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While gowns at this years’ Oscars leaned princess-y, the biggest hair trend of the night had a totally opposite look. The minimalist ponytail was the hot hairstyle to have. The always-sleek ‘do has gained steam since the new year, moving from street style standby to red carpet regular. Want evidence? Take a look at A-list celebs like Olivia Munn, Mindy Kaling, Kelly Ripa and more who all gave it a go with a straight-center part on Oscar night. In terms of easy-to-copy hairstyles, this is it: Not only does the minimalist ponytail work with different hair textures (no, you don’t have to flat-iron your hair to death to take part in this trend), but it’s also pretty easy to style — as in, one-product easy. Below, see the best updos of the 2016 Oscars and the hero hair product you need to make the majorly polished look all your own.
Olivia Munn
Olivia’s center-parted ‘do was the perfect balance of being styled but not overly slicked back. Her perfectly out-of-place hair looked naturally shiny — not like it had a bunch of product in it, just plain healthy. For that can’t-quite-put-your-finger-on-it polish, use a product like Living Proof Nourishing Style Cream ($37) to smooth out your hair ever so sightly. (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty)Olivia Culpo
Olivia Culpo’s Oscars ponytail was the opposite of Olivia Munn’s: slicked back and free from any flyaways. To copy her so-sleek, so-chic ‘do, apply a hair oil like Bumble and Bumble Hairdresser’s Invisible Oil ($21) before you style your pony to give it a lightweight hold. Your hair won’t look or feel greasy with this stuff; it’ll have just the right amount of sheen and holding-power, but still feel soft. (Photo via Frederick M. Brown/Getty)Priyanka Chopra
Not all ponytails have to be sleek, people! Take Priyanka’s super volumized version last night: It still has that no-fuss vibe about it (a must-have for minimalism), but is sightly elevated thanks to a bit of backcombing and a volume-boosting product like Tresemmé Volumizing Mousse ($5). (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty) Kelly Ripa
A more loosely-styled minimalist pony also made a notable appearance thanks to Kelly Ripa. Her barely-there waves naturally fell and framed her face perfectly, while the beachy texture pulled the whole vibe of her ‘do together. Grab a product like Not Your Mother’s Beach Babe Texturizing Sea Salt Spray ($6) to ace a tousled, matte finish. (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty)Mindy Kaling
Mindy’s pulled-back hairstyle allowed focus be on her gorgeous face, especially since it was totally free of flyaways. That’s key — any loose hair would distract from the sleekness of this look. Use a tool like Conair Fly Away Brush ($4) to smooth out your ponytail after you’ve set it in place — just make sure you’re gentle! (Photo via Jason Merritt/Getty) 
