Moonlights are being shown as a freehand balayage technique, where hair is painted in sections to mimic the soft glow of moonlight. Unlike traditional balayage, which uses careful application and blending techniques, moonlights give the impression that the stylist is painting bleach directly onto the hair, resulting in soft, shimmering highlights.

While it looks like a quick and easy method, hairstylists are warning against how these viral videos portray the process. What seems like a spontaneous bleach application may not actually be bleach at all – and the results are unrealistic at best.

“There are so many crossovers and techniques these days when it comes to colouring hair. The viral moonlight videos show a technique that’s very slapdash, whereas the end result shows something that’s more true to a traditional highlighting technique with foils,” explains Harriet Muldoon, hair colourist at Larry King.

What are moonlights? The viral balayage technique that’s all over social media