Justin Timberlake and Lance Bass rocked frosted tips in the 90s, and now it’s your turn! The 90s is one of the most influential decades, bringing us interesting fashion and hairstyles, and frosted tips are undeniably one of the most memorable. The look is achieved by bleaching the tips of your hair and styling them to appear spiky, creating a contrast with the rest of your hair. The modern approach is even more versatile and can be added to all haircuts and hair of various lengths and textures, giving you the freedom to experiment and find a look that best reflects your style.
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What are Frosted Tips?
Frosted tips were a big trend in the 90s and favored by some of the biggest celebrities at the time. It is a coloring technique that only focuses the color on the tips of the hair, bleaching them a pale blonde color. This creates a contrast with the rest of the hair and can be an excellent way to draw the eye toward the crown and make the hair look fuller and thicker. The 90s approach was to spike the tips with hair gel or spray, but the modern look is more natural and can be styled to suit your preference. The coloring technique can range in price depending on the length of the hair and how dark it is naturally.
Frost Tip Hairstyles
1. Burst Fade with Frosted Tips
The burst fade is one of the most noticeable faded styles because it has a semi-circular appearance. It tapers around the ear and the back of the head, creating a contrast with the hair on the top. It can also make the hair look fuller and thicker while creating structure. This fade can be worn with hair of all textures and will give you a cool and edgy appearance. You can also take this one step further by adding frosted tips, bleaching the hair a pale blond at the tips, and creating a contrast with your natural hair color. This is a fun and expressive approach to color and can be adapted to suit straight or curly hair.
2. Crew Cut with Frosted Tips
The crew cut is one of the most simple and effortlessly cool haircuts for men. The hair is longest at the front hairline, with the rest of the hair kept shorter. The result is a neat haircut that lends itself well to various occasions, including a corporate environment. You can transform this classic cut into something more expressive and playful by opting for frosted tips. Bleaching the hair at the tips and then styling it, so it is textured and sits slightly upward is excellent for creating contrast and giving the hair volume. On light hair, the frosted tips will create less contrast and look natural, but on dark hair, it will make more of a statement; consider this before dyeing your hair.
3. Long Curly Frosted Tips
The frosted tip is a look that was popular in the 90s and is making a big comeback. This hairstyle is edgy and cool and can be created with all hair textures and lengths, including long curly hair. Long hair is great for men, challenging outdated notions of what it means to be masculine. It is also an excellent opportunity to show off your curls. Bleaching the tips of your hair will lighten the hair and brighten the appearance while also shifting the eye upward to the crown. This can make the hair look fuller and thicker, creating a look full of volume and dimension. The frosted tips will appear softer and more blended on curly hair than straight hair, making it an excellent option for someone who wants to try out the trend subtly.
4. Short Back and Sides with Frosted Tips
Classic men’s haircuts can be changed to make them look fresh and modern. The short back and sides are a timeless look, defined by the hair being distinctly longer on the top and shorter on the back and sides. This creates structure and contrast and will make the hair on top appear thicker and fuller. You can enhance this even more by opting for frosted tips, which bleach only the tips of the hair a pale blonde color. The darker your natural hair, the more contrast this technique will create.
5. Long Straight Frosted Tips
Long hair is ideal because it gives you so much versatility with styling. If you have naturally straight hair, it can be challenging to channel the frosted tips of the 90s, which saw the hair spiked and styled so that the tips were bleached, creating an interesting contrast. Instead, you can lighten the ends and wear your hair down, drawing the eye down and highlighting your cut and texture. This is also an excellent way to lighten the hair because the color is only focused on the ends, making this a low-maintenance approach to color.
6. Messy Fringe with Frosted Tips
Styling your fringe, so it appears deliberately messy and undone is an excellent way to achieve texture. It is also ideal for men who want to create a casual and relaxed appearance and is best done on hair that is naturally textured. Your fringe can be long for a more dramatic and noticeable finish or kept short, requiring less styling time and offering more versatility. You can add frosted tips for a youthful and fun look, creating contrast and highlighting your fringe. Style it, so it appears spiky and undone to channel the 90s and create an effortlessly cool and rebellious appearance.
7. Faux Hawk with Frosted Tips
The faux hawk is a popular and tamer version of the traditional mohawk. This haircut is much shorter and will create less contrast with the hair on the top of the head, only slightly longer than the back and sides, which are faded and not shaved. This makes the faux hawk much easier to wear and requires less styling. The frosted tips coloring technique will complement the faux hawk, drawing attention to the top of the head and giving it volume and fullness. Styling the hair, so it is spiked is also a great way to achieve a deliberately messy and undone appearance.
8. Quiff with Frosted Tips
The quiff hairstyle has volume at the forelock. It is timeless and classic and can be adapted to suit various hair lengths and cuts. This gives you versatility with how you style it. You can also pair it with a fade or undercut to give the hair more structure and focus the attention on the top of the head. It is a wonderful way to show off your natural texture, and you can give your hair more contrast by coloring the tips. Frosted tips are a versatile and low-maintenance approach to hair dye, lightening the end of the hair and drawing the eye upward; this naturally complements the style of the quiff.
9. Blowout with Frosted Tips
If you love hairstyles with volume and want to create an edgy and cool aesthetic, look no further than a blowout with frosted trips. The blowout hairstyle is defined by its volume and is achieved by blow-drying the hair straight up at the hairline. The sides and back are kept shorter, adding to the contrast. This style works best with short to medium-length hair with natural texture as it will be easier to create a hold. Opting for a spiky blowout is also a great way to show off your hair texture, channel the 90s and draw attention to the top of the head.
10. Ivy League with Frosted Tips
Frosted tips are great for those who want a low-maintenance approach to color. The modern version of the 90s style is much more wearable and versatile. It can be added to hair of all lengths and cuts, including the Ivy League. This haircut gets its name because it was popularized by students in Ivy League schools and remains relevant today because it is a classic short haircut that can be easily adapted to suit your preference. It can be paired with a fade or undercut to give the hair structure and create a polished appearance. And you can create a contrast and give the hair depth and dimension by trying out frosted tips.
11. Spiky Hair with Frosted Tips
Frosted tips were popular in the 90s and were favored by celebs like Justin Timberlake, Lance Bass, and Mark McGrath. The hair trend is back, and although it is often more subtle in appearance than in the 90s, you can also opt for the retro approach with spiky hair and bleached tips. This look is about volume, and the color will create a brilliant contrast with your natural hair. The modern version of spiky hair is not as rigid and is often kept shorter, which is more wearable and easier to style; consider this when choosing the right hair products and avoid the wet-look gel.
12. High and Tight Frosted Tips
The high and tight hairstyle is a classic short haircut that is simple and practical. The top of the hair is kept slightly longer than the back and sides, which are shaved or faded. The haircut has a neat appearance, making it ideal for all occasions because it is fuss-free and minimalistic. However, you can take this classic and breathe some new life into it, creating a modern and expressive hairstyle by coloring the tips. Frosted tips are great because by bleaching the ends a light blonde of your hair, you are making a contrast. It is also excellent for drawing attention to the hair and will highlight your cut and texture.
13. Mohawk with Frosted Tips
The mohawk is rebellious and cool. It is defined by a long strip of hair in the middle of the head, which is spiked and colored, and paired with clean-shaven sides. The contrast is striking and is a guaranteed way to get your hair noticed. This is a daring look and not for the faint of heart, but it is also versatile and can be created with various lengths and textures, letting you adapt the classic cut to suit your preference. You can also choose less rigid spikes to create a softer, more wearable finish. And ditch the bold colors for frosted tips, which will still create contrast but in a much more subtle way.
14. Undercut with Frosted Tips
The undercut is a style defined by the back and sides being shorter than the hair on top. It can be worn in different ways and added to your chosen haircut. The undercut is an excellent way to give your haircut structure and remove bulk and weight from thick or curly hair. The cut will also make the top of the hair appear thicker and fuller, and you can enhance this by dyeing the tips. Frosted tips are a low-maintenance approach to color but have a big impact, creating a contrast with your natural hair. It will lighten the hair, brighten your appearance, and can be incredibly flattering.
15. Pompadour with Frosted Tips
The pompadour haircut is an excellent choice for men of all ages. It is a timeless style and is great for showing off your hair texture and giving the hair volume. This is achieved by creating volume at the top of the head; the hair is kept longer on top and shorter on the back and sides. The pompadour can be styled to suit your face shape and complement your hair texture and length. You can also experiment with color techniques, including frosted tips, which bleach the tips of the hair. This creates a brilliant contrast with your natural hair color; the darker your natural hair, the more dramatic the finish. The color will draw the eye upwards and can make the pompadour feel even more voluminous and full.
Frosted Tips FAQs
When was frosted tips a thing?
Frosted tips were a big trend in the 90s and were favored by some of the biggest celebrities at the time. It was a look created by bleaching the tips of the hair of a pale blonde and styling it to be upright and spiky. The color at the tips created a contrast with the rest of the hair and demanded attention. The modern approach is less dramatic and more wearable.
How do you get the tips of your hair frosted?
Frosted tips are created by bleaching the tips of the hair, leaving the rest of the hair your natural color. This is a low-maintenance and affordable approach to color and will make a big impact.
Cailyn Cox holds a degree in journalism and has been working with The Trend Spotter as a writer for over ten years. She has worked with some of the most prestigious women’s and men's lifestyle publications. For her, writing is not just a job; it’s a passion, which is why each article she writes is approached with such enthusiasm and dedication. She has extensive knowledge of hairstyles, tattoos, and beauty and has made a career out of creating informative articles that appeal to women and men of all ages.
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