More hair talk - textured ponies

[LitZCT]

What tool do you think should be used for a textured pony like this (lots of relatively thick hair on a younger girl). Curler or crimper? Lots of hairspray or something else? If you see any other good photos of examples I would appreciate them too. I want to try something other than a bun or sleek pony.

 

[peachy0902]

Her hair looks more like it's been curled after it's been put up in the ponytail!!
I'm not sure how this translates to how ballroom hair needs to be long-lasting and virtually bulletproof lmao, but my curly-haired friends use curl cream and other mousse-like curl defining products to maintain the shape of their hair throughout the day.
I'm assuming there would be a lot more gel/hairspray involved for competition hair though

 

[Pryn]

The easy answer is to purchase the ponytail with the curl you desire.

But, if you're looking to recreate the look - and I'm taking a guess at this - depending on the curl pattern & texture, I honestly think thin, tight braids wrapped around tight spiral curl rods could achieve the look and hold up through a competition. (I might be wrong, but I feel like it's possible.)

The braids would definitely need to go in wet with a setting lotion and a curling mousse. You may need to let the hair to air dry for 24hrs, and take the braids down with the sharp end of a rat-tail comb. (No blow drying. No finger take down. Blow drying and finger take down may cause unwanted frizz.)

Add more curling mousse throughout the pony tail, and finish with ample hair spray and a bit of oil sheen spray with humidity block so it doesn't look crunchy and resists some sweating.

 

[LitZCT]

Oooo, I didn't think about wet tight braids. That's a good thing to experiment with. She has too much hair as is, no purchase needed

Somewhere I also saw a great look of very sleek helmet head with a very fluffy crimped pony on a teen competitor but can't find a photo online.