How to do Barbie Ponytails - With & Without Swoops

Hair is fun, and figuring out a new style doesn’t have to “live in dreams”. If you’re ready to sport a look as classic as a famous plastic figure, the Barbie ponytail is for you!  This ponytail gives your hair extra depth and show’s you're not “playing around” when you enter a room.  You mean business!

Best of all you can do Barbie ponytails with a swoop, without, and style it to make it as authentically you as you’d like.  Add colored weave to go with this season's color trends, style bangs for a formal event or a date, and use adornments like ornamental barrettes and butterfly hair clips to make this do take flight.

The Barbie ponytail is different from a traditional ponytail because it reaches further out from your head so the ponytail can really fly around making it perfect for a hair whip on a dancefloor and cheerleading.  This depth is reached because of the way the ponytail flips over the hair tie vs. using the hair tie to hold it in place.

To do a Barbie ponytail you will need:

• A hair brush or comb
• Two hair ties
• Any adornments or accessories you’d like to add

The steps to style a Barbie ponytail:

1. Brush or comb your hair back and pull it into a high ponytail at the crown of your head.
2. Secure the base of the ponytail with your first hair tie.
3. Tease a small hole between the hair tie and your head, then feed the ponytail from the inside out, and loop it over the hair tie.
4. Pull your hair out flat and use a finishing spray or light hairspray to keep flyaways at bay.
5. If you really want the barbie look, curl the bottom of the ponytail to flip up at the end.

Now that you know how to do the classic Barbie ponytail (no swoop), let's look at a few more options.  The first is to add bangs. 

While you’re doing step one from above, separate your bangs out and secure them in place with bobby pins before you pull your hair back.  This way they don’t get pulled into the ponytail.  Next is the second most popular version, the swoop.

Barbie Ponytail with a Swoop

A swoop in hairstyling just means you’re using side swept bangs.  Your bangs swoop across your forehead and help frame your face.  And for the Barbie ponytail, it adds a classic, playful feel to the style.

1. Brush your hair out flat and part it into three sections.  Right, left, and center. Then secure the two side pieces in a temporary ponytail.  You can use a claw hair clip to save time. 
1. The two sides get pulled back flat against your head and secured in the ponytail.
2. The center becomes the swoop.
2. Section your hair with the side that does not swoop first by pulling it to the back of your head and securing it with a hair tie.
1. If you want to keep your hair flat against your head and looking sleek, use a wax stick, pomade, or other easy to manipulate styling product.  
3. Take the center section and shape it across your forehead with how you’d like the swoop to look.  
1. This way you know if you have enough hair to create the style, and you can add more or take some away.
2. If your hair is not completely straight and flat, the swoop won't sit against your head and give a clean, sleek look.  Flat irons are perfect for doing this before you create the swoop.
4. Secure the center section with another hair tie or a scrunchie once you have enough.
5. Pull the sides back tight and flatten them against your head while using your styling product to keep the look smooth and secure the ponytail with a hair tie.
6. Now brush or comb the center section of your hair and use a flat iron to make sure it is flat and straight.
7. Lay the center section over your head and shape the swoop while bringing it back over your ear.
8. Take your hair wax or pomade and apply it as instructed on the package over the swoop to hold it in place, then use a finishing spray to add some shine if you want.
1. For longer hair, you can combine the back of the center section into the ponytail. 
2. For shorter hair, secure it with the styling product against your head.
9. The last step is to curl the bottom of the ponytail so it has a small flip up at the end.  Then use a finishing spray or light hairspray to keep flyaways away.

Bonus: a fun way to make this look unique is to do a braided ponytail instead of straight hair with a flip.

And now you know how to do a barbie ponytail with and without a swoop.  Subscribe to our newsletter below for more styling, hair nutrition, and product tips like these.