Half up half down hairstyles are the perfect marriage between casual and chic, without the effort that a full updo requires. If your hair tends to get greasy, oily, or frizzy within a day or two, a half-up hairstyle can be a quick and easy way to deal with oily hair or extra frizz and still look stylish. Whether it's a half up bun hairstyle, or a traditional half ponytail, we foresee half up hairstyles sticking around for a while.
Achieving the perfect half-up hairstyle is easier said than done, however. If you have thin hair, you likely know the struggle of tying half your hair up into a ponytail only to be left with a few hair strands at the bottom to work with, or having your half ponytail flatten and fall throughout the day.
Just look at ponytail queen Ariana Grande or Khloe Kardashian—if you've been following both these celebrities' hair journey, you've likely seen them rock a similar half up half down hairstyle to the one shown in the following video, with just the right amount of volume and bounce, without falling flat. So, what's the secret? Check out the video below or read on to learn how to achieve the perfect half up half down hairstyle every time.
In this tutorial, Rachel uses her Seamless Chestnut Brown Luxy Hair extensions. By strategically clipping in a few wefts, this hairstyle is quickly transformed from thin and flat to thick and voluminous.
Step 1
To start off, separate your hair at the nape of your neck and clip a 4-clip weft in from your set of hair extensions. This will give the look extra thickness, and ensure that once you tie your hair up into a half ponytail, there is still ample hair left at the bottom. Be sure to brush the weft out before clipping it in.
Step 2
Next, separate your hair at the top of your ears, and clip the largest 4-clip weft in. Then, separate your hair at the widest part of your head and clip a 3-clip weft in. You should now have enough extra thickness at the bottom portion of your head.
Step 3
For extra volume on the sides, separate your hair at your temple and clip a 1-clip weft in on either side.
Step 4
Now it's time for the fun part! Gather the front section of your hair toward the back, into a half up ponytail. For added thickness, clip two 1-clip wefts upside down, underneath the ponytail before tying it off.
Step 5
Then, secure the ponytail with an elastic at the top of your head and pull it as tight as possible, to create that bouncy effect. Be sure that the half up ponytail is tied at the very top of your head, otherwise, you may find that it falls flat.
Step 6
Brush out your hair and spray a bit of heat protectant all over your hair.
Step 7
Using either a hair straightener, curling iron or curling wand, separate your hair into 1 inch sections and begin curling. If you are using a curling iron or curling wand, the curls will have a rounder shape. If you use a straightener, the curls will fall in looser waves. When curling your hair, be sure to curl away from your face, for a softer, more flattering look. Be sure to follow the instructions here to make your curls last all day.
Step 8
Once all your hair is curled, including the half up ponytail, spray a little spritz of hairspray all over your hair and brush out your hair gently, so the waves become soft and smooth.
Step 8
Smooth down any flyaways by applying a bit of hairspray and using a fine tooth comb to smoothen down the hair.
Step 9
Finally, for that extra volume and bounce in the ponytail, spray hairspray underneath the ponytail and use a teasing brush to backcomb the bottom of the ponytail. This will ensure that the ponytail remains on top of your head instead of falling flat.
And that's it! A quick, easy way to achieve the perfect celebrity status, half up hair down hairstyle every time, without a full glam squad at your disposal.
Rachel uses her Seamless Chestnut Brown Luxy Hair extensions to achieve this look.
Have you tried using hair extensions to achieve a perfect half up half down hairstyle? Do you have any other tips and tricks to share? Let us know in the comments below, we'd love to hear from you.
