08-05-2025
This £2.66 hair product is my secret to a perfect slicked-back ponytail
I wear my hair in a slicked-back ponytail approximately six days a week. Why? Well, it gives total Hailey Bieber-clean girl vibes and yet hides a multitude of sins. Locks all crushed and tangled? Simply slick them back, grab a matcha, and you're pretty much an Instagram influencer.
Until recently, however, I had an issue with nailing the slicked-back look: my fluffy baby hairs. I have thick curls, and trying to scrape them back without bumps or kinks is already a challenge, made even more annoying when by lunchtime, despite all my hard work, my hairspray has stopped holding them in place and I look as if I've rubbed a balloon on my head.
But as they say, inspiration comes from the strangest places. In my case, it was a video posted by North West (yes, Kim Kardashian 's pre-teen daughter) demonstrating how she perfects her slicked-back bun.
In the clip, North styled her slightly damp hair and slicked her baby hairs down with Eco Style's £2.66 Olive Oil Styling Gel. Given that it's rare to see the billion dollar heiress using anything you can pick up in Boots, I decided to give it a go – and honestly, whether your hair is straight or curly, it's an absolute godsend.
Infused with natural olive oil, the real allure of this gel is that it's so lightweight. Other products I've used to slick back my hair leave me looking a) like I've swum through an oil slick or b) feeling like I've lathered thick syrup on my hair.
Eco's gel has the perfect balance: enough hold to keep my flyaways in place but an uber-light finish, so you can let your hair down at the end of the day without fearing it's going to be frozen in place. I apply it using a toothbrush to fully slick my curls back, using around a teaspoon of the product every day (so the 250ml tub also lasts forever).
