The Red Lipstick: The 1960s Ponytail

This variation of a ponytail adds a strong dose of sophistication to that casual hairstyle, making it seriously sleek and even worthy of formal events.
You give your ponytail a 1960s vibe you need to know the basics of the bouffant first, and then a low ponytail with

How to do a 1960s ponytail: the tools and products to get it right

Tools you will need:

A tease comb or tease brush. These have multiples bristles that will make teasing your hair that much easier than using a regular comb or brush.
Optional 3-4 big rollers (2" at least) to prepare the crown of your head, Velcro, hot or otherwise.
A ponytail hook (an elastic band ended in a hook on each side).
Bobby pins IN your hair colour (black, brown, blond... there's a plethora of colours to choose from).
Hair clips to help during preparation.

Products you will need:

A volumising mousse or your preferred product.
Hairspray.

A 1960s ponytail [Collage by Caroline Grant, Photo credits: www.fashionising.com]

How to do a perfect 1960s ponytail in 7 easy steps:

Prepare the crown (Photo 1). Separate a circular section at the top of the crown and apply volumising mousse to it. Optional, but useful, is to lift the roots of the hair by using big curlers and letting dry (if you have fine or very straight hair, or both, it will help to keep the volume afterwards, but if you have wavy or curly hair you can skip this step).
Back-comb hair (Photo 2). Take a parting of the crown at the very back of the crown, holding it not too tense and start teasing. Use three rapid, curved movements of your teasing comb/brush to back-comb, starting a couple of inches from the scalp. Push teased hair with a fourth movement to the scalp. Repeat with each parting of hair, working your way forwards towards the forehead, building on volume and height. Your hair will look messy at this stage, but back-combing done right doesn't damage your hair (although, let's face it, it's not something you should be doing on a regular basis).
Smooth over (Photo 3). Brush softly the very top layer of hair back, smoothing it over the back-combed (and still messy) section.
Pull back and hold (Photo 4). Pull back all crown hair and use bobby pins (in your hair colour) to hold it in place at the back of your hair. You can modulate the height and shape you want it to have at this moment. You also can decide to do a side parting (starting following the imaginary line from the highest part of your eyebrow) or a centre parting.
Separate two smaller sections of hair (Photo 5). This step is important, as it does add to the overall 1960s vibe.
Pin the two side sections in place (Photo 6), lightly twisting each one into the centre as you pin it. This will help to create balance and volume, and also provide a smoother finish. Now all strands of hair are caught and pinned to the back of the head.
The ponytail (Photo 7). Take all hair and gather it at the nape of the neck. Stick one end of the ponytail hook to the ponytail and pull, twisting it around the ponytail. Hook both ends of the elastic together. To cover the ponytail hook, take a small section of hair from the bottom of the ponytail and wrap it around the elastic hiding it completely. Pin it safely and tightly in place by catching with with a bobby pin and sticking it into your hairstyle, making sure it doesn't show.