These days, we’re all about hair color trends that make a big impact with minimal effort. Don’t get us wrong—we love a dramatic color transformation—but oftentimes, all you need to elevate your look is some strategically placed hair color. Enter money piece hair: the highlighting technique that frames your face and adds instant brightness with minimal upkeep. These luxurious-looking highlights have been all over social media feeds lately, and they’ve become even more popular in salons over the past few months.
If you want a subtle pop of color but also wish to keep your maintenance routine to a minimum, money piece highlights might be the perfect look for you. Ahead, we’re explaining everything you should know about this hair color trend—including how to get money piece hair and tips for maintaining the look between salon visits. We’ll also be sharing nine money piece ideas that can leave your mane looking like a million bucks.
What Is a Money Piece?
Money piece hair is essentially a modernized version of the face-framing highlights that were everywhere in the ‘90s. This hair color technique is said to make your color look more expensive, hence the name. To create money pieces, your colorist will lighten pieces of hair directly surrounding your face. These face-framing highlights can help accentuate your features and add brightness to your hair color without needing to highlight your entire head.
Money piece highlights can be a great middle ground between high-contrast, two-tone hair (like skunk stripe hair) and subtle balayage highlights. And, while money pieces are popular for blondes, they can be any color you desire—we personally love dark brown hair with blonde money pieces and fantasy money pieces in lavender or pastel blue.
Good hair day by @lorendoeshair
Who Should Try Money Piece Hair?
Many celebrities and influencers have been spotted showing off money piece highlights recently, but this look is easily attainable for just about anyone. Money pieces are extremely versatile, which means they can work on any base shade, whether you have black hair or golden blonde locks.
Money pieces can work as standalone highlights if you’re looking to add a pop of color without dyeing the rest of your hair. If your hair is already highlighted, your colorist can also add money pieces into your mane for a subtle color refresh. Just remember to book a consultation with your stylist to ensure you get the results you’re looking for.
Good hair day by @hairbysarayah
How Can I Get Money Piece Hair?
To achieve this look, your colorist will paint highlights onto the strands framing your face. Money pieces are meant to stand out from the rest of your hair, so they tend to work best when they are at least three to four shades lighter than your natural color. This means that, in most cases, your colorist will need to bleach the hair beforehand in order to achieve the right effect.
And, in case you’re wondering, money pieces aren’t always big, chunky highlights (like the original trend donned by ‘90s girls). This trend is actually super versatile and can be adapted to fit your personal preferences. Your colorist can utilize pretty much any highlighting technique to achieve your desired money piece look—whether you love bold, platinum highlights or a more natural, blended hair color.
Here are a few considerations to keep in mind when trying money piece highlights for the first time.
Decide on your preferred hair part
In order to really show off those money pieces, your colorist will place them where they will be most visible—typically around your natural hair part. So, you’ll want to let your colorist know if you plan on switching up your usual part. Middle parts tend to look great with symmetrical money pieces on both sides of your face. Or, for those who like to wear a deep side part, your colorist can try creating a thicker money piece on the heavier side of your part.
Customize your money piece highlights
For a bolder, more eye-catching look, ask your colorist for thicker money pieces using bigger sections of hair. Celebrity stylist and Hair.com ambassador Ryan Pearl likes to adjust the foil placement depending on what the client is looking for. “Usually, for an extra pop, I will do three foils back to back to get a heavy money piece, and [fewer] than that if I’m going for a softer look,” says Pearl.
Good hair day by @hairbyayumi
Is Money Piece Hair High Maintenance?
Money piece highlights are an excellent option for anyone seeking low-maintenance, no-fuss hair color. Because these highlights are limited to sections of hair around the face, there’s generally less color maintenance to worry about. Money pieces will also take less time to create at the salon than a full head of highlights. With that said, the upkeep of money pieces will vary depending on a few factors.
Your natural hair color, the contrast between your base color and highlighted strands, and the specific highlighting technique used can all influence how much maintenance money piece hair requires. Darker base colors with platinum money pieces may find themselves at the salon more often, for example. And, because money pieces frame your face, they may also be more noticeable than other types of highlights as they grow out.
Good hair day by @laurenelise.studios
9 Money Piece Hair Ideas To Try Right Now
Need some inspiration before heading to your salon appointment? Here are 9 stunning ways to try the money piece hair trend.
Good hair day by @christinechavezhair
Chunky Platinum Money Piece
Chunky, platinum money pieces will instantly transport you back in time to the ‘90s—especially when paired with a dark brown base. This high-contrast look is perfect for those who want eye-catching money pieces that are impossible to miss.
Good hair day by @coloredbycaitlin
Ash Blonde Money Piece With Balayage
Just like the ‘90s-inspired platinum money piece, this look really pops on natural brunettes. We love the way the cool-toned, ash-blonde money pieces blend seamlessly with balayage highlights, creating a gorgeous hair color with lots of dimension.
Good hair day by @samanthalipgloss
Ginger Spice Money Piece
Money pieces aren’t only for blondes and brunettes—this spicy cinnamon color mixes red and orange highlights and lowlights with chunky blonde money pieces. For a slightly softer approach to this look, ask your colorist for a copper hair color with subtle golden blonde money pieces.
Good hair day by @slayejae
Sun-Kissed Money Piece With Blonde Balayage
For this look, your colorist will add light blonde money pieces to a warm, golden blonde or brunette base. This hair color works well on those with warmer undertones and on natural blondes or light brunettes who want an understated, natural-looking money piece. Try asking your colorist for a more rooted look to help mimic the appearance of sun-kissed hair.
Good hair day by @live_love_dohair
Butter Pecan Money Piece
Butter pecan blonde has been one of our favorite shades for money piece highlights lately. This blonde hue is inspired by the delicious flavor, which combines notes of butter, vanilla, and pecan. As a hair color, butter pecan is a creamy, beige-blonde hue that’s neutral-toned and flattering on most complexions.
Good hair day by @redkenpro
Caramel Money Piece on Chocolate Brown
Give chocolate brown hair a little something extra with caramel money pieces. This hair color works well on all brunette shades but caramel and chocolate are an especially rich duo. It’s also great if you’re a natural brunette dyeing your hair for the first time and don’t want a lot of upkeep.
Good hair day by @lorendoeshair
Salt and Pepper Skunk Stripe
This daring, high-contrast look combines two of 2024’s biggest hair trends: skunk stripe hair and money pieces. It might not be for everyone, but it’s perfect if you want your money piece to make a statement. Skunk stripe hair is done by color blocking two contrasting colors (originally jet black and platinum) next to one another—sometimes as a top and bottom layer, half and half, or as face-framing highlights. For this look, you’ll want to ask your colorist for the latter.
Good hair day by @akbar_0707.2
Rose-Tinted Money Piece With Babylights
When it comes to money piece highlights, there’s no rule that says you need to stick to natural shades. You can choose one or more of your favorite fantasy hair colors to create a vibrant money piece look. This is a great way to try out a fantasy shade without committing to all-over color or highlights. Some of our recent obsessions include rose-colored money pieces on espresso brown hair and magenta money pieces paired with cool-toned blondes.
Good hair day by @circlesofhair
Reverse Money Piece Hair
For those with a rebellious spirit, try inverting your money piece hair with contrasting lowlights instead of highlights. Your colorist can add dark brown or black face-framing highlights to a single process blonde color for an extra-unique take on this trend.
Good hair day by @hairbysarayah
How To Maintain Money Piece Hair
While money piece hair is generally pretty low-maintenance, it still requires a robust color care routine. To keep your money piece highlights looking their best, we recommend swapping your shampoo and conditioner for a color-safe system like Redken Acidic Color Gloss. This salon-inspired haircare range—which consists of a shampoo, conditioner, heat protection spray, and salon-grade glossing treatment—is designed to help keep color-treated hair vibrant and glossy between appointments. Check out our full Acidic Color Gloss Review to see some pretty impressive results.
If you’re lightening brunette hair to achieve bright blonde money pieces, try incorporating a blue-based purple toning system that combats brassiness and strengthens damaged strands. We recommend Pureology Strength Cure Shampoo and Strength Cure Blonde Conditioner. Whether you have icy platinum or beachy blonde money pieces, this color care duo tones down brassiness, fortifies your strands, and helps prevent breakage.
You can also apply a nourishing hair mask, such as Kérastase Masque Thérapiste, to your color-treated locks at least once per week. This buttery formula for overprocessed, damaged hair features wheat protein derivative, gluco peptide, and native plant cells to deeply nourish your strands and help repair very damaged hair.
For more tips on how to maintain fresh-out-of-the-salon hair color, head to our guide on how to prevent color fade.
Next Up: How To Try Pantone’s Peach Fuzz for Your ’Soft Era’ Hair Transformation
Header photo credits (left to right): @hairbyayumi & @lorendoeshair
Ready to switch up your look with money piece highlights? Use our salon locator to book an appointment with a stylist near you.
