The Secret to Miley's Over-the-Top Ponytail—Straight from Her Stylist

You know you're impressed.

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(Image credit: Archives)

The VMAs are here! And with Miley Cyrus as host, we can only expect the looks to go from out-there to, well, even more out there. First up? Miley's epic, textured ponytail (to go with her embellished loincloth, naturally), care of celebrity hairstylist Gregory Russell. Here's how to get the look:

1. Start with wet hair. Apply a generous amount of TIGI Bed Head Hard Head Gel and use a comb to get a sleek and clean base for the twisted-up ponytail. 

2. Comb all the hair up towards the crown as tight and flat as possible. Lock the ponytail in place with a bungee ponytail band or use two to make sure it is on REALLY tight.

3. Then, use a diffuser to dry the gel base to completion before moving on to styling the ponytail.

Prep the wet (ponytail) hair with TIGI Bed Head Joyride Texturizing Powder Balm to amp up the texture. 

4. Then, blow out the hair using a flat brush. 

5. Take 2-3" sections of the hair and apply a pearl-sized amount of TIGI Bed Head Hard to Get Texturizing Paste and run it through the entire section from ponytail band to ends. 

6. Split that section in half and twist it twice around itself, then use a comb to tease the twist and lock. Repeat this technique through the ends. 

7. Next, apply a pearl-sized amount of TIGI Bed Head Manipulator Matte and rub back and forth, and down the twist to tighten it and give a matte texture. 

8. Once all the the ponytail hair is twisted, spray TIGI Bed Head Hard Head Hairspray down the twists for hold. 

9. To finish, add a fun accessory to the base of the ponytail!

Samantha Leal
Senior Editor

Samantha Leal is the Deputy Editor at Well+Good, where she spends most of her day thinking of new ideas across platforms, bringing on new writers, overseeing the day-to-day of the website, and working with the awesome team to produce the best stories and packages. Before W+G, she was the Senior Web Editor for Marie Claire and the Deputy Editor for Latina.com, with bylines all over the internet. Graduating from the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University with a minor in African history, she’s written everything from travel guides to political op-eds to wine explainers (currently enrolled in the WSET program) to celebrity profiles. Find her online pretty much everywhere @samanthajoleal.