...your hair is in a ponytail.

Disclaimer:  This might read like an advertisement, but trust me, it's not.

I have had short hair for a major portion of my life.  My mother thought it would be easier for me to take care of short hair when I went away to Girl Scout camp in 1979 and that started my long career in short hair.  (There was junior year in college when I briefly grew it out, but I looked like I had a wig on.)

A few years back, I decided I needed a change, grew my locks out, and now, I have shoulder-length hair.  What I didn't realize is that I missed YEARS of fun hair accessories!  Granted, we should have all skipped the 'scrunchie' years, but there are some great accessories out there.

With my hair ready for ponytail action, I approached a friend one day last year to ask about her oh-so-cute-but-simple hair elastic.  It was a neutral color and had a knot in it, with the ends of the elastic sticking out about a 1/2".

Image from emi-jay.com.

She told me they were called 'Emi-Jay' hair ties and they wouldn't 'dent' your hair when you removed the tie.  Fabulous!  Must try.  Where do I get them?!  Bella Sante (spa in Wellesley, Boston, Lexington, MA) has them.

The next time I found myself at Bella Sante, I purchased one 5-pack of the 'pearl' hair ties.

Image from emi-jay.com.

They were great!  Worked well and looked cute on your wrist when you weren't wearing them.  My older daughter even wore one.   I did a little online research, and found that the company was started by TEENAGE girls in L.A.  Great work girls.  These were the fun hair accessories I missed all those years.

But, as it turns out, people are still trying to figure out where to buy these.  When I wear one, I usually have someone ask me where I got it.  In fact, it happened again last week.  Therefore, this post, and a mini-list of where to get these delightful hair ties since they are not widely available in retail stores.  Nordstrom carries a 3-pack of classic colors for $6.50.  Amazon has a large selection of the 5-pack sets, $10.99 each.  Bella Sante spas carry them in the Boston area.  The Wellesley outpost had this selection on their counter last week.  Aren't the animal print ones fun!?

Image from Jennifer Houston.

Or, simply go to the source, Emi-Jay online, for the entire selection, including these sets below, the Classic 5-pack set or the Summer 2012 set.  Enjoy! ~ JH

Image from emi-jay.com.

Image from emi-jay.com.