Ariana Grande without her ponytail is like Gwen Stefani without her red lipstick. Cindy Crawford without her mole. Ruby Rose without her tattoos. You get the idea...it just wouldn't feel right. But just when we thought the singer had done all she can with her signature, she showed up with a totally new take.
About a month ago, Grande got bangs to give her style a different vibe. Then, she cut a hole in her baseball cap to keep her pony sky-high. Now? She's rocking a look we haven't seen in years, and one that Madonna owned: a tall, thick, tight ponytail with glorious, '80s-inspired crimps throughout.
The singer also wore her hair crimped when she performed a Whitney Houston tribute on ABC's Greatest Hits earlier this month, so we're betting we'll see a lot more of this throwback style in the future. (Seriously, check out how fast the photos under the #crimped hashtag on Instagram are piling up.)
Want to try the look at home? Hair can get big — like closer-to-god big — when you use a crimping iron on the entire ponytail. If you're into that, go for it, but if you want to keep the look a bit more tame, like Grande, just work with a select few sections. And remember: The more tension you use when clamping down the iron, the sharper the crimp, so start with a light hand and then build up if you want more. Finally, try some styling tricks, like braiding crimped hair, for a more modern feel. Not that we expect to see that look on Grande anytime soon — that is, unless the braid is pulled into a ponytail first.
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