How to Ask Your Barber for Money Piece Highlights
Get the trendy, face-framing money piece highlights with confidence. Learn exactly what to ask your barber and how to maintain the look.
If you want to brighten your face and update your style without committing to a full head of dye, money piece highlights are the perfect solution. This trend involves coloring only the front strands of your hair to frame your face, giving you an instant lift with minimal damage.
However, walking into a shop and simply asking for "a money piece" can lead to very different results depending on your stylist's interpretation. Here is exactly what you need to know to get the look you actually want.
Who Do Money Piece Highlights Suit?
The beauty of this style is its versatility. Because the highlights are concentrated right next to your eyes and cheekbones, they act like a spotlight for your features.
Oval and Heart-Shaped Faces: Standard, bold face-framing strands complement these shapes perfectly by drawing attention to the center of the face. Square and Round Faces: Opt for slightly softer, blended pieces. A harsh, thick stripe can make a square jaw look wider or make a round face look circular. * Hair Texture: This technique works beautifully on bone-straight hair, beachy waves, and tight curls alike. The key is adjusting the width of the highlight to match your hair's natural pattern.
What to Ask Your Barber or Stylist
To ensure you and your stylist are on the same page, bring reference photos and use specific terminology during your consultation.
First, discuss the width of the highlights. Do you want a bold, high-contrast 90s-style stripe, or a soft, sun-kissed blend? If you want the latter, ask for a "babylight money piece" or "hand-painted balayage framing."
Second, specify the brightness. Decide how many levels lighter than your base color you want to go. A gentle caramel frame looks stunning on dark brown hair, while blonde hair can handle icy, high-contrast platinum frames.
Finally, talk about the transition. Ask how the front pieces will blend into the rest of your hair. A good stylist will paint a few subtle, micro-lights slightly behind the money piece so it does not look like a random block of color detached from the rest of your head.
Upkeep and Maintenance
Compared to a full head of highlights, a money piece is incredibly low-maintenance, but it still requires some care. Since these pieces sit right at your hairline, they will show root regrowth first. You can expect to touch them up every 6 to 8 weeks. At home, invest in a color-safe shampoo and a purple or blue toning shampoo to keep the brassiness away.
If you are still nervous about how bright face-framing stripes will look against your skin tone, you do not have to guess. Upload a selfie to our HairMatch AI tool to preview exactly how different money piece shades and widths will look on your own face before you head to the barbershop.