Virgin hair--never dyed or straightened, almost never used curling iron or even hair dryer. Good quality shampoo and conditioner, sometimes other leave-in hair conditioning products/oils. I strive for a healthy diet, often including multivitamins (and NO drugs or alcohol). hair is generally very straight, hence why I never have to use a straightening iron. This ponytail was cut in march 2009. It is a little longer than a foot (12-13 inches) and I measured the circumference at about 2.5 or 3 inches thick.