The invention discloses an insulator icing detection method based on a GLOH descriptor and a GVF-Snake model. The method comprises steps that 1, an input image is pre-processed; 2, a target area of interest is extracted, and the area contains the insulator information; 3, the GLOH descriptor is utilized to position an insulator; 4, the GVF-Snake model is utilized to precisely detect insulator contour; and 5, the insulator contour is analyzed, whether the insulator is in an icing state is determined through calculating the maximum radial distance, and icing thickness is calculated under the icing condition. The method is advantaged in that a problem of difficulty in distinguishing the insulator from the complex background existing in a traditional method can be solved, and insulator icing condition determination accuracy can be effectively improved.