Photo: hairwith_clare on Instagram 

As the weather slowly becomes more springlike and the sun begins to emerge from behind those dark clouds, beauty lovers are sure to lighten their locks. If you’ve been contemplating highlighting your hair this spring, you may want to consider the latest trend to make a splash in the world of hair colour.

Known as babylights, this rising trend involves placing barely-there highlights near the ends of your mane in order to achieve a natural effect. This increasingly popular hair look has recently emerged as a popular trend for those with fine hair, or beauty mavens who prefer just a touch of colour.

In an interview with Allure, hair colourist Aura Friedman of the New York City-based Sally Hershberger salon described the application process for babylights. Although it may be easy to confuse these au naturel highlights with techniques like ombré and balayage, it’s important to remember that the gradually lightened strands are incredibly understated.

“The process is different in that usually ombré and balayage involve applying color to larger pieces of hair, while babylights are subtle highlights that work best on very fine hair,” said Friedman in a statement to Allure.

Babylights have been causing a sensation on Instagram, where hairstyling addicts are embracing subtly lightened locks for Spring 2016. The hair colour look can help to bring an effortless, beachy vibe to blonde locks, or infuse refreshing and dainty highlights into brunette or red hair.

For anyone aiming to try babylights this season, here’s a closer look at this trend.

Photo: sarahi_alrohani on Instagram 

Photo: hairbyedwin on Instagram