A hybrid of traditional highlights and balayage , the technique of teasylighting involves — you guessed it — teasing the hair before sweeping on lightener. Sabrina Yamani Yamga , a colorist at Alex Brown's SPACE Studio in Chicago, breaks it down for us. "Similar to balayage, teasylights create a softly-blended highlight off the root," Yamga explains, adding that the process looks a bit different. "Rather than hand-painting, your colorist will use foils and softly backcomb or tease small sections of hair before applying the lightener, which will diffuse the blend between the lift and the base tone."