Lighten Your Hair

Lightening your hair is a great way to give yourself a new look. With natural products like honey, baking soda, chamomile tea and baking soda, it’s possible to gently lighten your hair over time, but it does take several treatments to notice a difference. Alternatives to natural methods include using a box dye or bleach to lighten your hair, or visiting a salon.

Steps

Preparing to Lighten Your Hair

1. Do a strand test. Before lightening your hair, test the process on a strand to ensure that a) you like the color and b) it isn’t too damaging to your hair. A strand test is recommended regardless of which method you’re using to lighten your hair.
   • Even gentle, natural lightening methods will change your hair, so be sure to test your mixtures before applying them to your whole head!
2. Wear old clothes. Whenever you’re putting something in your hair, there’s a chance it’ll drip down on to your clothes, counters, floors or furniture. It may also rub off if you accidentally pass something too closely.
3. Gather your tools. Which materials you need will differ depending on which method you’re using. For most methods you’ll at the very least require a mixing bowl, an applicator brush, and a wide-toothed comb.
   • Avoid metal bowls and stirring tools as these can interact with ingredients. Stick with plastic or glass.
   • You can purchase an applicator brush from most drugstores and beauty supply shops.
   • Some people apply mixtures to their hair using a clean, unused toothbrush; it’s possible to do this, but it will be more time-consuming than using a professional applicator brush.
   • A wide-toothed comb is useful for running through your hair after application to ensure the mixture is evenly distributed.
4. Give yourself enough time. Many of the methods in this article require several hours of your time. Make sure that you’ve set aside a good amount of time that you can stay home with some sort of lightening mixture on your head!
5. Be prepared to repeat the process. All natural hair lightening processes are quite slow in lightening your hair. Be prepared to repeat many of the methods in this article several times before seeing results.
6. Pay attention to your hair’s quality. If your hair feels damaged after one lightening treatment, wait until it feels healthier before you do another one.
   • You might also consider trying a more nourishing mixture — for example, if you used lemon juice and honey the first time, try honey and olive oil the second time, as this might be more gentle to your hair.
7. Apply lightening mixtures to unwashed hair. Wait at least 24 hours from washing your hair before you lighten it. This will give your hair more time to get oily; your hair’s natural oils will help protect it from the drying and damaging effects of lightening.

Experimenting with Natural Lighteners

1. Know the most popular natural lighteners. The following materials are amongst the most popular used in natural DIY lightening mixtures:
   • Lemon juice — often diluted with conditioner, olive oil, or chamomile tea to reduce drying effects
   • Hydrogen peroxide (3%) — one of the harshest natural lighteners, popularly mixed with conditioner and left on hair for several hours, or spritzed on to hair undiluted
   • Baking soda — often mixed with shampoo when washing hair, but may take up to 2 months to show results
   • Honey — can be used on its own or diluted with water, olive oil, lemon juice or, for enhanced lightening, baking soda
   • Rhubarb — often made into a leave-in hair rinse by boiling it in water with chamomile tea bags
   • Olive oil — often used with honey, lemon and chamomile to enhance lightening effects
   • Chamomile tea — brewed strong and used as a leave-in hair rinse
2. Know how to combine your ingredients. With natural lightening ingredients, you’ll generally be mixing them together in either a paste or a leave-in hair rinse.
   • Rinses will often be made with chamomile tea, whereas pastes will generally include honey or powders such as cinnamon and baking soda.
   • The combinations and ratios vary greatly from person to person; you might want to start with a classic recipe and then tweak it form there — for example, adding cinnamon and chamomile tea to a honey and olive oil mixture.
3. Familiarize yourself with popular mixtures. Natural lighteners can be mixed into basically whatever combination you desire, but here are some popular ones:
   • 2 cups of distilled vinegar, 1 cup of honey, 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, 1 tbsp cardamom or cinnamon mixed into a paste and applied to damp hair
   • A hair rinse made by boiling 1/4 cup of rhubarb in 2 cups of water, left on your hair for 10 minutes
   • Cinnamon and conditioner combed through hair and left on overnight
   • Clear henna powder mixed into a paste with chamomile powder or chamomile tea, and left on hair for up to 2 hours
4. Know the general application steps. With most natural mixtures, the steps for application will be the same.
   • For a paste, you’ll mix the ingredients together, apply to damp hair, let it sit for 30 minutes to an hour, then wash out.
   • For a rinse, you’ll boil the ingredients together, strain any solids out, then either dip your hair into the mixture or pour it over your hair to fully cover it, and leave it on for up to an hour before washing it out.
5. Deep condition your hair. Follow every lightening process with a deep-conditioning treatment. This will ensure that your hair stays healthy and nourished. If your hair begins to feel flat and oily, you can scale back to the deep-conditioning treatments to see if this helps.
6. Avoid heat styling for at least a few days after each treatment. Lightening your hair damages it. To keep your hair looking as healthy as possible, avoid overstyling it, particularly with heat tools such as curling irons, flat irons, and blow dryers.
   • At the very least, avoid using heat styling tools on your hair for the first few days after you've lightened it.
7. Repeat the lightening process up to 3 times a week. Natural lightening treatments lighten your hair gently over time, so repetition and patience are important. How often you lighten your hair will ultimately depend on how healthy your hair feels.
   • Don’t lighten your hair if it’s already feeling dry or damaged, as this will only cause more damage.
8. Be careful. Even when using natural ingredients it’s important to exercise caution. Things that lighten your hair will dry it out and damage it — for that reason, unless a specific, proven recipe tells you otherwise, never leave any mixture on your hair for more than 1 hour.
   • Whenever you apply a mixture to your hair, check it after 30 minutes and, if it seems fine and you want stronger results, let it sit for another 30 minutes before washing it out.
   • In general, unless otherwise stated, you’ll wash mixtures out after an hour.
   • Pay close attention the quality of your hair, and only lighten it if your hair feels healthy.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking Soda

1. Gather your materials. You’ll need the following materials:
   • 2 parts baking soda
   • 1 part hydrogen peroxide (3%)
   • A dollop of honey or conditioner to make the mixture creamy
   • Mixing bowl
   • Applicator brush (optional)
   • Wide-tooth comb
2. Combine hydrogen peroxide and baking soda in a small bowl. Using a plastic spoon, a chopstick or some other non-metal stirring stick, mix them together to form a paste.
3. Add a dollop of honey or conditioner to the mixture. You can add as little or as much as you want depending on your own tastes. The purpose is mostly to make the paste a bit more creamy.
4. Apply the paste to your hair. Using an applicator brush or your hands, apply the paste to your hair. Start at your ends and move upwards toward your roots.
   • Do your roots at the very end, as the heat from your head will speed up the lightening effects at your roots.
5. Comb the paste through your hair. This will ensure even distribution. Do this with a wide-tooth comb if possible, as this will be gentler on your hair than a brush or fine-tooth comb.
   • Uneven application will make your hair look splotchy, so really make sure that your hair is fully saturated with the paste.
   • If you run out of paste partway through, don’t panic: just mix up some more and keep going!
6. Cover your hair. Pile your hair on to of your head and cover it with either plastic wrap or a shower cap. To keep in the warmth and improve the lightening effects, you can also wrap a towel around your head.
7. Leave the paste on your hair for 30 to 60 minutes. Don’t leave it on for more than 1 hour or you'll risk badly damaging your hair.
8. Wash the paste out of your hair. Gently shampoo your hair, rinse, and follow that up with a deep conditioner.
9. Let the conditioner sink into your hair. If you have the time, let the conditioner sit on your hair for at least 30 minutes. If you’re in a hurry it’s enough to just leave it on you hair for 3 minutes.
   • If you only do a short conditioning treatment, be sure to make up for it with a longer one when you have time. Lightening your hair dries it out, so it’s important to keep it nourished with regular deep-conditioning treatments.
10. Rinse your hair out with cold water. This will give shine to your hair and make it soft.
11. Gently dry your hair. Gently squeeze the moisture out of your hair with a clean towel. Avoid scrubbing your hair as this could cause damage to it.
    • Lightening your hair will damage it; be sure to take good care of your hair by being gentle with it — this includes not overstyling it or using heat (i.e. flat irons, blow dryers, curling irons) on it.
12. Repeat as necessary. It may take some time to see noticeable results. You can repeat the process up to three times a week; you may not notice results for a couple of weeks.
    • Before repeating the process, ensure that your hair feels healthy. Don’t apply a lightening mixture to dry or damaged hair, as it will only make it worse.

Using Honey and Olive Oil

1. Gather your materials. You’ll need the following materials:
   • 1 part honey
   • 1 part olive oil
   • 1 banana (optional)
   • Mixing bowl
   • Applicator brush (optional)
   • Wide-tooth comb
2. Mix the honey and oil together in a bowl. You can use a blender or mix the ingredients by hand; just make sure that the mixture is creamy and has no lumps in it. Once it’s mixed, if it’s not already in a bowl, transfer it to one.
   • You can add a banana to the mixture to help make it more nourishing for your hair.
   • A regularly used measurement for medium-long hair is to mix 1/2 a cup of honey with 1/2 a cup of olive oil.
3. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the naturally occurring peroxide in the honey and olive oil to develop. You might find it helpful to cover the bowl with some plastic wrap as it develops (particularly if you have pets that might try to eat it), but this isn’t absolutely necessary.
4. Apply the mixture to your hair. You can do this with your hands or with a hair dye applicator brush, which is available at most drug stores or beauty supply shops. Work from your ends up to your roots, leaving your roots for last.
   • To ensure even distribution, you can run a wide-tooth comb through your hair.
5. Wrap your hair. To prevent the mixture from dripping or rubbing off on your clothes or furniture, wrap your head in plastic or tuck it under a shower cap.
   • You can then wrap a towel around the plastic for added if you like — the added warmth may help increase the lightening effects.
6. Let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check the mixture after 30 minutes to see if you’re happy with the results; if you want it to be lighter, you can let it sit longer — even up to an hour.
7. Wash and condition your hair. Wash, condition and rinse your hair as normal. You may consider using a deep conditioner to help restore your hair’s moisture, as lightening your hair can dry it out and damage it.
8. Dry your hair. Gently squeeze the moisture out of your hair with a clean towel. Avoid scrubbing your hair as this could cause damage to it.
9. Be gentle to your hair. Lightening your hair will damage it; be sure to take good care of your hair with regular deep-conditioning treatments and by avoiding overstyling it.
   • It’s a good idea to avoid using heat to style your hair. Heat styling includes blow drying, flat ironing, or curling your hair.
10. Repeat as necessary. You’ll likely need to repeat the process at least 4 times before you see results. You can do this up to 3 times a week depending on how healthy your hair feels.
    • Before repeating the process, ensure that your hair feels healthy. Don’t apply a lightening mixture to dry or damaged hair, as it will only make it worse.

Using Honey and Conditioner

1. Gather your materials. You’ll need the following materials:
   • 1 part honey
   • 2 parts conditioner
   • Mixing bowl
   • Applicator brush (optional)
   • Wide-tooth comb
2. Mix 1 part honey and 1 part conditioner together in a bowl. Exactly how much you need will depend on the length and thickness of your hair. 1/2 a cup of each will likely cover medium-long hair.
3. Let the mixture sit for 10 to 15 minutes. This will allow the peroxide in the honey to develop.
4. Apply the mixture to your hair. You can do this with your hands or with a hair dye applicator brush, which is available at most drug stores or beauty supply shops. Work from your ends up to your roots, leaving your roots for last.
   • To ensure even distribution, you can run a wide-tooth comb through your hair.
5. Wrap your hair. To prevent the mixture from dripping or rubbing off on your clothes or furniture, wrap your head in plastic or tuck it under a shower cap.
   • You can then wrap a towel around the plastic for added if you like — the added warmth may help increase the lightening effects.
6. Let it sit for 30 minutes to 1 hour. Check the mixture after 30 minutes to see if you’re happy with the results; if you want it to be lighter, you can let it sit longer — even up to an hour.
7. Wash and condition your hair. Wash, condition and rinse your hair as normal. You may consider using a deep conditioner to help restore your hair’s moisture, as lightening your hair can dry it out and damage it.
8. Dry your hair. Gently squeeze the moisture out of your hair with a clean towel. Avoid scrubbing your hair as this could cause damage to it.
9. Be gentle to your hair. Lightening your hair will damage it; be sure to take good care of your hair with regular deep-conditioning treatments and by avoiding overstyling it.
   • It’s a good idea to avoid using heat to style your hair. Heat styling includes blow drying, flat ironing, or curling your hair.
10. Repeat as necessary. You’ll likely need to repeat the process at least 4 times before you see results. You can do this up to 3 times a week depending on how healthy your hair feels.
    • Before repeating the process, ensure that your hair feels healthy. Don’t apply a lightening mixture to dry or damaged hair, as it will only make it worse.

Using Lemon Juice, Chamomile Tea and Honey

1. Gather your materials:
   • 1/4 cup lemon juice (freshly squeezed is best)
   • 4 to 5 chamomile tea bags
   • 4 tbsp honey
   • About 4 cups of water
   • Large bowl or sink with stopper
   • Ladle (optional)
   • Spray bottle (optional)
2. Add 4 to 5 chamomile tea bags to boiling water and lower the heat. Allow the bags to simmer in the water for about 20 minutes, effectively making a very strong pot of chamomile tea.
3. Allow the tea to cool. If you are short on time, you can make the mixture with 3 cups of boiling water and then add 1 cup of cold water to it once it’s done to help cool it down.
4. Add lemon juice and honey to the tea. Once the tea is cool, add 1/4 cup of lemon juice and 4 tbsp of honey.
5. Ensure that the mixture is in a large bowl or basin. It needs to be large enough that you can dip your hair into it. Be sure to check that the mixture is lukewarm before dipping your hair in it.
6. Soak your hair. Turn your head over and lower it into the bowl/basin until you cannot lower it any further. Use a ladle to pour the mixture over your roots and any hard-to-reach places.
   • As an alternative, you can pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spritz your hair with it. Just be sure that your hair is fully saturated with the mixture.
   • Don't forget to make sure that the mixture is no longer hot before dipping your hair into it.
7. Gently squeeze the excess mixture from your hair. Without rinsing your hair or drying it off with at towel, use your hands to gently squeeze any excess mixture out of your hair.
8. Let it sit for a few hours. Pile your hair on top of your head and wrap it with plastic or tuck it under a shower cap. Once it’s wrapped in plastic, you can wrap a towel around your head to heat it up a bit and enhance the lightening effects of the mixture.
9. Wash and condition your hair. Wash, condition and rinse your hair as normal. You may consider using a deep conditioner to help restore your hair’s moisture, as lightening your hair can dry it out and damage it.
10. Be gentle to your hair. Lightening your hair will damage it, so it’s important to be gentle with it. When drying your hair, gently squeeze the moisture out of your hair with a clean towel rather than scrubbing roughly at your head.
    • Be sure to take good care of your hair with regular deep-conditioning treatments and by avoiding overstyling it.
    • It’s a good idea to avoid using heat to style your hair. Heat styling includes blow drying, flat ironing, or curling your hair.
11. Repeat as necessary. You’ll likely need to repeat the process at least 4 times before you see results. You can do this up to 3 times a week depending on how healthy your hair feels.
    • Before repeating the process, ensure that your hair feels healthy. Don’t apply a lightening mixture to dry or damaged hair, as it will only make it worse.

Using Lightening Shampoo and Conditioner

1. Know if this method is right for you. Note that this method is most effective if you already have naturally light hair (i.e. not dark brown, black, or bleached hair).
2. Purchase John Frieda Go Blonder Shampoo and Conditioner. When used on hair regularly, these products have been proven to slowly and gently lighten hair.
3. Wet your hair and apply shampoo. Make sure that your hair is fully covered with the shampoo buy gently massaging it into your strands.
4. Allow the shampoo to sit on your hair for 5 to 10 minutes. Once it has sat on your hair for up to 10 minutes, rinse it out with cool water.
5. Apply the conditioner. Massage the conditioner into your hair, then pile it up on top of your head and tuck it under a shower cap.
6. Let sit for as long as possible. Some people suggest leaving the conditioner on your hair for several hours.
   • While you’re waiting to rinse it out, do some chores or homework, or watch a movie or some episodes of your favorite TV show — whatever it is you feel like doing while giving the conditioner ample time to sink into your locks.
7. Rinse out the conditioner. Use cool water to rinse the conditioner out of your hair.
8. Gently dry your hair. Although this method isn’t as damaging as bleaching your hair, you’ll still want to be gentle with your hair, as lightening it will dry it out.
   • Instead of scrubbing your hair hard with a towel, use the towel to gently squeeze the water out of your hair.
9. Avoid heat styling your hair. The more damaged and dry your hair feels, the more careful you should be about everything you do to it. To keep your hair healthiest, avoid heat styling such as blow drying, curling and flat ironing your hair.
10. Consider using the lightening spray to boost your results. If you want to go even lighter, consider using John Frieda Go Blonder lightening spray. This product contains hydrogen peroxide, which is damaging to hair, so be extra careful while using it.
    • Only use the lightening spray once every two weeks at most. Think of it like a hair colouring product — the more you use it, the more damaged your hair will become.
    • Although the spray contains a heat protectant, you’re best off avoiding applying heat to your hair after using the spray, as heat can enhance the effects of peroxide and cause even more damage to your hair.

Tips

• If your hair is quite dark, and/or you desire quicker and more noticeable lightening results, consider using a box dye or professional-quality lightening powder and developer to bleach your hair.
• Note that the lighter your hair is to begin with, the more effective these lightening treatments will be. If your hair is dark brown or black, you may need to use chemicals to lighten your hair to the desired shade.
• If you’re using a box dye, aim for a color that is no more than 2 shades lighter than your current color — the further you are from 2 shades, the less predictable the end result with be (it could be brassy/darker than you like).
• To enhance the results of any of the natural lightening mixtures, sit out in the sun for a while.
• Don’t expect drastic results. Natural modes of lightening your hair will slowly and gently lift the color from your locks. You won’t be able to go from brunette to blonde within 1 treatment.
• Always do a strand test before applying a mixture over your entire head. This will help you figure out how much the mixture will lighten your hair, and how damaged it might make your hair.

Warnings

• Avoid dyeing your eyebrows or eyelashes, as to do so can risk injury to your eyes.
• When leaving lightening mixtures on your hair, do not exceed the recommended time frames, as this can cause damage to your hair. In general, you’ll want to wash these mixtures out within an hour.
• Hydrogen peroxide may be natural but it’s not gentle. It is available from drugstores in concentrations of up to 35%. Cosmetic grade hydrogen peroxide ranges from 3% to 12%, but the generally recommended concentration for hair lightening is 3%.

Related Articles

• Lighten Black Hair
• Lighten Your Hair in the Sun
• Lighten Your Hair Dye With Vitamin C
• Get Lighter Hair at Home

Sources and Citations

• Videos provided by Dove Sorys

See also

• Do Ecaille Hair Color
• Dip Dye Dark Hair
• Lowlight Gray Hair
• Lowlight Blonde Hair
• Bleach Hair Blonde
• Prepare Your Hair for Bleaching
• Color Hair With Food Coloring
• Dye Hair
• Dye Your Hair Brown After It Has Been Dyed Black
• Dye Hair Two Colors

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