This 30-Second Gym-Ready Braid Will Take Your Ponytail to the Next Level

After a traumatic experience involving a sagging ponytail, a hair tie trapped in the worst of knots, and yanking on a large chunk of hair that will not soon be forgotten — all during a half marathon, no less — I knew I needed to figure my sh*t out with hairstyling for exercise.

I have long, thick, heavy Italian hair and no plans of cutting it short anytime soon. I love my hair, but with any sort of movement beyond walking, a single hair tie doesn't usually cut it. To avoid A) being a sweaty mess and B) having to (painfully) rip sections of my hair apart to release a hair tie, I decided to experiment with a few styles and hone in on what would keep it both secure and tamed.

This 30-second style is the result of said experiment, and it has become my go-to for intense cardio classes and anything where I'll be bouncing around a lot — and sweating profusely. The braid holds everything in place, so even if my hair is sweat-soaked, it looks just fine in its nice little plait. Plus, I have the option to mix up the ponytail portion if I'm feeling more like a topknot or a half-pulled-through style.

The best part is that it truly becomes lightning fast once you've done it a few times. Even if I'm running late for class, I can whip my hair into this style — eyes closed — in seconds flat. Here's how you do it: