SOS there’s a new hair color trend on the block and it’s making us feel some serious nostalgia for Nokia flip phones and clunky Doc Martens. The trend in question is none other than the 90’s highlight, a hairstyle originally made popular by icons like the Spice Girls and Olsen twins. In contrast to softer techniques like balayage and babylights, these thick and stripy highlights are unapologetically bold and anything but subtle. The style features purposely non-blended streaks of color and stark shade differences. In fact, this “rogue” highlight is considered a nod to 90’s feminism due to its strong and dramatic look. Most commonly, the highlight is bleached blonde, but it can easily be adapted to any color in the rainbow.
Recently, everyone from Kylie Jenner to Beyoncé has been spotted wearing some variation of this face-framing color. The trend seems to have started back in March when Jennifer Lopez debuted caramel-blonde highlights on her light brown hair. The star helped bring this look back from the dead, from a time when it was reserved for the likes of Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Kelly Clarkson. However, this time around the 90’s highlight has been given a chic and contemporary upgrade. Combining the original style with balayage and face-framing techniques, the chunky highlight is back better than ever.
While straying from your natural hair color can be a big step (we get it), these chunky highlights are seriously chic. From chunky blonde streaks to pops of bubblegum pink, there’s plenty of ways to try out this powerful retro style for yourself. And although face-framing fringe might involve more upkeep than dip-dyed or balayage styles, this seriously cool style is worth it in our opinion. Here, we’ve rounded up the best face framing highlight styles for different hair colors and hair types to inspire your next appointment.
