Underlights are our newest hair trend addiction

You can now fulfill all your Mean Girls dreams and actually have hair full of secrets. A new hair painting technique, known as underlighting, can give you the unicorn hair you’ve always wanted — and no one has to know, unless you want them to.

The technique is done by adding color underneath your normal hair color. Your stylist will pin up the bulk of your hair, bleaching only a panel underneath. From there, you can add color and placement any way you see fit. This technique is a dream come true for those of us who want to try fun colors but work in a more conservative setting. It’s business on top and a party underneath.

You can also do this technique with traditional hair shades, layering black hair with blue underlights or dark brown hair with red underlights, for really cool effects with going full rainbow.

It’s a nice way to experiment with a color without fully committing to the look. As a bonus, it requires less maintenance than traditional all-over streaks or highlights. Since they’re under the bulk of your hair, you can hide them when they start looking faded.

It also looks really cool when you get creative with your hairstyle. A messy half-top knot or quickly put together braid instantly becomes an edgier, more put-together look with rainbow strands peeping through.

(Images via Instagram)