SLICK PONYTAIL are two words that instantly conjure up images of pop icon, Ariana Grande.
Yes, few have made a hairstyle so synonymous with them that anyone else who tries it is said to me imitating them.
For those OG fans of Ari, you’ll know that her high pony started as a way to cover up years of damage done to her hair from dying it red for her early TV work.
Hiding those broken ends and dodgy grow-out was easier with it all slicked back into a pony but surely by now Ariana’s hair is back in good condition and she no longer needs the aid of a hefty updo?
Ariana has previously spoken about how her signature style is quite painful to wear and gives her serious headaches, so why do it?
What’s hiding underneath that she doesn’t want us to see?
Well, last week on Twitter Ariana gave fans a glimpse at her natural hair, without the extensions, the help of a heated tool or a team of professional hairdressers, and it was a shock.
Posting a short video of herself online, Ariana showed off her bob-length curls and short fringe - a total departure from how we all know her.
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Ariana, like many of us, is still feeling the results of years of abuse to her hair from over-bleaching to over-reliance on straighteners.
And while everyone is on-board with her sleek ponytail, many fans wondered if she’d ever consider embracing her natural curl.
“They gotta grow first,” she said. “That blonde last year… tarnished. BUT they’re like halfway back!”
Ariana’s response sounds familiar to me as I continue the work to get my natural curls back.
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Yes, I too can boast childhood pictures with a head of gorgeous curly hair - hair that I quickly grew to hate when I started secondary school and straight hair became all the rage.
So, for years I would spend hours straightening my hair to within an inch of its life, making sure that not a single strand on my head had a kink in it.
As the years went on, I started dying my hair with blonde highlights and not taking very good care between dye jobs.
Then, as I fumbled my way through my emo phase, I experimented with three of the most terrifying words in the beauty dictionary - black box dye.
Yep, every six to eight weeks (the only time in my life I ever played by those rules) I’d add a box of Clairol to my mam’s shopping trolley before going home and doing more damage to my already fragile head of hair.
Since then, I’ve messed around with various shades of red, blonde, purple, pink and have now returned to a colour close to the one I was born with.
My hair straightener and curling wand are also becoming more and more redundant, mainly being used for nights out and mornings when what I’ve natural got just looks shite.
And while for the last three or four years, I’ve tried my best to take care of my gruaig and embrace my natural look, it has never quite returned to its childhood glory.
But what’s a girl to do?
Commit to a five-year recovery plan and spend the majority of my salary on hair treatments, products and regular trims? Or do I just mourn the loss of those gorgeous curls I once had and live with the fallout (pardon the pun) from my bad hair decisions?
Well, according to Managing Director of New Hair Revolution and Instagram hair guru, Sabrina Hill, it’s a bit of both.
“The kind of damage Ariana is talking about is structural damage where the disulphide bonds break down and the natural curl can end up turning straight,” Sabrina told DailyEdge.ie.
“Hair that has been damaged by bleaching, hair dye and over-styling is very difficult to reverse and will never fully be back to its original form, however, there have been huge advances in science that is greatly improving the chances of reconstructing damaged hair.
“With the right care, you can get your curls back with a mixture of those reconstructing treatments and lots of moisture.”
So, there is hope but we have to be willing to work at it and invest in the right products to get there.
And they won’t be brands you can add to your shopping trolley either. Sabrina recommends a couple of brands to help get your hair back to its former glory.
“Joico is one brand that pioneered the way forward in creating a treatment that contains all the amino acids that should be present in hair. Their four-step K-Pak treatment seals the cuticle, penetrates deep within the hair, reconstructing it from within. It also gives the hair the moisture it needs to reverse some of the damage caused by over-processing from chemicals and heat.
My top tip for those who suffer from really damaged hair is to make sure you’re using the most gentle shampoo.
"All shampoos contain cleansing agents which can really strip the hair of its natural oils and even undo the good of any treatments you’re using. Something like Alfapark Balancing Shampoo or Paul Mitchell’s Shampoo 1 are great for even the most delicate hair.”
