20 ways to use hair elastics

Hair elastics are to beauty what glitter is to crafting. They seem to end up all over your house and somehow, when you are in dire need, you can’t seem to find one anywhere. It’s kind of a love/hate thing, these hair elastics. But the love part, you guys, is so totally worth it. Hair elastics have become a secret weapon for me over the past few years of doing editorial and bridal styling and I never head to a job without some elastics in my kit. No, these little miracle workers are not just for little girls on crazy hair days anymore. Meet your new best friend, guys. Here are 20 things you can do with them today!

1. Tie a side braid- Finish your side braid with a clear elastic or one the color of your own hair. This will keep your braid nice and tight. It will also give you just enough grip to keep the braid in place if you’d like to pull out some pieces and add texture.
2. Braid your hair everywhere for waves the next day- Hey, us fine haired ladies have to get texture any way we can. And braiding your damp hair and securing with elastics before going to bed is one easy way to get texture as easy as in our sleep.
3. Base an updo in a bun- Gather the bottom of your hair at the nape (leaving the top and sides out) and tie it up into a bun with your elastic. Then, bring the top and sides down over the bun to create a twisted updo. Try this tutorial from The Beauty Department for a great visual!
4. Tie a low ponytail and curl- I love the really easy trick of taking your hair in the ponytail (or two or three if you have thick hair) and curling all the hair below the elastic. Then, snip the elastic carefully and shake your hair out for bouncy, big waves.
5. If you have natural hair, create a “puff”- Like Lillian of KnottyNatural.com did here. I love the ease and adorableness of this style!
6. Tie a waterfall ponytail for extra length- Gather your top and sides into a high ponytail with one elastic. Then, gather the rest of your hair in a slightly lower ponytail and enjoy a thicker, longer looking mane.
7. Style your niece or daughter’s hair- Because come on, these are just made for hearts and basket weaves and all sorts of fun tricks. Buzzfeed has a whole post on tutorials!
8. Fake cornrows- Part the hair deeply to one side and on the light side, comb three to five sections. Braid each section and secure at the root with an elastic.

1. Try a topsy turvy half-up do– Gather your top and sides into a medium ponytail. Then, dig a hole in the hair above the elastic, loop your length through the hole and enjoy a twisted ponytail.
2. Create a perfect messy bun- Use your elastic to loop sections and create a perfectly messy look. If you have thick hair, use a larger ponytail holder first and then an elastic to create texture.
3. Do three small low ponytails, braid together and pin- The perfect, laid-back updo that only takes five minutes to recreate. Use the braids to fill in the part lines and add width to your style. This tutorial from Indulgy shows you a similar look.
4. Try a ballerina bun- Use your elastic to secure a tight ponytail before rolling the hair under or around a donut.
5. Diffuse your hair in a pinch- Take small sections of hair and wrap them in elastics. Make sure to keep larger loops for more volume and loose wave and tighter twists for more curl. Diffuse until dry, snip the elastics or just pull them out and you’re all set. Hairsmith’s How To has a step by step on achieving this look overnight!
6. Add one simple braid under your hair– Take a larger section from behind your ear, braid it up and secure with an elastic. It will add a fun touch to any basic hairstyle!
7. Fake a Jasmine ponytail- Use your elastics to secure and add volume to a boring ponytail style. Pull your hair up into higher ponytail and then secure small sections with elastics moving down the length of the ponytail. Push each section up to add volume and texture before placing the next.
8. Tie a flower to your hair- Use your elastic to keep it in place all day long. Hold your flower upside down and secure your elastic around your hair and the flower. Trilogy even shows us how to braid the flower in for extra security. 
9. Use them to hold sections in place if you can’t find clips- In lieu of traditional clips for sectioning, use elastics to hold back the hair you aren’t working on. Butterfly clips, who needs ‘em!
10. Tie half of your hair back for the illusion of a side bang- Gather a large section from one side of your hair and join it with a smaller section on the other side, sweeping across the forehead. Secure low with an elastic and enjoy a day’s worth of a faux bang. Check out this feature on Beauty Launchpad to see an example!
11. Create hair art with different colors- Similar to the cool bobby pin art we’ve seen on the runways. Use different colors and different size sections to wear your hair!
12. Create a Game of Throne’s inspired ‘do- Use your elastics to secure braided sections of this famous hairstyle. Braid two sections back high on your head and secure with an elastic while you braid the section section. Then, join them together. I love this tutorial from Preen.Me for ideas!

What else have you done with your hair elastics? What ideas would you share? Show us on Twitter or Instagram!