The "Scandi Hairline" Technique Is Trending on TikTok—How It Can Make You Glow

TikTok moves quickly. Just within the last few months, we've been introduced to "mermaid hair," "cloud skin," and "golden hour makeup." All of these trends are noteworthy in their own right, but the latest one to come across my feed made me do a double-take. It's called the "Scandi Hairline," and even though it's a hair color technique, I swear it brightens up the face and makes the skin glow. It also looks incredibly natural, which was the main reason it appealed to me. 

Like the name suggests, this trend is inspired by natural blondes (natural blondes from Scandinavia I guess?), and it's taken TikTok by storm. Right now, it has more than 46 million views. As more and more people post and repost videos about it, I knew it was high-time to do a little research, so I did. Ahead, learn everything you need to know about the Scandi Hairline trend, according to three experts.

"The Scandi Hairline trend is a lightening service, usually involving bleach, that gently and quickly lifts the fine hairs at the front hairline," says Authentic Beauty Concept Advocate, Justin Toves-Vincilione.

In other words, it's a method of bleaching the baby hairs at the front of the scalp. "To brighten up the entire hairline, some colorists may choose to lighten the hairline in the back to create a more cohesive, halo effect," he says. "When done correctly, the Scandi Hairline will look visibly lighter around the hairline with a soft pop of brightness, mimicking the look of a natural blonde. The final look is sunkissed, blended and frames the face beautifully."

Rita Hazan, Celebrity Colorist, says this technique isn't new, just newly viral. "For many colorists this technique is commonly used to blend out blondes and boost the brightness of the new hair color!" In other words, TikTok just coined a new name for it and send it out to the masses. Still, though, it's effective. "This technique is a relatively low cost way to give your blonde a boost and creates the illusion of a ‘halo’ effect on your hair," she says. 

Toves-Vincilione says that this trend is similar to the "money piece" trend that took hold a few years ago, albeit more subtle. For context, with the "money piece" technique, a stylist takes a small piece of hair on either side of the face and lightens to create a bright face-frame. "The Scandi Hairline trend is a bit softer, more dialed back, and is intended to look even more natural than similar trends we’ve seen in the past," he says. 

According to Priscilla Valles, Celebrity Extenstionist, "This look is trending because of the low cost and low damage to the majority of your hair because the bleach is only applied to your baby hairs. It is great for summer for a blonde pop." 

Toves Vincilione adds that it's a natural progression from other TikTok trends and aesthetics. "The Scandi Hairline is trending right now as hair color is entering its soft girl era," he says. "People are asking for softer colors, more blends and natural tones. Since this trend mimics what the hair naturally does when it’s exposed to the sun, it makes it more believable as well as more low maintenance. This trend can be used as a maintenance tool to skip the full highlight clients may be used to getting at every appointment. This can be done in between highlight appointments to give the illusion of a fully highlighted head of hair."

The best part about this trend? It's inclusive. Sure, it's mainly focused on blonde hair, but Toves Vincilione says it can be adapted for deeper colors. "While this trend really leans into mimicking naturally blonde hair, this approach can be used on almost any hair color. For all shades of hair darker than blonde, you use the same lightening technique to give a slight boost of color around the face. The key to doing this trend on darker shades of hair is to tone according to the level of raw lift you achieve. If your brunette lifts to a level 6 around the face, gloss with a toner no higher than a level 6." 

Both Hazan and Valles agree that it can work for deeper colors, although they caution that it can be tricky. "It's a little tougher on brown hair because it can get brassy," Hazan says. "You just have to let it sit long enough to be a honeyish color and not super blonde." Valles adds that there's usually more breakage involved with bleaching deeper hair colors, so keep that in mind as well. As always, the key is to go to an experienced colorist who can achieve the exact "Scandi" effect you're after. 

This trend is extremely popular on social media, so it's easy to pull up a reference picture or video for your stylist. Therefore, getting the exact result you want is fairly easy. Keeping it healthy and protected is something else. Luckily, all three experts have some tips and tricks to share.

"When asking for the Scandi Hairline, always ask your stylist to also use a bind additive to the bleach," Toves Vincilione says. "This will ensure that the fine hair around your hairline has maximum protection. Ask that your colorist follows up with a bond repairing treatment before they complete the service. These treatments help to strengthen and almost neutralize any potential for further damage." 

Then, once your home, Toves Vincilione says hair masks are a must. "If you don’t already mask at home, you’ll absolutely need to start after going blonde. Depending on how light your hair is, you may want to plan an at home hair treatment once every 1-2 weeks. These treatments will keep your hair hydrated, strengthened and looking healthier for longer. Blonde hair is porous, so filling in those porous ends with nourishing ingredients is key." 

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