The High Pony 

The iconic high ponytail of Ariana Grande is so recognisable that we couldn't imagine Ariana without it. In fact, if you do a Google Search for her, you'll struggle to find one. You'd pretty much need to go right back to Ariana's days at Disney where she sported a bright red mane. However, even going as far back as her 'Cat Valentine' character in the Disney show Victorious, she is clearly wearing a standard set of clip-in hair extensions.  

Is It Heavy? 

Very simply; yes. Whenever we try to ascertain thickness, we talk in terms of grams. To give you some context, the typical faux ponytail might weigh an average of 80g. I'd say that Ariana's pony is closer to 300g.That's the equivalent to a small bag of sugar on your head and believe me the longer you wear it, the heavier it becomes. Ariana's pony is likely to use a mix of tapes and weaves to create this style. All held together with an arsenal of hairbands, grips and hairspray to keep every strand in place.  

Ariana is very much in the public eye and I'm sure she doesn't get seen much outside her home without her iconic pony. Unfortunately, this must take its toll on both her hair and her head. Clip-in extensions, including clips of multiple pieces, pony's and half wigs can cause extreme tension when worn for a long period of time. Headaches can be a common side effect. 

Dr. Denise E. Chou says "When you put your hair in a tight bun or ponytail, or a weave or extensions, that will pull the nerves in the scalp. That pulling of the nerves will activate the sensory nerves even more," 

We're not saying you can't ever wear a beautiful long ponytail, you should just probably limit it to a few hours a week. Not only will your nerves thank you but so will your delicate hair follicles. Some of which might not recover if they suffer too much trauma.  

What's The Damage? 

It's rumoured that Ariana Grande decided to adopt wearing the famous ponytail after years of damage, dying her hair a very vibrant red. If true, this could well be a case of out of the frying pan, into the fire. Aside from the additional weight of the ponytail itself, you also have the constant styling that is often required for processed human hair extensions. Processed human hair (which makes up the majority of the hair extension market) needs high levels of heat to style, straighten and curl. Even though the pony is covering her natural hair, it'll still be styled as part of the pony. Not allowing for her natural hair to ever truly rest from these very damaging heat tools.  

There's not a whole lot we can do to try and change Ariana's mind about always wearing her high pony. It's likely that she feels her hair is so damaged now that extensions will be with her forever. It's a much a part of her identity now as her incredible singing voice. But for us mere mortals, we should consider wearing something like this for special occasions only!