Pop Goes The Hair Elastic

Whatever you do, do not purchase “Ponytailers” from Conair’s Styling Essentials line. On a recent trip to CVS, I purchased a set of 75. I used them for the first time the other day, and I’m so upset by the poor quality that I’m tempted to write Conair and demand my money back. Here’s what had happened…

I pulled my hair back into a low pony and secured with one elastic. Then I coiled my hair into a bun and secured with another elastic. While running errands, I felt something hit me in the back of the head – like someone threw something at me. But when I look back, there’s no one in sight…so I chalk it up to my overactive imagination. Then, five minutes later, the same thing happens. I hear a sound behind me, and it feels like someone has thrown something at my head – so now I’m peeved. Except, again, there’s no one there. I reach back and find that my hair is no longer in a bun. Or even in a ponytail. My tangled mess of a mane is flowing freely down my back. Both of the elastics had failed me by up and deciding to spontaneously burst.

I rummaged through my purse for anything resembling a hair taming accessory, but came up empty-handed. Frankly, I was embarrassed to have a handbag so bereft of beauty accessories. Fortuitously, I found a twist-tie (why I have a twist-tie but no barrettes or hair clips is beyond me) in my bag and MacGyver-ish-ly wrapped that sucker around my mortifyingly messy hair. Thank goodness for small miracles, literally.

When I returned home, I removed the twist-tie and pulled my hair back using another of the Conair Ponytailers. Like clockwork, 20 minutes later, it snapped too. Third time was certainly not a charm. And my hair is baby fine, too…not thick at all, so I don’t understand the problem. This product is obviously defective, and I fully intend to contact Conair and express my displeasure.

I did a Google search on “Conair Ponytailers” and it came back empty…which makes me think that this product is no longer on the market. Unfortunately, someone forgot to tell my local CVS. So if you see Conair Ponytailers at your local drugstore or mass market retailer, do like Dionne Warwick and “Walk On By.”