Home Remedies to Lighten Hair

If sun-kissed hair just isn’t in the cards for you, an assortment of home remedies to lighten hair awaits your curiosity. As you browse the various concoctions that can brighten up your strands, you will find that lemon juice is a pretty popular ingredient in many do-it-yourself hair care regimens. The juice possesses qualities that naturally lighten hair. Sometimes, lemon juice is combined with other ingredients to create a stronger, long-lasting effect. In the end, it’s up to you to discover the blend that works best with your hair color, texture, and preferences.

lighten-hair-home-remedy

Using Lemon Juice to Lighten Hair

As a preferred choice for lightening hair, lemon juice generally requires dilution with water before it even touches your hair. Since lemon juice can make your hair rather dry or even cause graying in some individuals, you need to create a proper mixture to lessen the effects of such an acidic substance. A common method is to mix one tablespoon of lemon juice with one gallon of water. This combination will serve as a stand-alone solution or blend well with other ingredients to produce an effective natural hair treatment.

To lighten hair, rinse your locks with a diluted lemon juice solution on a daily basis. Keep in mind that the results are gradual before you begin to notice a lighter shade of hair color. Once a satisfactory change emerges, reduce the amount of lemon juice mixture used on your hair.

Lighten Hair with Home Remedies

a) Concentrated Lemon Juice:

Some vacationers have enjoyed beach-ready hair by toting along a spray bottle filled with concentrated lemon juice. In between ocean swims and hotel pool lounging, they spray the juice into their hair and allow it to dry with the sun. Once hair has completely dried, a quick dip in the water furthers the process, which is repeated throughout the day.

b) Lemon Juice and Olive Oil:

Add nutrients and shine to your lightened hair by adding olive oil to lemon juice, which helps to fight hair damage.

c) Lemon Juice and Chamomile Tea:

To enjoy a mild bleaching effect, mix chamomile tea with lemon juice and use as a rinse.

d) Lemon Juice and Hair Conditioner:

Instead of diluting lemon juice with water, some have chosen to replace water with hair conditioner. Brushing the mixture through unwashed hair, try sitting in the sun for 20 minutes. Wash your hair as usual, and you should find a natural-looking lightness begin to emerge.

e) Rhubarb:

To lighten your hair, mix ¼ cup of chopped fresh rhubarb to 2 cups of boiling water. Cool the mixture, strain, and use as a rinse.

f) Black Tea:

Create a cup of black tea at the normal strength, allowing it to cool before using it as a rinse in your hair. Before pouring the entire cup through your hair, it is suggested to test a strand. If your hair is already a light shade, you could wind up darkening it.

g) Chamomile Flowers:

You probably never thought that flowers could be used to lighten hair, but chamomile blooms offer a rather easy home remedy. Place the flowers in a cup of boiling water, and let sit for 30 minutes. Strain the mixture and once it cools, use the solution to rinse your hair. Make sure you conserve the liquid, so that you can repeat the rinse – allow the water to fall back into your container. Rinse hair between 3 to 6 times. Let the solution soak into your hair for 15 minutes. Finally, thoroughly rinse your hair with water.

h) Sit in the Sun:

lighten-hair-home-remedies2 If you’re looking for blonde highlights, but don’t want to bother with complicated mixtures and smelling like a lemon – consider the most natural way to lighter hair – sitting out in the sun. Of course, protect your skin with sunscreen and place a towel over exposed parts of the body. Simply lie face down and spread out your hair to greet the sun.

i) Swimming:

Natural lightening of the hair also arises when you swim in a chlorinated pool or take a dip in seawater. Allow your hair to dry in the sun afterwards and you will notice a change.

281 CommentsPosted in Physical Health
← Older Comments
  • Megan Marie

    Hey guys, so I literally read every entry. Wow, some people…just wow.
    First of all, boo to all the nay-sayers…who doesn’t want to save money? And if you can do so with not damaging your hair, high fives!

    Anyways. My hair is naturally light brown, I started with Sun-In when I was 14 & been dying my hair ever since, or messing with it I should say. Sun-In will tint your locks orange if
    1. You use too much or
    2. You have darker hair.
    Also if you sleep with it in, or use it inside its going to look orange. Read the bottle kids! There not lying! Regardless, I’m not a fan of Sun-In.

    NEXT. I’m 23, as I said before I’ve been dying my hair since the ripe age of 14. Recently my hair has been Rihanna red, then I had to dye it black over that (for work; not by choice lol.) My hair is used to it and is very resilient, keep in mind. And if you have colored your hair darker or with reds or pink, these are the hardest to get out. Pink especially.

    If you are bleaching or lightening your hair from pink NOW, you’re going to have to do it a lot and it will damage your hair A LOT.

    The thing is you have to keep in mind is
    1. All of the hair being talked about on this site here has been processed differently, be aware of the fact…if someone is saying they have light hair, and you have dark; vice versa, or your reading what someone who has never dyed there hair has done, and you’ve dyed your hair plenty…what worked for them might not work for you.
    2. If someone spells 97 out of 100 words wrong…question their credibility. Not just here, everywhere!

    So I did this. I took a big mixing bowl and in it combined the following:::
    -put the kettle on, wait til it whistles
    -add boiling water into bowl
    -squeezed a lime and lemon
    -stoked 2 bags of chamomile tea in bowl
    -put in a tsp. of extra virgin olive oil
    -a dash of Apple cider vinegar (not necessary, and this stuff is smelly. Woo!)
    -squirt about 2 or 3 tbsp. whitening toothpaste in mixture, stir
    -add dash of baking soda
    -a decent amount of hydrogen peroxide
    -a decent amount of hair conditioner
    -2 tbsp. worth of listerine
    -dash of cinnamon
    -and if you WANT to, thee tiniest dash of bleach…very, very, very small amount.

    (NOTE: Before adding the bleach, this mixture will be very aromatic. Be extremely careful of your eyes at all costs. Bleach will fuck your shit up if it gets anywhere near your peepers.)

    MIX this solution, careful not to splash and keep a towel handy. Mix it well, mine looked milky and it was very fragrant. All of the toothpaste will not dissolve.
    I used a basting brush and soaked my hair in this. Wrapped it in cellophane and put a towel around that.

    With all these components you are using a whitening agent and an aromatic agent so as your whitening your hair, the olive oil is protecting your hair and big PLUS it doesn’t smell like shish!

    I left it on for 25 minutes, washed it out with handsoap and water and towel dried it. This left my hair so shiny and smelling deeeeee-lish-ish bitches! :) I let my hair air dry, as not to damage it, but if you’re impatient you can blow dry your hair with the mixture in it, then rinse with a good strengthening conditioner.

    IF you can use this in the sun or under a UV light, do it! But its currently 6 AM in Chicago, in October. So sun is not an option for I.

    This solution definitely made my hair a little lighter, and a lot healthier.
    ————-
    A FEW TIPS
    ————–
    IF your hair is dark, lemon alone will not lighten it, you will need vinegar, cinnamon and honey to lighten your hair.

    Rinse your hair with vinegar after you shower, let it soak into your hair for a good ten minutes before rinsing.

    ***MY FAVORITE: Vitamin C tablets mixed in your conditioner. Use in the shower or as I use it, sleep with it packed on your hair at night, wrapped with cellophane, plastic bag, hair net…whatever works for you. Tie at hairline. Rinse in AM.

    If you don’t have Vitamin C tablets, squeeze a few oranges and limes or use OJ with honey, salt and vinegar. Peroxide is optional….I hate the term ‘Eye it out’ but seriously, use your noggin. Depending on your hair LENGTH & VOLUME, eye out the approximate measurements.

    A girl above said she squeezed lemon, lime and Orange into a spray bottle and sprays it on her hair. I do this in the tanning bed.

    ABOVE ALL: If you have use of the sun, a chlorinated pool (or a pool, just grab sea salt) and a lemon (can be a real lemon or lemon juice)…use it! Yes its gonna dry out your hair if you fall asleep with lemon and peroxide on your hair for 4 days straight! But if your in and out of the pool, and have a spray bottle (see above), Do. It. Up. Condition it after your in the sun all day and use a little bit of olive oil in your spray bottle if necessary, or with your conditioner!

    And remember: LEMON, LIME, TOMATO PASTE, VINEGAR, APPLE CIDER VINEGAR, CHAMOMILE TEA, HYDROGEN PEROXIDE, WHITENING TOOTHPASTE OR BAKING SODA, RHUBARB, LISTERINE, SALT, SEA SALT, ACIDIC FOODS (AS LISTED), VITAMIN C TABLETS AND ORANGE JUICE…help lighten your hair.

    HONEY, MILK, OATMEAL, OLIVE OIL…soften and keep your hair healthy (and smelling lovely.

    And HONEY will bring out the reddish underlying tones in your hair.

    Anyways, hope your hair ends up smelling and feeling as soft and delish as mine without breaking the bank! Good luck out there my fellow hair lighteners, I hope for you many lighter locks and MANY fatter pocketbooks! :)

    -Meg

  • Leah

    I have very very dark brown hair, and i tried using 2 freshly squeezed lemons. It did lighten it, but you can hardly notice it. I left it in for about 2 hrs….. It didnt dry out my hair, but… i have naturally wavy hair, it isnt the nicest wave, but by using the lemon juice it created a more crimped look : ) I love it but i wish it was lighter :/

  • Goofy foot

    Goofy foot again!

    Charlie (I’m a girl)
    Thanks! I don’t think I will use baking soda… I tried it for three weeks and nothing happened. But thx!
    Anyway I went to walmart and got some “go blonder” conditioner and it keeps your hair pretty healthy, and gave me some highlights and I only used it once, so I’ll just keep usin’ that.
    Oh and if u have thin hair it works better, if u have thick hair (which I do) it makes it take way longer

  • AlAnA

    Hi, I was born with dark blonde hair. it turned brown at 14. so I had to get back to blonde. so i bought so “go blonder” conditioner and slept with it in my hair for four days. now my hair is honey blonde with bright blonde highlights! and my hair is med. thick. (my hair WAS light brown, not anymore!!!)
    :D C:

  • Mulcahyc74

    So…. I have naturally dark brown hair, and have been coloring for YEARS. I usually go blonde in the summer and darker in fall. Well it’s fall, and I wanted a medium auburn color… It came out almost black. I used COLOR OOps and it stripped that out and took me back to blonde!! So I tried again with a LIGHT auburn, it’s almost black again!!!! And its also fried!. I tried the cinnamon, honey, water and oil, slept with it in my hair overnight, and it did NOTHING!!!! I’m irritated and about to pull a Brittany Spears!!!!

  • Jennifer

    Hey guys I ha e jet black hair was a good tip to lighten it

  • JJstewart

    Soo I have dyed my hair lots of times. I had a medium dark brown hair. Then I took this garnier auburn red dye. It didn’t turn out very bright(I had bright red hair before the brown) … I’ve been using every single remedy. It doesn’t seem to be working for me. My mom won’t let me bleach it even though I have before. Please help.

  • mkay

    vinegar:: for blonde color use white vinegar and auburn color use apple cider vinegar for more info. google how to use vinegar to lighten your hair. good luck

  • katlin

    This isn’t really a tip but I would be glad for some help. I have natural red hair and lately my ‘friend’ said it was turning brown and that is the last thing I want to happen but my other friends say it still looks red. I’ve been on the internet for hours and I can’t find anything to tell me how to get redder looking hair. Please if anyone knows just put it on this website and I’ll be checking in everyday Thanks!!!

  • Steph

    I tried lemon no other chemical, I didn’t sit in the sun; it was a cold day! I sat under my bathroom heat lamp for 1 hour (it’s not UV so it will take longer) I washed it out and instead of leaving it did get dry at first but the next solution fixed that, I crushed up 4 vitamin c tablets mixed them with my shampoo and rinsed thoroughly, then 2 hours later I did the same! In the end my hair which was naturally dark brown turned into a light/medium brown, it looks great especially in the sunlight it looks really light brown!

  • BigBeautifulBlondie

    ok so i had light brown hair and i tried putting peroxide and conditioner in my hair and layed under a lamp for a hour then slept with it and blowdryed my hair when i woke up.Now my hairs a caramelly color.Not what i expected but i like it.It doesnt damage ur hair as long as u mix in conditioner.so i still want to be blonder! so i put together my own concoction:)
    Here it is:
    -hydrogen peroxide
    -oarange juice
    -letting a chamomile tea bag sit in there before usimg it
    -some salt
    -whitening toothpaste
    -go blonder shampoo
    and im gonna rub it in my hair comb threw and cover it for 10 minutes then sit under a lamp for a bit
    sorry for it being so long hope this helps=)
    ill post back what happened! good luck!

  • BigBeautifulBlondie

    Ok so i also put a egg in cuz i read it makes ur hair soft and shiny:)
    I rubbed it all over my hair and then tied a garbage bag and now im gonna sit for 15 more minutes then towel/blow dry and see what happens!

  • BigBeautifulBlondie

    what if use clothes washing bleach?!?

  • BigBeautifulBlondie

    Now my hair is a goldish caramel color,very shiny not a lot of change but its gradual.:) hope it helped

  • BigBeautifulBlondie

    ok so now i crushed up 6 vitamin c tablets mixed with go blonder shampoo,deep conditioner.I wet my hair until it was soaked rubbed the mix in well and then mixed in some hidrogen peroxide.I covered with a shopping plastic bag and tied it at the hairline. i am now letting it set for 30 minutes prolly. fingers crossed :) <3 <3

  • Kaz

    So I was born blonde, really blonde! And when I hit age 12 it started to darken to a dirty blonde. Stupid me, dyed my hair back blonde and it went orange. Now I have been dying it ever since trying to get it back to its lovely dirty blonde colour which I realise I miss. Its currently are medium – dark brown.

    Lucky for me I’ve been sick lately and had Vit C in stock in my vitamin collection so I have mixed some of that with conditioner and water…will see how it goes and get back to you all. Also Going to put some vinegar and lemon juice in when I get the opportunity to raid the pantry :P

    Also planning on spending a lot of time at the beach and in the pool this summer coming too so will fill you all in on anything else that works for me :)

  • Goofy foot

    katlin:
    Cinnamon. cinnamon paste (just water and cinnamon mix into a paste and apply to your hair) I have ligh light brown hair, and cinnamon gave me red highlights. I got rid of them with lemon since I didn’t like the red on me. So I hope it works :)

  • Bebo

    Can some one help me? I REALLY want blond hair. peroxide isn’t working. It made me had a honey colored highlight. if I do it for 15 minutes before a shower, will it work? And what does bleach do? Do you guys no?
    Thanks!!! :D

  • katlin

    Goofy foot
    Thank you so much I’ll try it tonight :)

  • Jamie

    OK… so I recently coloured my hair black, but I used a non-permanent dye. It is taking a very long time to wash out. So for the last 2 hours, I have been soaking ALL my hair in hydrogen peroxide 3%. It is working great! My hair is noticely lighter. And don’t worry about being in the sun. I’m not! I hope this helped!

  • Lei

    Theres a product called sun in that works really good.U can get it from wallgreens,walmart,CVS,Rite Aid,Kroger,etc.you can also go to the website:www.sun-in.com.Theres much more info. on the website if U need it.

    Hope this helped!!
    GoOd LuCk!!
    =)

  • claude

    2- ALL the tight-ASS.s outthere buy a hairlighter cream!!!

    • http://pulse.yahoo.com/_DNBWNGKNREMITNHBXFXR3M5LTA Angel

      its called being frugal… get a clue you ass!

  • Brandy

    Tip for getting red out of blonde highlights: There is a shampoo called procolor, its purple shampoo and it will take the pinkish red tint out of your highlights. I had gotten my hair dyed red with blonde highlights and two days later my blonde highlights were pinkish. I was stressed, when i found this shampoo, one wash and shazam, like magic my highlights were like platinum again. Shampoo costs like $12 and does the job. I know you can find it at visible changes. I have heard you can use shimmering lights as well, it is a purple shampoo found at sallys beauty supply. I was told you cant leave it in long at all, so check the time on that one.

  • Palina

    I have dark blonde mousey hair. This worked for me:

    The strained juice of 1 fresh lemon
    2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
    2 desertpoons camomile tea

    Mix well and pour over entire scalp. Have a towel over your shoulders. I worked in the garden for a few hours in the sun and let it dry. I then took a shower and washed and conditioned my hair as normal. It is several shades lighter, soft and not dried out. The condition is actually better than it was before. I will do this again on the next sunny day. Good luck!

  • leogirl

    Jennifer,
    I am trying the butter,sal,pepper,oatmeal trick I also added the tomatoe sauce & whitening toothpaste..quite messy but I figured i’d try since I don’t like chemicals & this stuff is jus food so why not!
    I will post again shortly & let yall know If I see any change :-)

  • leogirl

    oh but I wasn’t sure how long to leave it in I’m trying 35min. and my hair is a medium brown with dark blonde highlights naturally….so I’m hoping to jus lighten it All

  • leogirl

    ok I Do Not recomend the butter,salt,pepper,oatmeal,tomatoe juice,& toothpaste method…No change It did NOTHING! I have tryed SunIn in the past and it has always worked Awesome for me so I think I jus may stick with that…I will however add that if you use SunIn you will NOT be able to get a perm untill your hair all grows out & is nolonger lightened from the SunIn product because the SunIn product causes the chemicals in the perm to Not take hold, found this out from experience I had to get an extra 2 inches cut off before getting a perm years back because the ends still had traces of the Sunin being used…& if you do use SunIn be sure to condition your hair well cuz as with other lightening products it can be damaging after awhile…just an FYI :-)

  • leogirl

    Katlin,
    I have heard to bring out a natural redheads highlights a good thing to use is pure Beetjuice or 100% Cranberry juice (you can mix the two as well put in a squirt bottle sprits all throughout your hair & sit in the sun to let dry the natural highlights will begin to show….not sure if a heatlamp or blowdryer will have the same affect if there is noway to sit out in the sun but you could try.
    :-) hope that helps

  • Goofy foot

    Ok. It’s goofy foot for the last time (I know I posted a lot) and I would not recomend peroxide (sorry about that) DON’T USE IT! it didn’t do anything for me, but make me look yellow. and I’ve heard so many bad things about what it does. So I think you all should stick to natural things like, lemon and egg yolks! since they can’t do damage like peroxide. So sorry about all my posts I’m going natural :)

  • asdfghjkl;’

    DONT”T use lemo juice it does work but it dries your hair ou SOOOOOOOOO much and i know when u read a bad comment about something u kinda pretend the it’s  there but trust me on the one

← Older Comments

Search

Loading

Most Commented

Copyright © Grandma's Home Remedies Terms and Conditions | Privacy Policy | Contact Us