Take a walk around the marble halls on a busy afternoon and you’re bound to see them, dozens of girls with their hair pulled up in messy, half-baked ponytails.  At some point over the last ten years, disheveled ponytails ala Meredith Grey (at left) have become the standard working woman hairdo.  But while this lifeless hairstyle may keep the hair out of your face, it does nothing for your overall look.

We spend so much time choosing the right outfit that it seems like a shame to ruin the whole look with one of these awful hairdos.  This style makes even the most well-dressed lady look like she is on her way to the gym (or to perform an endoscopic thoracic sympathectomy) which is the only place this hairstyle should be seen. 

I concede that professional women are busy people, and that not everyone has the free time to execute a perfectly coiffed blow-out each morning.  But can’t we try to put in a little effort when it comes to our hair?

I’ve already written about my go to hasty hairstyle: the low side bun.  For the want of a dozen bobby pins and twelve minutes of your time (yes, I know exactly how long it takes to make thsi style happen), you can ditch the messy ponytail forever.  But maybe the side bun isn’t your thing.  Perhaps you’d prefer something a little easier, maybe a little more youthful?

Thanks to SuTree’s how-to videos, you can learn how to create a better ponytail.  The site will teach you how to cover the hair tie to achieve a sleeker look and how to add volume to create a fuller, more glamorous ponytail.  You can also learn how to make a simple bun and if buns and ponytails aren’t your thing, you can learn how to braid on YouTube.  There is no reason why a well-dressed stylish woman should resort to a lackluster hairstyle simply because time is in short supply. 

For those bad weather days that ruin your hair before you even make it to the Metro, I keep an emergency hair kit in my desk drawer.  The kit includes a handful of hair ties, a black headband, a card of bobby bins, one jaw clip, one large barrette, a curling iron and hair spray.  This may seem excessive, but when you consider what a powerful thing a “bad hair day” can be, it makes perfect sense.

Ladies, I implore you, ditch the “Meredith Grey.”  There are enough quick, easy updo videos on the Internet to ensure that you should never go messy again.