Searching for creative ways to hold back my hair in twisting braids and knots is something I find myself doing far too often. 

Braids make my forehead expand to the size of the Tasmanian Sea. Low buns give me the same look George Washington possessed in 1790. Leaving it down isn’t acceptable; my long frizzy blonde hair just doesn’t sit straight. High ponytails leave me with excruciating headaches. 

The common, negative denominators with all the styles I use to contain my luscious locks are the difficulties that come with using the thick, black, drug store hair ties. Leaving creases and excessive marks in hair is nothing new for these difficult, black bands. I’ve tried telephone cord hair ties from brands such as Scunci and Goody in an effort to avoid dents in my hair, but have remained unsuccessful in my hunt for new ponytail holders until Instagram presented me with Teleties.

Starting out as a small business in 2016, Teleties has now taken the hair tie world by storm. Now they’ve attained 142,000 Instagram followers and are partnering with many different brands such as Huk, Lily Pulitzer, Peloton, and Scout. Teleties as a brand has had tremendous growth. 

So what is so different about these hair ties? Although they are still phone cord hair ties, the spiral is much different. They stay tighter for a longer period of time, don’t rip at strands of hair when removing each tie, and contain spunky individualized designs on the inside of each band, specialized to the theme of each purchasable pack. 

Although they aren’t as easily attainable as ponytail holders from GIMME or Invisibobble, due to the fact that they can only be purchased at unconventional and exclusive stores such as Gilks, VonMaur, or from their online website, they are worth the hunt. 

Another downside to the elusive hair ties is the cost. A drugstore pack of cheap, disposable ponytail holders can be around five dollars for 100 bands while Teleties ring up to about eight dollars for a three-pack of small bands, and ten dollars for a pack of three thicker bands. Personally, I have no issue splurging on a product that encourages hair growth and lack of breakage. While it could be understood that these are heavily overpriced, you are paying for quality over quantity and a product that is also more environmentally friendly and is sure to last longer.

My favorite part about these hair ties are their versatility. To begin with, Teleties come in three different sizes: tiny, small, and large.

 The tiny bands are a perfect fit for someone with extremely thin hair, due to the minuscule size of the band’s circumference. The small bands—my personal favorite—are for thin to medium thick hair and have an extremely durable grip on your hair regardless of what style you chose to throw your locks up in. Lastly, the large size bands; I have found these sized hair ties to be almost impeccable for crafting the most discombobulated yet cute, messy buns. Originally created to target people with a thick mane, they have a stronger grip and wider circumference to encapsulate all of your hair inside of it. And regardless of what size Teleties you chose to purchase, each pack obtains its own unique prints, patterns, and colors on each individual hair tie. 

After discovering these unique and durable hair bands that not only preserve my length, as well as inspire new growth, discern pulling and creases, and contain a groovy pattern on each band, I will never be caught dead in drugstore black hair ties ever again.