ITA. I am not natural but...I never wear my hair in a ponytail. I only do puffs (see my siggy) and when it was shorter I always used a banana clip. These styles put much less stress on the hair and look much fuller than a ponytail when you don't have the length and you won't have to worry about the shorter pieces. Cosigning on the Denman, gel, and putting up damp or wet hair. I sometimes (in warmer weather) just slap some cheapie conditioner in it and put it up, I would add a little honey if it got white. Made the hair manageable and gets some extra conditioning in.