The Mallen streak, a patch of white or grey in the hair, used to be thought of as something to hide. It's now been accepted - and even celebrated - by popular culture, hairstylists and clients choosing to go grey.
Driving the trend was RuPaul's Drag Race judge Michelle Visage, who embraced her natural grey after being told to stop colouring it by her hairdresser.
HJ is here for it! Here's everything you need to know about Mallen streaks.
What is a Mallen streak?
A white/grey patch in the hair is called poliosis, but it's much more commonly known as a Mallen streak. The condition occurs when the hair strands in a specific area lose their pigmentation. This is caused by the follicles stopping producing melanin, the pigment responsible for hair color, and results in a distinctive streak.
Mallen streaks are often 'genetic', but can also be 'aquired' by skin or autoimmune conditions, or even local trauma to the hair follicles. They’re usually seen at the front of the scalp, but can also affect other areas of the head (and even the eyebrows and eye lashes).
Throughout history, the streak has been linked to evil, think X Men's Rogue or the Bride of Frankenstein, but the term Mallen streak wasn't coined until the 1970s. Originally coming from the Latin word ‘malignus’ (meaning 'bad kind') it was first used by novelist Catherine Cookson in her ‘Mallen’ trilogy. The novels follow the lives of a doomed family, who all share the hereditary white/grey streak in their hair. Cookson writes of the pejorative associations of the streak, “nothing good ever came of a Mallen.”
Mallen Streaks are incredibly unique and striking
Paul Dennison, Ken Picton
Which celebrities have a Mallen streak?
Today, many figures in the public eye wear their streaks with pride. Notable celebrities with a natural Mallen streak include:
- Actor Richard Madden
- Politician Ed Milliband
- TV presenter George Lamb
- Author Caitlin Moran.
Some celebrities are even jumping on the Mallen bandwagon and getting dramatically contrasting white streaks added, like comedian and presenter Kiri Pritchard Mclean (see below).
Check out more Mallen Streak hairstyles from films and television here.
What's the difference between a Mallen streak and money piece highlights?
The Mallen streak shares similarities with the popular money piece hair trend, where bold highlights frame the face, and the new soft favourite, the Scandi hairline. Check out these and some more of our favorite Gen Z hair trends here.
There are some key differences though. Most Mallen streaks occur naturally and have a distinctive line and dramatic colour contrast; whereas money piece highlights tend to have multiple shades that blend into each other.
While Mallen streaks embrace the natural silver or grey in the hair, face-framing highlights tend to be natural-looking shades that blend seemlessly with the rest of the hair.
How to work with a Mallen streak
We asked hairdresser and colourist Paul Dennison to share his advice for clients with Mallen streaks.
The colour director at Ken Picton, always advises clients to embrace and work with their streak as a feature. He says: "It’s incredibly unique and striking. If you cover it, you’ll constantly be fighting the regrowth and trying to conceal it."
Paul is a fan of the look (natural or otherwise) and has some professional tips on working with a Mallen streak as a colourist.
"It’s a very strong look and because white hair is so clean, it can look really dramatic when sitting next to darker, natural hair," he says.
"I’d aim to enhance this strikingness by covering any other greys, so that the front section becomes even more apparent and really stands out. If a client has covered their white hair previously and wants to grow it out and embrace it, I suggest you pre-lighten the ends as much as possible, then tone to the natural colour with a nice ash or clean blonde."
Take a look at our gallery of Mallen streak looks below to inspire.
