What is hair frosting?
The new lazy girl colouring technique explained
We’ve all fallen in (and out) of love with balayage at some point in our lives.
A tried and true hair trend, we’ve dabbled in both the rudimentary and well-executed elaborations of the hair colouring technique.
We even threw it all the way back to the chunky dip dye hair trend that terrorised our high school careers in 2021.
But it’s 2022 and we’re officially ready for a new lazy girl hair colour to capture our hearts.
And we think we just found it.
Introducing hair frosting: the strand lightening technique that imitates the frosted pattern left by snowfall on trees in winter.
While you might be convinced that the name lends itself to a cooler time of year, the natural brightening effect is surprisingly transitional between seasons. Just think of hair frosting as the in-salon equivalent to sun-bleached strands “[which] are concentrated at the front of the head, they frame the face and create contrast,” explained the trend’s creator Stuart Marsh (Taylor Taylor London’s Colour Director) to Refinery29.
However, unlike the balayage we’re all accustomed to, "frosting typically uses small, cool-blonde tones to contrast the darker base color [rather than the warmer, buttery tones that tend to be used when creating balayage].”
“It's easy to maintain,” Marsh assured, “as it's designed to blend into your natural hair color… [and] gives a more muted, subtle effect.”
According to the award-winning hair colourist, the technique rarely looks overdone and is the lazy-girl’s answer for “easy, manageable color without high commitment."
Simply ask your colourist for “'cool tones' that contrast your darker base color and explain that you would like a more muted effect than traditional foil highlights,” said Marsh to the publication.
Hair frosting is also forgiving on a variety of hair types and textures according to Marsh, "including curly and coily hair". His only recommendation is to “clarify and condition” curlier hair a few days prior to your salon appointment, “as this will help retain moisture and keep it healthy after lightening."
Marsh also advised that you should ease up on the daily hair washing to avoid stripping "the lengths of their natural oils”, and steer clear of “heat styling and keep your strands hydrated with a deep conditioner.”
After a chic cut to flatter your new frosted hair? The boy bob hair trend should be on your radar.
Main image credit: @sofiarichie
Briar is the Beauty Editor at BEAUTYcrew. Her 'down for anything' attitude has resulted in more than a handful of hair transformations, and she doesn't mind being used as a guinea pig for the industry's most unusual products and treatments. Her work has also appeared on Refinery29, Girlfriend and beautyheaven.