Spongelights Can Give You Sun-Kissed Locks All Year

We've heard of babylights and teasylights, but spongelights are an innovative way of highlighting hair to give it a natural lift that may sound completely new to you. Just like its name suggests, the process involves using a sponge to deposit color onto the hair (rather than a brush to paint it on, as with balayage). "Spongelights give hair a softer and more dimensional look," hair colorist Jaye Edwards shared with PopSugar. Plus, if you're not someone who likes to sit for hours in the salon, spongelights may be for you. According to hairstylist Cassandra Olivia, the process takes less time than the traditional route. "It might take 10-15 minutes to do foils across the entire head, whereas it takes about five minutes to apply spongelights," she told PopSugar.

Celebrity hairstylist and colorist Guy Tang was way ahead of this trend when he demonstrated the technique on his YouTube channel in 2015. Because his model had textured hair, he told viewers that, instead of using the scrunching method, a sponge was the way to go for applying color. "Her texture is so pretty and so cloudy, I'm able to spongelight her," Tang revealed. The end result was a beautiful chestnut shade that blended seamlessly into her natural hair color, and it highlighted one of the main benefits of this technique: the ability to achieve warm, sun-kissed hair year-round without harsh coloring agents or aggressive techniques. So, whether you have straight, curly, or textured hair, spongelights may be the next new way for you to add some beautiful glow to your locks.

If your hair is naturally curly or has some texture, spongelights can be the quickest and easiest way to get seamless highlights. Hand-painting the color ensures the strands get an even distribution, and color guru Guy Tang gently pulls the spirals to make them straight before applying the dye with a sponge. According to him, your spongelights should look flawless whether your hair is curly or straight.

Loose, flowing waves are great for showing off the different subtle tones of your highlights. Because of the spongelight technique, buttery blond hair looks naturally sunlit, which is perfect for slightly messy beachy curls. Try using a tapered curling iron to get uneven waves, and then spritz your hair with a salt spray afterward for added texture.

Candlelit brunette is the subtle trend to try, as it incorporates warm shades of chestnut and golden browns. Give your bronze hair a bit of life with some highlights a shade or two lighter. The gorgeous colors will catch the light, giving you an effervescent, ethereal glow everywhere you go.

Fantasy hair colors are never going to get old, especially when you mix them all together. And if you've ever wondered how hairstylists achieve perfectly separate yet blended unicorn hair, they probably used a sponge. Instead of a large, flatter sponge as usual, some hair colorists blot multiple pastel colors onto the hair, resulting in super cool rainbow strands. Bonus points if you add some sparkly glitter to your mane.

For the ultimate test in determining just how good your color and cut are, make your hair poker-straight. If you see no lines of demarcation and only marvel at how natural your highlights look, then you know your spongelights are a win. After you try this technique, you may never go back to hand-painting your balayage with a brush ever again.