If you’re of a certain age, you may well recall hair scrunchies worn as accents on ponytails back in the 80s. It was convenient for a wearer to slide a scrunchie over a wrist when she wanted to let her hair down.

Scrunchies themselves have not made a comeback, but decorative hair elastics have returned, with a twist. You may have noticed the ads from Goody, which sells hair accessories in drug stores and other retail locations. “Finally a hair elastic able to disguise itself as a bracelet,” the ads proclaim, touting the new Goody Doublewear Ponytailer + Bracelet. The page shown is from the Nov. 7, 2011 issue of People.

The October 2011 issue of InStyle exclaims, “we’re obsessed!”: “Function meets fashion with these hair elastics from Bloom Black Ties and Goody.” InStyle notes that the stretchy bands have metal adornments that add instant polish, they can be mixed and matched for a layered look, and, “When worn around our wrists (as we inevitably do with hair ties), they pass as cute bracelets.”

The January 2012 issue of Real Simple finds even more examples of this trend, calling the items “the anti-scrunchie” and adding: “While you may have said goodbye to that bunchy fabric number ages ago, a black hair elastic on your wrist isn’t much of a step up. Introducing the bracelet band: It masquerades as jewelry but is always at the ready when a hair emergency strikes.” The hair tie-bracelets pictured are a resin teardrop pony holder from Colette Malouf, a Bloom Black Ties “antique pony holder,” a beaded version from L. Erickson, a Duelette band with beads, Twistband tie-dye bands, and a rock-candy pony holder from L. Erickson.  

Savvy stylists have long known that bracelets strung on elastic may work as ponytail accessories. Indeed, line bracelets and other items of fine jewelry are sometimes shown pinned into the hair as seriously upscale accents. For sheer ease of use, however, the new hair elastics qua bracelets are designed to be no muss, no fuss.

JCK