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The money piece hair trend is nothing new, but it’s recently been gaining popularity thanks to celebs and influencers sporting the look. Read on to learn what the hype is all about and whether or not it’s right for you.
What Is Money Piece Hair?
If you’ve heard about the money piece hair trend loved by the likes of Beyonce, Dua Lipa, and Bella Hadid, you’ve probably got some questions.
- What exactly is it?
- How does it look?
- Are there different ways to wear it?
- What hair type or style does this hair color trend suit the best?
We had similar questions and set out to get the answers for you. Stick around to learn what the money piece hair trend is, how it’s done, and how you can wear it best in our visual guide.
The Short Answer
Money piece hair refers to hand-painted, face-framing highlights that become the focal point of a hairstyle. Typically, these highlights are brighter in tone than the rest of the hair to draw attention to the front and draw the eye to your face.
You might hear this trend called money piece highlights, money piece balayage, or simply “money piece hair.”
It all refers to the same look: Soft, lighter balayage highlights around the face that brighten and soften the style. This balayage technique gives you a lot of bang for your buck, which could be where the trend’s name came from.
Since only a few strands are painted with lightener (usually with the roots left out for a low-maintenance, relaxed vibe), you can get the money piece trend done very cheaply compared to more expensive full-head highlights.
But more commonly, you’ll see money piece highlights done on hair that is already balayaged or highlighted for dimension and depth throughout.
Read Next: Balayage vs Highlights
Why It’s Trending
The money piece highlights are typically done a level or so lighter than the rest of the highlights or color for a brighter, complexion-boosting finish around the face.
In fact, money piece highlights are quickly becoming one of the most popular and easiest ways to really update your look without going through too much effort. It’s a small change that makes a big visual impact on your hairstyle.
Even if you don’t like the chunkier, bolder money piece highlights, choosing a more subtle highlight color and having your stylist paint very thin sections in the front can still give you a beauty boost.
That’s the coolest thing about money piece highlights. They can work for almost anyone! Think of this trend as a quick way to update your look without committing yourself to high-maintenance foil highlights or all-over hair color.
10 Money Piece Hair Examples We Love
Now that you know what money piece hair is, let’s look at a few examples to see how the trend looks. There’s a ton of variation with this style, as you’ll see below. They can be done on any hair type, texture, and color.
Money piece highlights can improve and brighten any hairstyle or color, and the following examples prove it.
We found style inspiration on different hair colors with money piece highlights done in various colors and tones, from icy blonde to warm auburn. It’s amazing how these little face-framing highlights can change your look!
1. Warm Blonde Money Piece Highlights
Hedgehog94/Shutterstock
A warm shade of buttery blonde is the perfect focal point around the face in this style featuring chocolate brown waves with blonde balayage. Notice how the money piece highlights begin much higher up than the balayage color painted in further back.
2. Honey Blonde Face-Framing Balayage
Sofiaa Zhuravetc/Shutterstock
Honey blonde is one of those colors that seems to work on both warm and cool skin undertones. We love how it lightens up this deep blonde with reddish undertones.
3. Cool Blonde Money Piece Balayage
Sofia Zhuravetc/Shutterstock
An ashy, cool-toned blonde is the perfect highlight for a deeper brunette tone. Here, a few brighter sections are painted from the midshaft down in the front to draw the eye and add more dimension to the waves.
4. Copper-Ginger Face-Framing Highlights
Sofia Zhuraavetc/Shutterstock
An intense, all-over red color is brightened and emboldened with warm, copper highlights in the front. We love the ombre effect this color combo creates, and the orange-toned copper really lights up the model’s face!
5. Brassy Blonde Money Piece Chunky Highlights
Blackday/Shutterstock
This brass-toned blonde is the perfect highlight for her light brown hair color. Just a little lighter, thicker, and more intensely painted around the face, this is a great example of a subtle money piece highlight.
6. Golden Blonde Money Piece Balayage
Nina Buday/Shutterstock
Shimmering golden highlights surround your face to give it a lit-from-within look that is always attractive. Here, the money piece hair highlights are a level lighter than the rest of the highlights to really bring the focus to the front.
7. Chestnut Brown Subtle Highlights
Kite_rin/Shutterstock
Highlighting a deep, coffee brown color with chestnut delivers just the right amount of brightness without changing the overall color. The soft chestnut highlights around the face add depth and dimension to dark hair color.
8. Auburn Face-Framing Highlights
Lena Pan/Shutterstock
Love this twist on the trend with auburn-copper highlights instead of the more common blonde! This more subtle color transition is great for darker hair, but keep in mind that red tones easily fade and may require more maintenance.
9. Chunky Blonde Money Piece Highlights
Volodymyr Tverdokhlib/Shutterstock
These chunkier money piece highlights are lifted to an almost white-blonde level for the maximum brightening effect. More subtle blonde highlights throughout the hair create an overall lighter effect that looks natural, not streaky.
10. Platinum Money Piece Babylights
Irina Bg/Shutterstock
An ultra-cool, icy platinum color is an excellent way to bring the eye toward your face and highlight your best features. Platinum works best with cool skin undertones.
And keeping the brightest sections to just the face-framing pieces ensures this nearly-white color still has depth and dimension.
Should You Get Money Piece Highlights?
Weren’t those examples gorgeous? After seeing some of the many ways you can wear this trend, you might be wondering if this is something you can see yourself doing.
Should you get money piece highlights or sit this trend out? Here are a few things to consider before booking your next appointment.
Low maintenance doesn’t mean no maintenance.
Money piece balayage highlights are lower maintenance than other highlight and color options, but they’re not maintenance free.
You will still need to get touch-ups every 3-4 months to avoid the grown-out look. Make sure you’re up for salon visits every few months to keep your new face-framing highlights looking their best.
Do you often wear your hair down or up?
The way you typically style and wear your hair can help you decide if money piece highlights are right for you or not. If you tend to wear your hair down and loose or up with face-framing strands pulled out, then this trend will be perfect for your look.
But if you usually wear your hair up or half-up without pulling out face-framing pieces, the effect will be lost, and you might be better off skipping the trend.
What’s your hair color situation?
Your current color/highlight situation will help determine whether or not you should get money piece highlights. Money piece highlights can look a little out of place or random if you don’t have any other highlights in your hair or choose an ultra-light color when your hair is dark.
We recommend getting subtle money piece highlights done on un-highlighted hair for the best, most blended look. On hair that is already colored with the balayage technique or highlighted, you can go bigger, brighter, and bolder with your money pieces.
What’s your hair type?
Your hair type may determine how your money piece highlights should be placed. Money piece highlights will look radically different on curly or coily hair that stands up and supports itself, directing your face-framing pieces above your head, off to the side, or hanging down.
Make sure your stylist can see how your curls or coils naturally form and where they fall so they can highlight the pieces that will best frame your face.
Use the right products to maintain your highlights.
Color fades over time, but using the right products for color-treated hair can help slow fading down.
Watch how often you shampoo – try not to wash every day – and make sure you’re using a gentle, color-safe shampoo. If you get blonde money piece highlights, use a purple shampoo to continually tone them and keep them bright.
Do you plan to DIY or go to a pro?
Money piece highlights are a tempting DIY project because it’s not quite as intense as bleaching/highlighting your entire head. But before you do your own, know that the hand-painted blended balayage technique is a LOT harder to pull off than it looks.
Will You Rock the Money Piece Hair Trend?
It’s easy to paint bleach onto the hair, but ensuring there’s no harsh line where the color stops before the roots is a difficult challenge. It’s always better to go to a pro for any kind of color or highlights.
These highlights are probably the fastest way to update your hair without dedicating yourself to a ton of long-term maintenance. If you want to brighten your face, bring out your best features, and try something new with your locks, money piece highlights are right on the money.