rope braid. Somehow the ropebraid looks slimmer than a regular braid. With a drop of oil on your palms it gets neater. You could also try criss crossing thin leather bands down you pony to tighten it.

[smileycat]

Do you CO wash? I quit CO washing specifically because it left my hair LIMP and thinner-feeling.

[camara]

Maybe if you tried parting your hair from ear to ear and then braided the lower half? Like this (http://www.forums.longhaircommunity.com/album.php?albumid=798&pictureid=21201).

And I have to agree with many others, you´ve got very nice hair, and growing it longer is most likely going to reduce its volume.

[naples]

THanks. the braid thing works good too, and that is easy.

[xoxophelia]

I love your hair :)

Just the way it is.

[SpinDance]

Your hair is thick and beautiful. A reverse-French braid/Dutch/Mohawk type braid would work, and the end of the tail wouldn't be so thick, as some of the thickness would be taken up by the part braided along the head. Your hair is thicker than mine, I think, but mine fluffs like that on wash day. A bit of oil, Panacea, or other leave-in can help smooth it.

Another option is to take the top part, similar to the under-braid mentioned above, and instead of braiding the under part and putting the upper part into a pony, put the top part into a simple braid, and either leave the bottom loose, or then put the whole thing into a pony or low braid. For the top part braided, bottom part loose, see Daniel Day Lewis in "The Last of the Mohicans". A friend of mine wore his like this sometimes, and it looks good and holds well.

[JenniferNoel]

Oh my, I absolutely envy that "puffy" pony. My hair has always been thick but never that amazing. I like it.
As far as deflating the volume, leave-in conditioner or a light comb-through with olive oil always does the trick. But oil can get, well, oily. So I prefer a leave-in.