What the High-Ponytail Trend Is Doing to Your Hair

While we're on the topic of destroying your hair (joyfully, in the pursuit of even better hair (opens in new tab), here is an interesting and useful development: You might be able to blame some of your follicular follies on Bella Hadid.

Nary seen without a crown-high, face-tightening ponytail—not that she needs it—Hadid wears this particular style so well and so often you could logically cite her as the Bad Influence behind your own habit. We say bad, because, yeah, it might be making you go bald.* Oops.

*Over time. Results may vary.

Depending on how taut you pull your own pony, traction alopecia, AKA hair loss, AKA why you see mature women on the subway whose hairlines have receded, could be a real concern. "A tighter pony puts more weight on the hair, restricting the vessels of the hair follicle and increasing cases of alopecia," says Sheenon Olson, celebrity stylist and creative director of ATMA Beauty (opens in new tab). "That being said, this is only a major concern if you're wearing this style over an extended period of time (three to four times per week over several years). This is not likely to happen if the style is only being worn occasionally."

Got it. But what if your Croydon facelift addiction looks like it's going to be wee bit harder to break (opens in new tab), even with the threat of resembling the Rock/your dad sooner than you thought? Matrix SoColor Artistic Director Daniel Roldan suggests switching the position of your pony and using a clarifying shampoo (opens in new tab) to remove product buildup, while Olson advises switching to bondless ribbon elastics and loosening up for the gym—the motion of exercise creates consistent tension where the elastic rests. So consider this the one time whipping your hair back and worth isn't a good thing.

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