The Hair Trend That Makes Matilda Djerf's Blonde Look *So* Good

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Aside from a handful of stints when I was not thinking clearly (read: having a meltdown), I've been blonde my whole life. I've done everything: Highlighting my hair at home, bleaching my whole head, balayage after balayage, money-piece highlights—and never felt like my hair looked as bright as everyone in my IG saves, like Elsa Hosk, Karol G, and my forever hair inspo, Matilda Djerf. They all have one thing in common: the "Scandi hairline," a hair trend that's blowing up on my feed to get sun-soaked hair without the endless hours outside.

I've been gathering inspo images to send to my hairstylist for months to bring my dark-blonde hair into 2024. But before I sat my butt in the salon chair, I consulted with the experts (including Amalia Berglund, Djerf's own hairstylist who made the Scandi hairline popular in the first place) for all the details on how to get the trend, including what to ask your colorist and how to maintain it.

What is the Scandi hairline?

The "Scandi hairline" trend is a hair-color technique where bleach is used to brighten up your baby hairs around your face, says Berglund. The name is based on the way that Scandinavian people's typically blond hair gets naturally bleached by the sun, especially as kids. "Anyone who has hair that easily gets sun-bleached can get these tiny baby hairs around the face and ears that get really light from the sun," says Berglund.

The end-result? "It’s mimicking that natural lightness around the face," she explains. It's kind of like a "halo" of brightness around your face, mimicking the look of spending days in the Scandinavian sun in the summertime.

According to Berglund, clients are requesting it constantly—so much so that she's doing a Scandi hairline "many times a week," she says. "This plays into the trend of having lighter, brighter hair for the summer," she notes, "but it also adds natural dimension and glow to your hair all year round."

What is the difference between a money piece and a Scandi hairline?

The biggest difference between a money-piece highlight and a Scandi hairline is the softness, says celebrity hairstylist Dave Stanwell, as the Scandi hairline is meant to be much more subtle and blended. A money-piece highlight, or even face-framing highlights, tend to have a more stark contrast against your hair (think: Charli D'Amelio's 2020-era highlights).

Money-piece, face-framing highlights are better for brunettes and darker hair, whereas a Scandi hairline is easier to achieve when you're already working with a light base. You can have both of these trends at the same time, though, says Berglund. A Scandi hairline can make your face-framing highlights pop a bit more by adding even more lightness. Similarly, starting with money-piece highlights can help lighten your hair a lil bit to make bleaching your baby hairs a bit easier and gentler.

Can you do the Scandi hairline trend on dark hair?

"Yes, you can do a Scandi hairline on darker hair, since it’s just lightening the hairline, basically for it to pop," says Stanwell. However, obviously, it's a bit more subtle and is not going to be as vibrant as a bright-blonde hairline. "You can do it as a pre-lighten on a brunette, then tone it to your preferred undertone to help blend it into your hair," he adds. "Or you can use the Scandi hairline as a base to blend regrowth, especially if you're trying to cover gray hairs."

How to get the Scandi hairline trend:

The Scandi hairline trend is achieved by bleaching your teeny bb hairs. Lemme explain (or rather, the experts explain): After a color service, when her client is at the bowl about to have the rest of their bleach rinsed, Berglund separates out the baby hairs around the face, combing them down onto their forehead. Then, she paints on the lightener and lets it sit for only a couple of minutes before rinsing. Stanwell usually adds flecks of bleach throughout the hairline to create a more blended, less obvious look than just coating the entire hairline, FYI.

There are two ways you can get the Scandi hairline trend: At the salon, as explained above, or at home. We always advise seeing a colorist when you're working with bleach, as it can be damaging, especially on those ultra-fragile baby hairs around your face. But you can do this at home, just take a few key steps to mitigate damage. "I would suggest you to use as low a developer as possible to be safe, and just leave it on a little bit longer, constantly checking in to not over-lighten your hair," says Berglund. P.S.: Definitely don't try this at home if you're not already workin' with blonde hair. Just see a pro—it'll be worth it.

Obvi, with any type of bleach, this can potentially be pretty damaging to your hair, according to Stanwell. "Your edges and hairline are much softer and finer hairs, so they should be treated as such and not over-processed," says Stanwell. Berglund says she always mixes her lightener with a bond-repair product, like Olaplex or Redken, to help counteract some damage and keep hair safe.

How to maintain the Scandi hairline trend:

The maintenance for the Scandi hairline trend isn't too intense, says Berglund. "The lighter your hair is, the less maintenance," she explains. So if you're starting with very-dark natural roots, take that into account, as you'll likely need to touch up your hairline sooner than someone with naturally blonde hair. "Those baby hairs grow so fast, but they’re so fine and soft that you won’t notice too much of the overgrowth," she adds.

But if your hair is prone to brassiness, you'll definitely need to incorporate toning products into your routine. Berglund recommends purple shampoo once every two weeks or so to maintain an icy, vivid blonde.

Otherwise, she suggests opting for a shampoo and conditioner that matches your hair type, whether you need strength or hydration. And to keep your roots clean and fresh, deep clean your scalp with a clarifying shampoo once or twice a month if your hair is dry and once a week if your hair is oily. Peep my full toolkit below (which is exactly what I use to maintain my Scandi hairline):

Bust Your Brass Cool Blonde Repair Shampoo

Blonde+ Hair Repair System Conditioner

Leave-In Molecular Repair Hair Mask Treatment

Hair Gloss In-Shower Shine Treatment

Meet the experts:

• Amalia Berglund is a freelance hairstylist based in Sweden. She's known for working with Matilda Djerf.

• Dave Stanwell is a celebrity hairstylist and groomer based in Los Angeles, CA. He's worked with Jenna Ortega, James Marsden, Florence Pugh, and more.

Why trust Cosmopolitan?

Beth Gillette is the beauty editor at Cosmopolitan with six years of experience researching, writing, and editing hair stories that range from shampoos for oily hair to festival hair ideas. She's an authority in all hair categories, but is an expert when it comes to the Scandi hairline trend. She interviewed multiple hairstylists about how to get the look and why it's so popular, then legit begged her stylist to do the look on her after seeing it on so many celebs.

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