The 'Reverse Money Piece' Is The Lower-Maintenance Hair Trend Bringing '90s Coloring Back

Don't tell the '80s, but the '90s are probably our favorite hairstyle era. From the Brandy-inspired layered braids and the skinny fringe to the butterfly clips we accessorize with, we've loved every one of the '90s comebacks into modern style (and no, it's not the nostalgia speaking). Other than the hairstyles and the fanciful accessories, we might love the era's coloring even more. Nineties coloring birthed several color-blocking trends — one of which is mainstream again and promises to be both low maintenance and face-framing. It's called the reverse money piece, and it's the change you need in your hairstyle rotation.

You've probably heard of or seen the OG money piece — a coloring technique where sections of hair along your hairline are dyed or bleached a lighter color, creating a contrast against darker hair. Because of its focus on the front hair sections, the money piece frames the face well with a sharp effect. The only problem is the coloring can be pretty tricky to maintain, as you might need regular touchups for new growth to match the rest. Luckily, the reverse money piece is more low-stress. 

The front sections of hair are dyed a darker color instead, leaving the rest of your hair lighter. So now, you have just as much face-framing impact as the original money piece with less need for maintenance. As always, we have inspo for you to take to your hairstylist, and trust us when we say this hairstyle's sure to get you compliments.

We know curtain bangs were the hottest thing last year, and you couldn't stop talking about it, but it's okay to be a little... bored. What better way to spice them up than with some unique coloring? Curtain bangs and the reverse money piece are both face-framing, so combining them is a great way to add character to your look while staying true to your much-loved bangs. So next time you're at your stylist's, try coloring your bangs a darker shade, and voila, good as new.

It can be hard picking out colors, especially for a money piece, but here's our advice: Why pick at all? After coloring the hairline sections a darker shade, go a little further out of your comfort zone by coloring another thin area behind the hairline. With this, you get a band of face-framing colors: your darker hairline, the middle-colored part, and the rest of your lighter-colored hair. It works so well as with this ice cream-esque reverse money piece by Anteiku Hair Salon.

You can choose to be creative with your reverse money piece by incorporating some elements from your favorite anime characters, and our favorite way of doing this is by hitting the reverse-reverse version of this hairstyle. Instead of coloring the hairline a deeper color, try dyeing the section behind it a lighter color, leaving your hairline and the rest of your hair the same dark shade. This creates a flag-like color sequence where your regular hair color makes the darker hairline, the colored middle makes your double color, and the rest of your hair completes the look. For inspo, we love this black-blonde-black color sequence by Kelly Garcia.

Instead of your regular balayage or brunette coloring, try the reverse money piece on some pink or blue hair, like Veronica Zuniga's styling with deep blue hair and a black face-framing money piece section. You can use contrasting colors or shades of the same color, like a purple hairline section with lavender coloring on the rest of your hair.

It's your hair, and it's okay to want to try new things with it, even if it's a wild color palette you never imagined.