Re banding the hair while it’s wet: I’ve read (don’t have a cite) that wet hair breaks easily, so if you’re concerned about losing hair, I wouldn’t band it wet; same for brushing while it’s wet.
Definitely brush the hair before you put it in to the pony tail, though. That’s how you avoid what JoeyP’s kid (or sister) calls ‘lumpy’. If you have curly, thick hair then first of all I hate you, and second lumpy pony tails aren’t as noticeable. But straight haired people get lumpy-headed pony tails if they don’t brush.
Lumpy? You ask, with trepidation. That’s when, on it’s way to the pony tail, a bit of your hair turns over on your head. Or a couple of bits do. This especially happens if your hair tends to tangle. Doesn’t feel like much when you make the pony tail, but it looks totally dorky. Dude. Spoken from the heart from a woman with a history of many lumpy pony tails.
As Eddie Izzard says, if you’re a bloke walking around in high heels, you got to do it well. You can’t trip and fall or anything. Cause you’re a bloke. In high heels. I think the same spirit goes for pony tails.
Yep - my question, too. Do you see who’s doing the pony tail thing these days?
burned out hippies
guys who are older who are desperately trying to look younger
guys who are still wearing their hair long who are desperately trying to look hip
porn movie “actors”
guys trying to look like bikers
guys trying to look like girls
Steven Seagal wannabes
Fashion designers
See where I’m goin’ with this? Dude, it’s so over. If it ever was cool, it sure isn’t now.
You forgot two entries on your list:
Guys who happen to like the look.
Guys who don’t give a flying crap about what some schmoe on the internet thinks about his choice of hairstyle.
Another bit of advise about which bands to use. Look for bands that don’t have a metal bit holding it together. You can buy bands with just the covered elastic, all the way around. For me, the ones with the metal connections were much more likely to snag hair and pull it out.
Well, as a guy with a ponytail, I would say there is an issue. I have a lot of hair, but it’s not even close to the size of my hand the band would have to go over. Any band that would fit over my hand, would have to be octupled-up to hold my hair remotley securly. And pulled through that many times is just gonna damage the hair more, and be likely to tangle up in itself on removal. If your’re a guy, and it fit’s over your hand, it is way too big.
I just use thumb and forefinger myself to spread it, on a band that fits snuggly on my pinky left on its own.
Thanks, Hal - I was about to get all harrumphy - the husband has one and he certainly doesn’t fit CC’s list - you said just what I wanted to say. 
Wasn’t trying to offend, I’m a long-haired (but not pony tail) dude myself, I just thought the question needed to be asked. 