This was the ponytail where the above pile of hair came from. It was, at first, rejected... but since it came all the way from Malaysia (mass donations), we decided to give it a try to save it.
There was a rubber band, but it was too far from the end where the hair was cut. Though some hair was secured, but there was some being placed in the opposite direction, causing the hair to entangle.
Just below the red line, you will see the cutting edge (where the hair was cut - evenly cut hair). Rubber band should be tied about an inch below and nothing more.
This is the final product after 5 nights of hard work. We only managed to salvage about 60% of the hair.