‘The pony has gone through an evolution’: Secret behind Ariana Grande’s ponytail

IT’S her signature hair look — a long, full ponytail worthy of a Victoria’s Secret runway.

Ariana Grande is being credited with a spike in demand for hair extensions, according to the Australian beauty industry.

“The pony has also gone through an evolution, and I’m proud of that,” the God Is A Woman singer told The Fader, according to Allure.

“I mean, it’s like a Victoria’s Secret angel without angel wings. It’s still her without them, but when she’s with them it’s like, ‘Ohh, I get it, she’s an angel,’” she added.

Grande, 25, has been sporting her trademark look while promoting her new album, Sweetener, due out next week.
 

The man behind Ariana’s ponytail is celebrity hairdresser Chris Appleton, who also tends to Kim Kardashian and Jennifer Lopez’s manes (Appleton was even spied on-site with his hair kit at Coachella, where Grande performed during Kygo’s set).

Demand for Ariana-style fake ponytails had spiked in the past six months, with Grande’s trendsetting look a key reference point for customers according to popular Australian extensions brand, Showpony.

“We have had a 50 per cent increase in (clip-in) ponytail and halo sales within the last six months,” Showpony owner Stephanie Mason said, describing it as a “thick, catwalk ponytail”.

Grande — who is engaged to Saturday Night Live comedian Pete Davidson — even sported the sky-high pony to the Met Ball and onstage at Coachella.
 

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“With the length and the thickness of the ponytail, most girls would need hair pieces (extensions),” Jacky Chan, the creative director at Oscar Oscar’s award-winning Chadstone salon, said.

“We put the (natural) hair in a ponytail first, and then use clip-in hair extensions or halo hair extensions (a headband-like hair extension attachment), and tie it around the base of the natural hair to add thickness and extra length,” Chan, who is the 2018 Victorian Hairdresser of the Year, said.

Grande likely had “close to two full head (sets) of extensions” to achieve her signature ponytail, which would take up to an hour to achieve, Chan said .

“(Customers) do mention her name and say, ‘that’s how high I want my ponytail,’” he said.

Sweetener is out on August 17.