Lighten Naturally Black Coloured Hair at Home

Black hair is beautiful, but sometimes you just need a change. If you'd like to subtly lighten your black hair by a couple of shades, but don't have the budget to visit an expensive salon, don't worry! You have several options when it comes to lightening your hair easily and cheaply at home, from natural bleaching agents found in the kitchen, to store-bought products available for under ten dollars. See below for more details.

Steps

Honey

  1. Use raw honey. Honey is a great natural ingredient which nourishes and moisturizes your hair, while also acting as a hair lightener. This is because raw honey contains an enzyme which produces small amounts of hydrogen peroxide, a common bleaching agent. Over time, honey will gradually lighten black hair, while also adding moisture and shine.
    • You can apply honey directly onto your hair, like a mask. You may want to add a little water to loosen it up first though, as it can be difficult to spread. Apply onto damp hair, cover with a plastic shower cap and leave to sit for 30 to 40 minutes, before rinsing with warm water and a little shampoo.
    • You can also make a mask by combining equal parts honey and olive oil (and an optional half banana, for added nourishment) and apply using the same method as above.
    • One final option is to add a little honey to your regular conditioner, shaking the bottle well to combine. Use as normal, following shampooing.

Chamomile

  1. Try chamomile tea. Using chamomile tea to lighten your hair is another cheap and easy option that won't cause too much damage to your locks. Chamomile can be found in most grocery and health food stores, in either tea bag or dried flower form. To make the tea, you should add the tea bags or dried chamomile flowers to a pot of cold water, then bring the pot to a boil over a medium-high heat. Once boiled, reduced the heat and allow the contents of the pot to simmer for 30 minutes. This makes the tea very strong. Remove from the heat and allow to cool before straining the liquid to separate the tea bags or flowers. You can then use the tea in a few different ways.
    • Try adding a couple of tablespoons of the cooled tea to your favorite shampoo and conditioner, shake the bottles well to combine, then use as normal.
    • Use the chamomile tea as a rinse for your hair. Simply pour the cooled tea into an empty shampoo bottle and keep in the shower to use as a final rinse after shampooing and conditioning.
    • If possible, let you hair dry naturally outdoors after applying chamomile tea, as the sunlight will help to speed up the lightening process.

Lemon

  1. Apply lemon juice. Lemon juice has been used as a natural hair lightener for years, and although it's most effective for lightening blonde hair, it can also produce a subtle lightening effect on black or very dark brown hair. When hair is sprayed with lemon juice and exposed to sunlight (or some other source of heat) the citric acid in the lemon juice is activated, opening up the hair cuticle and stripping pigment from the hair. Lemon juice can have a drying effect on the air, however, so make sure to follow each lemon juice application with a conditioning treatment.
    • To apply the lemon juice, mix a half cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice with half a cup of water and pour into a spray bottle. Spritz liberally onto clean, damp hair and allow hair to air dry naturally in the sun, for up to an hour.
    • Due to the drying nature of the lemon juice, it is best to rinse the lemon spray from your hair after an hour of sun exposure, otherwise your hair might become frazzled looking.
    • A little lemon juice can also be combined with some honey, olive oil or chamomile tea to make a more nourishing/effective lightening treatment.

Cinnamon

  1. Experiment with cinnamon. Although it may seem surprising, cinnamon is actually another mild natural bleaching agent which has the potential to lighten black hair by a full shade or two, if used consistently. Just be aware that the final color may be slightly reddish in tone, due to the earthy color of cinnamon.
    • You can use store-bought containers of the spice, or use whole cinnamon sticks which you will need to grate into a fine powder.
    • Simply mix two tablespoons of cinnamon with approximately four tablespoons of your favorite hair conditioner, stirring well to combine. Apply this mixture to the roots of your hair, then comb to spread through the lengths. At first, the cinnamon may irritate your scalp slightly, but this should subside after a minute or two.
    • Cover your hair with a plastic shower cap and leave the mixture in for up to four hours, or overnight if possible. Make sure to rinse well with shampoo afterwards, to remove all traces of cinnamon.
    • One of the major benefits of using cinnamon is that your hair will smell delicious afterwards!

Amla oil

This method can be used three times in a week to turn your grey hairs black naturally.

  1. Pour out 3 tablespoon of amla oil.
  2. Cut a lemon in half. Squeeze the juice into the oil.
  3. Make a paste by adding water and mixing together. Leave it to blend for 2-3 hours.
  4. Apply this paste on your scalp and hair. Let the hair dry for 40 minutes.
  5. Wash your hair with normal water.

Hair mask

  1. Make a hair mask. It is also possible to make a hair lightening mask, using a combination of some of the ingredients mentioned above. This will effectively lighten black hair by a couple of shades (if applied regularly) thanks to the combined effect of lemon juice, chamomile tea and cinnamon, while also helping to strengthen and nourish hair, due to the addition of egg yolks and Greek yogurt. To prepare:
    • Boil three teabags of chamomile tea in one cup of water. Leave to simmer for 10 to 15 minutes, then take off the heat and leave to cool. Remove the teabags and squeeze the juice from half a lemon into the cooled tea. Then mix in two teaspoons of Greek yogurt, two or three egg yolks and two teaspoons of cinnamon.
    • Apply this mask to the hair, working it in from the roots to the tips. Cover hair in a plastic shower cap and leave the mask in for at least 30 minutes, and up to four hours. Then rinse well to remove all traces of the mask from the hair.
    • You will need to apply this mask at least once a week for several weeks in order to see significant results. The more times you apply the mask, the lighter your hair will become.

Hair color products

  1. Use a home dye kit. If you want to lighten your hair in a hurry, and don't have time to wait weeks for natural treatments to take effect, you should consider trying a home dye kit. Although these can be a little risky to use, you should be okay if you stick to a color that's made specifically for lightening dark hair. If you're nervous about the final color, consider snipping off a small lock of your hair and testing your chosen color on that first.
  2. Try a lightening shampoo and conditioner. There are special shampoos and conditioners available which are made especially for lightening hair gradually over the course of successive washes. These products are available in most drug stores and beauty supply stores and while they are usually marketed specifically for blonde or lighter hair colors, many people have used them to successfully lighten darker hair as well. Just look for the term "lightening shampoo" indicated on the bottle.
  3. Spritz your hair with a lightening spray. In addition to lightening shampoos and conditioners, there are also lightening sprays available, which operate in a similar way to lemon juice. All you need to do is spritz the spray onto damp hair, then activate it using the heat from a blow dryer or from the sun.
  4. Use hydrogen peroxide. Pour some hydrogen peroxide into a dark colored bottle (one that doesn't allow light to pass). Spray onto your hair. Repeat daily. You will see an effect after repeated use after a medium to longer length of time.

Tips

  • One great tip is getting cinnamon powder and sprinkling it into your hair before having a bath. Also, whilst conditioning it pour some cinnamon on your hair and leave it in your hair for around 5-10 minutes (the longer you leave it in the better) Hopefully after doing this a few times it should lighten your hair by at least two to three shades
  • Heat olive oil mixed with some chamomile tea or mint tea without burning them and then drain any pieces of tea out. You can use the oil left over as a leave in conditioner for your hair, a few drops like a serum to keep hair soft and glowing.
  • You can also rinse hair regularly with chamomile tea and lemon mixture, but make sure to use conditioner to keep it soft.
  • Also regular rinses with apple cider vinegar, lemon juice or citric powder mixed with water make hair lighter, but can dry hair.
  • Make sure that you're not putting food juices in your hair that could damage it.
  • Squeeze a little beet juice onto wet hair. Leave overnight and wash it out the next day.
  • If you have any Sun in heat activated spray, you can spray some on damp hair and then blow dry it and it should also lighten hair without making it go really light. But if you want light brown or blonde hair then it is best to bleach to a blonde shade and then dye on top to get the perfect shade otherwise black hair will not color properly or get the shade on the box.

Warnings

  • Make sure you are not allergic to chamomile or cinnamon by testing some on the back of your ear or on your inner arm as those places are sensitive. If you are allergic or have a reaction you will be able to notice it.

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