You’ve probably seen the money piece hair trend everywhere, including on the red carpet and in your social media feeds. There are several reasons these face-framing highlights are one of the hottest hairstyles of 2025. This coloring technique can add vibrancy to your complexion and contrast to your natural hair. Plus, the style is low maintenance and easy to achieve at the salon or at home.
If you’re looking for a fresh new look, this guide will walk you through everything you need to know about the trending money piece hairstyle in 2025.
Table of Contents
What is money piece hair & why is it trending right now?
Money piece hairstyles & inspiration
Choosing the right money piece highlights for your hair color & face shape
How to get the money piece hair look
Styling tips for money piece hair
Maintaining your money piece look
What is money piece hair & why is it trending right now?
Money piece hair is simply highlights strategically placed around the face. It’s called the “money piece” hairstyle because the highlights can give you a “million-dollar” look. Lightening the strands around the face gives the illusion of extra volume, a bright complexion, and sun-kissed exuberance. It’s a style that can dramatically enhance your look without too much work.
The origins of the money piece hairstyle date back to the 1990s. Back then, stars like Avril Lavigne and Ginger Spice (Geri Halliwell) made bold statements with bright, chunky highlights framing the face. During the early 2000s, the look evolved into something slightly softer and more subtle. Today, the style can be bold or subtle depending on your personal preference.
Unlike traditional highlights, money piece hair focuses on one specific area of the hair to give you maximum definition without overhauling your total color. You only need to color the front part of your hair to achieve the look, although some people add supplementary highlights throughout to complement the money piece. This can be more cost-effective and less time-consuming than full highlights.
Money piece hairstyles & inspiration
One of the great things about money piece hair is that there are so many variations on the look. You can opt for long waves with subtle bright notes in the front, a sleek bob with dramatic highlights on either side, or a tousled lob with light face-framing strands. You can also play around with the colors. For a dramatic look, you can try blonde accents on brunette tones or caramel hues on black locks. You can also go low-key with highlights that are just a few shades lighter than your natural color. Pastels, greys, and neon colors are another option.
Choosing the right money piece highlights for your hair color & face shape
Before diving into money piece highlights, consider what colors will work best with your natural hair color. Dark hair can get a subtle boost from warm caramel, honey, or auburn tones, while blonde hair contrasts nicely with ashy or buttery hues. Redheads can experiment with golden highlights to enhance fiery tones. If you’re looking to make a bolder statement, vibrant colors like electric blue, lavender, or platinum can make your money piece instantly noticeable.
Your face shape also plays a key role in how the money piece enhances your features. If you have a round face, you may want to start the highlights higher at the roots and all the way down to elongate the look. Square or angular face shapes look great with feathered and blended pieces to soften the features. Oval and heart-shaped faces can pull off almost any money piece style, including bold and chunky or soft and wispy. Also, keep in mind that thinner highlights will offer a more subdued look, while thicker sections can come off as high-fashion and dramatic.
How to get the money piece hair look
If you’re a newbie to money piece hair, you may want to go to a salon to get your first round of highlights done. A professional hairstylist should be able to identify which colors will make your complexion pop and add definition to your hair. They can also determine which application technique will give you the look you want. For example, they may use foils or freehand painting. Just be sure to let your hairstylist know exactly what you’re going for, whether that’s soft and discreet or a bold contrast. You may want to bring in pictures of examples to give the stylist a better visual.
Doing your own money piece hair at home can save you money and give you more creative license. However, you’ll need a little bit of know-how and the right tools. At the very least, you’ll need your hair dye, a comb, and some hair clips. You may also want to consider a toner and a deep conditioning hair treatment. Once you’ve gathered your supplies, these are the steps you can take to create your money piece look:
- Section off your hair: Start with dry hair and use your comb to section out pieces in the front that are about half an inch to an inch. Clip the rest of your hair back.
- Mix and apply your hair dye: Follow the instructions on your hair dye to mix it, then apply the dye starting at either the bottom or middle of the strands first, leaving the roots until last. You can wrap the sections in or flatten them to your head.
- Monitor your progress and rinse: You should check on your hair every five to 10 minutes to make sure it doesn’t go beyond the color you’re trying to achieve. When it’s reached the tone you want, rinse all of the dye out.
- Give your hair some aftercare: Hair dye can be rough on hair, so you want to give your hair some aftercare love. You can apply a toner or purple shampoo to remove any brassiness, then deep condition it to restore moisture.
Styling tips for money piece hair
The beauty of money piece highlights is that you don’t need to do much with your hair to show them off. That being said, there are several ways you can style your hair to enhance the highlights. You can blow-dry your hair to give it extra volume or straighten it so the highlights create smooth lines. You can create curls or waves with a curling iron to add movement or use a tousling spray to add texture. You can also put your hair in a loose chignon with a few front strands left out to let your highlights shine.
Maintaining your money piece look
Any time you color your hair, it’s going to incur some damage. Therefore, you want to use products that are gentle on your new money piece hairstyle. Consider investing in sulfate-free shampoo and a nourishing conditioner. You may also want to look into color-protecting products that shield your hair from damaging UV rays. Hair masks are also great for imparting extra moisture to your hair and scalp. If you use hot tools like a blow dryer or hair straightener, a heat protectant spray is also a good idea.
Conclusion
It’s easy to see why so many people gravitate towards money piece hair. It’s easy to create, incredibly versatile, and doesn’t need complicated styling or constant maintenance other than touch-ups when the roots start growing out. Plus, it can instantly refresh your look without committing to a full-on color transformation. If you’re ready to update your look, the money piece hair trend may be just what you’re looking for. Talk to your hair stylist about getting this hot 2025 hair trend or visit Alibaba.com to stock up on all the tools you need to create the look yourself.
