With the end of the circuit-breaker, the hairdo that the cool Gen Z crowd has been repping what has been dubbed the ‘money piece’. Why that moniker, you ask? Because the balayage highlighting technique on the front section of one’s hair helps to frame the face with its light colour and give your tresses a healthy sun-kissed glow.
If the hairstyle looks familiar, that is because it was a cool roguish trend that grew out of ’90s and lasted through the early aughts – besides the wholesome Rachel bob – spotted on the likes of J.Lo, Mary J Blige, Ginger Spice. (Though if you really wind back time, then you would know that American feminist Gloria Steinem has been rocking the bada** style from the ’70s).
The money piece’s revival makes no apologies for its shock factor with streaks coming in eye-popping hues from peroxide blonde to neon orange being some of the most popular colours. Simply cue the champions of the style like Dua Lipa, FKA Twigs, Rina Sawayama and Blackpink‘s Jennie who repped the look in the K-pop group’s How You Like That music video.
While the resurgence of the trend during this time of isolation can be partly attributed to the DIY factor of achieving an easy bleach job with less-than-usual damage on your tresses, it is still wise to get your money piece sorted by a professional at a salon to prevent your colours from looking sloppy.
Above, we highlight three women who have made the money piece a part of their personal style.
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I had my hair bleached around July or August last year 2019. I DIY-ed it at home actually.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love the fact that it’s so low-maintenance and allows me to leave most of my hair unbleached and natural. I normally bleach it thrice since I naturally have black hair (I know it’s very damaging!) and that helps me get an almost an icy white colour without even using any toners or purple shampoos.
I got the inspiration for this hairstyle from looking at Christina Aguilera’s ’90s punk black highlights and platinum blonde hairstyle. And of course, because of Rogue from X-Men.
I also picked this style because I’ve had bleached hair with box dyes piled on top of it before. I’ve always maintained rose coloured/blonde hair in the past but the breakage from bleaching was insane. This was a fresh alternative to give my hair a break without going back to my natural colour.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“When I had longer hair, I would use a three-barrel waver all over my head and the platinum pieces had to be perfectly curled. Now that I’ve cut it, I use a straightener to do some C-Curls for it to frame my face and use some Gatsby wax to give it a tousled look.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I had my hair bleached around July or August last year 2019. I DIY-ed it at home actually.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love the fact that it’s so low-maintenance and allows me to leave most of my hair unbleached and natural. I normally bleach it thrice since I naturally have black hair (I know it’s very damaging!) and that helps me get an almost an icy white colour without even using any toners or purple shampoos.
I got the inspiration for this hairstyle from looking at Christina Aguilera’s ’90s punk black highlights and platinum blonde hairstyle. And of course, because of Rogue from X-Men.
I also picked this style because I’ve had bleached hair with box dyes piled on top of it before. I’ve always maintained rose coloured/blonde hair in the past but the breakage from bleaching was insane. This was a fresh alternative to give my hair a break without going back to my natural colour.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“When I had longer hair, I would use a three-barrel waver all over my head and the platinum pieces had to be perfectly curled. Now that I’ve cut it, I use a straightener to do some C-Curls for it to frame my face and use some Gatsby wax to give it a tousled look.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I had my hair bleached around July or August last year 2019. I DIY-ed it at home actually.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love the fact that it’s so low-maintenance and allows me to leave most of my hair unbleached and natural. I normally bleach it thrice since I naturally have black hair (I know it’s very damaging!) and that helps me get an almost an icy white colour without even using any toners or purple shampoos.
I got the inspiration for this hairstyle from looking at Christina Aguilera’s ’90s punk black highlights and platinum blonde hairstyle. And of course, because of Rogue from X-Men.
I also picked this style because I’ve had bleached hair with box dyes piled on top of it before. I’ve always maintained rose coloured/blonde hair in the past but the breakage from bleaching was insane. This was a fresh alternative to give my hair a break without going back to my natural colour.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“When I had longer hair, I would use a three-barrel waver all over my head and the platinum pieces had to be perfectly curled. Now that I’ve cut it, I use a straightener to do some C-Curls for it to frame my face and use some Gatsby wax to give it a tousled look.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I got my hair done at Hair Vanguard Salon in Nov 2019.
“What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love how I can have two hair colours at once and how it was a Y2K trend. I picked this style because the E-girls on Instagram had it. It’s a good look if you want to experiment with blonde hair but still don’t dare to go fully blonde.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I wear it straight to make the colour contrast look stronger.”
Any tips for girls who want this hair?
“Invest in purple shampoo to prevent brassiness in the blonde parts.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I got my hair done at Hair Vanguard Salon in Nov 2019.
“What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love how I can have two hair colours at once and how it was a Y2K trend. I picked this style because the E-girls on Instagram had it. It’s a good look if you want to experiment with blonde hair but still don’t dare to go fully blonde.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I wear it straight to make the colour contrast look stronger.”
Any tips for girls who want this hair?
“Invest in purple shampoo to prevent brassiness in the blonde parts.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I got my hair done at Hair Vanguard Salon in Nov 2019.
“What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love how I can have two hair colours at once and how it was a Y2K trend. I picked this style because the E-girls on Instagram had it. It’s a good look if you want to experiment with blonde hair but still don’t dare to go fully blonde.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I wear it straight to make the colour contrast look stronger.”
Any tips for girls who want this hair?
“Invest in purple shampoo to prevent brassiness in the blonde parts.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I recently got it done less than a week ago, with some help from my friend.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love it because it’s something different from the traditional highlighting, ombre, balayage style of colouring your hair. I personally feel that it is very flattering for most people.
I have been wanting to do money piece hair streaks for a while now and had made an attempt earlier this year but it did not really go the way I planned. And I’m not gonna lie, that Blackpink’s Jennie kind of tempted me more to get it done now.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I usually straighten my hair but these days I’m into natural curls. I have also been tying up my hair into a messy bun often.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I recently got it done less than a week ago, with some help from my friend.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love it because it’s something different from the traditional highlighting, ombre, balayage style of colouring your hair. I personally feel that it is very flattering for most people.
I have been wanting to do money piece hair streaks for a while now and had made an attempt earlier this year but it did not really go the way I planned. And I’m not gonna lie, that Blackpink’s Jennie kind of tempted me more to get it done now.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I usually straighten my hair but these days I’m into natural curls. I have also been tying up my hair into a messy bun often.”
When and where did you get your hair done?
“I recently got it done less than a week ago, with some help from my friend.”
What do you love about this hairstyle?
“I love it because it’s something different from the traditional highlighting, ombre, balayage style of colouring your hair. I personally feel that it is very flattering for most people.
I have been wanting to do money piece hair streaks for a while now and had made an attempt earlier this year but it did not really go the way I planned. And I’m not gonna lie, that Blackpink’s Jennie kind of tempted me more to get it done now.”
How do you usually style your hair?
“I usually straighten my hair but these days I’m into natural curls. I have also been tying up my hair into a messy bun often.”