A hair tie (also called a ponytail holder, hair band, hair elastic, wrap around, gogo, or bobble) is an item used to fasten hair, particularly

long hair Long hair is a hairstyle where the head hair is allowed to grow to a considerable length. Exactly what constitutes long hair can change from culture to culture, or even within cultures. For example, a woman with chin-length hair in some cultures ...

, away from areas such as the face. This is usually done as part of a

hairstyle A hairstyle, hairdo, haircut or coiffure refers to the styling of hair, usually on the human scalp. Sometimes, this could also mean an editing of facial or body hair. The fashioning of hair can be considered an aspect of personal groomi ...

such as

pigtail A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...

bunches A woman with long pigtails and braids. In the context of hairstyles, the usage of the term pigtail (or twin tail or twintail) shows considerable variation. The term may refer to a single braid, but is more frequently used in the plural ("pi ...

, or

ponytail A ponytail is a hairstyle in which some, most or all of the hair on the head is pulled away from the face, gathered and secured at the back of the head with a hair tie, clip, or other similar accessory and allowed to hang freely from that poin ...

s for straight, wavy, and loosely curled hair, and referred to as

afro puffs "Afro Puffs" is the first single released by the Lady of Rage in 1994 from the Death Row labeled ''Above the Rim: The Soundtrack''. The extended, video, and instrumental version on the single samples "Superman Lover" (Intro) by Johnny "Guitar" W ...

bunny tails Rabbits, also known as bunnies or bunny rabbits, are small mammals in the family Leporidae (which also contains the hares) of the order Lagomorpha (which also contains the pikas). ''Oryctolagus cuniculus'' includes the European rabbit spec ...

, and "pineapples" for highly curled and highly textured natural hair. Two common types of hair tie are the

scrunchie A scrunchie (or scrunchy) is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs. History The scrunc ...

and the elastic. The term can also include a fixed tie or rubber band which is placed ''through'' or around strands to hold specific parts of hair together, rather than tie it or clasp together like a

hair clip A barrette (American English), also known as a hair slide (British English), or a hair clip, is a clasp for holding hair in place. They are often made from metal or plastic and sometimes feature decorative fabric. In one type of barrette, a cla ...

. Hair ties' elasticity and

durability Durability is the ability of a physical product to remain functional, without requiring excessive maintenance or repair, when faced with the challenges of normal operation over its design lifetime. There are several measures of durability in us ...

vary according to the material or materials from which they are made.

History

Hair ties have likely been in use for thousands of years. In the 18th century

wigs A wig is a head or hair accessory made from human hair, animal hair, or synthetic fiber. The word wig is short for periwig, which makes its earliest known appearance in the English language in William Shakespeare's ''The Two Gentlemen of Verona' ...

used a "queue" or "tail", consisting of a leather strap or small bag, to hold the wig together and support it. The early to mid 19th century and the modernisation of the rubber industry allowed for use of rubber in clothing, which would ultimately include early elastic hair ties.

Other names for hair ties

Hair ties are known by numerous names. Among the more common are: * Bands * Binder * Bobbin * Bobble * Bunchie * Chongo * Ding dong * Dodoggle * Doof * Dooflatchee * Elastic band * Gogo * Hair band * Hair binder * Hair bow * Hair deals * Hair elastic * Hair elastic band * Hair holder * Hair knick knacks * Hair lacky * Hair thing * Hair Toggle * Hair up * Liga * Nubby-doo * Ponytail holder * Ribbon *

Rubber band A rubber band (also known as an elastic band, gum band or lacky band) is a loop of rubber, usually ring or oval shaped, and commonly used to hold multiple objects together. The rubber band was patented in England on March 17, 1845 by Stephen P ...

Scrunchie A scrunchie (or scrunchy) is a fabric-covered elastic hair tie used to fasten medium to long hair types. Large, elaborate styles and diminutive, unassuming forms are available in many different colors, fabrics, and designs. History The scrunc ...

* Twistie * Whiztinger * Woogie * X-Twist

References

Headgear Hairdressing {{fashion-stub

History

Other names for hair ties

See also

References