Get light and bright locks this spring with these all natural ways to lighten hair at home!
In the mood to change up your hair color? Want to lighten your locks for that beach babe glow? Commercial hair dyes are often laden with chemicals that irritate the scalp and leave hair damaged. But don’t be discouraged, your kitchen has all the items necessary for a natural DIY hair lightening process. Cancel your appointment with the salon because all you need is a few ingredients and some sunshine.
These natural ways to lighten hair, are all 100% natural and effective. To achieve lighter hair, all you need are some ingredients you probably already have in your home! Please note that these hair lightening methods are best suited for those with lighter hair. These methods will not work on dark or black hair. Those with blonde hair can definitely benefit from these methods – even if the blonde is dark.
Natural Ways to Lighten Hair
#1. Lemon Juice to Lighten Hair
Use lemon juice to lighten hair the natural way! Lemon juice is the age-old, tried-and-true method for lightening hair, and therefore is a natural highlighter. Simply combing fresh-squeezed lemon juice through your hair before hanging out in the sunshine can be very effective for achieving lighter locks. Pro tip: be sure to use fresh lemons, as artificial lemon juice will not work. You can also fill a spray bottle with lemon juice and spray hair with lemon juice before going outside in the sun. The sun's UV rays combined with the lemon juice can help to lighten even dark brown hair!
#2. Sea Salt to Lighten Hair
Ever notice after a beach vacation that your hair is a little lighter? Sea salt combined with sun exposure is a hair lightening match made in heaven and that will give hair a lightening effect. Fill a spray bottle about ½ full with warm water and add a tablespoon or two of sea salt and let it dissolve. Take the spray bottle along with you to the patio, to the pool, wherever outdoors and give your hair a spritz while you relax in the sun for 20 minutes. Later rinse and wash as usual.
#3. Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea can be used to lighten hair all over simply by brewing a cup, letting it chill, then transferring the tea to a spray bottle and spritzing it onto hair. Lounge in the sun for 20-30 minutes. You may not see immediate results, but with regular application, chamomile tea will definitely work to lighten strands of hair. Also, chamomile tea is very gentle and will not damage your hair.
#4. Baking Soda
Baking soda is also a natural hair lightener that can be mixed with a small amount of water to form a paste, then smeared on the sections of the hair that you want lightened. Let it sit for 15-20 minutes then rinse and wash as usual. Avoid making a mess by putting on a shower cap while you wait for the baking soda to do its thing. Repeat on a regular basis to lighten hair.
#5. Hair Lightening Recipe
For a hair lightening boost, try our this hair lightening recipe that contains chamomile, sea salt, baking soda, and coconut oil. Please note that the coconut oil can be substituted for olive oil or another carrier oil of your choice.
What you need:
- 1/2 cup of water
- 1 Chamomile tea bag
- 2 tablespoons of sea salt
- 1/4 – ½ cup of baking soda
- 2 tablespoons of coconut oil
Directions:
Bring the water to a boil and steep the tea for 15 minutes. Set the tea aside in the fridge and allow to chill. Once chilled, combine tea, baking soda, sea salt, and coconut oil in a bowl and mix. Apply the mixture to the sections of hair you wish to lighten. And, if it’s sunny out, grab an icy drink and a lounge chair and enjoy yourself for 20 minutes. Rinse and wash as usual. If it's the middle of winter, you can also do this! Just be sure to put on a shower cap, and let the citric acid to its job!
Hair Lightening Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 bag chamomile tea
- 2 tbsp sea salt
- 1/4 cup baking soda
- 2 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
Instructions
- Bring the water to a boil and steep the tea for 15 minutes.
- Set the tea aside in the fridge and allow to chill.
- Once chilled, combine tea, baking soda, sea salt, and coconut oil in a bowl and mix.
- Apply the mixture to the sections of hair you wish to lighten.
- And, if it’s sunny out, grab an icy drink and a lounge chair and enjoy yourself for 20 minutes.
- Rinse and wash as usual.
My hair is very dry. I do have it cut regularly and I always leave whatever conditioner, I buy or make, on overnight. But I have NEVER been able to get a shine on my hair. I have natural ginger hair, blue eyes (mutant I know) so I dont know if that’s got anything to do with it. Having said that, I’ve got lost of ginger friends and their hair shines like the sun. My hair is also naturally wavy. I never blow dry it or use any heated appliances on it. Please help.
Hi Elaine, Have you tried using a shine serum? Sounds to me like you may have very dry hair, in which case, I can suggest a hydrating avocado hair mask 2-3 times a week. Simply mash a ripe avocado with about a tablespoon of coconut oil and massage through your hair, making sure to focus on ends. Do this for at least a month straight and see if that helps! Avocado and coconut oil are high in fatty acids which should penetrate the hair shaft to hydrate and moisturize dry strands. Then, rinse your hair with an apple cider vinegar… Read more »
Wavy can be harder to get shine because it is more difficult to get the moisture down the hair shaft because it isn’t straight. Try morrocan oil brand of their light oil when damp.
Why doesn’t bottle lemon juice work?
Hi Trina!
We recommend against using bottles lemon juice because most of the time, they rarely contain any real lemon juice and are mostly artificial. You can, however, use bottled lemon juice if you know that it’s 100% real lemon juice.
How long does it take for lemon juice to lighten hair?
Hi Sandy,
It all depends on the thickness and the color of your hair. If you have thicker and/or darker hair, it can take a little longer than if you have thinner and/or lighter hair. The best thing you can do is just to test it out and see your hair lightens over a period of time. I would recommend leaving it on for at least 20 minutes and then checking the progress.
I use the chamomile hair lightening method and it works really well for me! I have medium blonde hair and I usually put it all over my head, and it gives a really nice sheen to my hair!
What will lemon juice do to brown hair?
Lemon juice, when applied the right way and regularly, can slightly lighten brown hair, but it will take some time. Keep applying it on a regular basis for best results.
I also have super dry hair. Will this make my hair drier, or which one would be best for dry hair? dont wanna make it any worse!
Hi La_bouche,
If you have super dry hair, definitely stay away from lemon juice, baking soda, and sea salt, as they can both be drying. Instead, using chamomile tea which is much gentler on the hair and shouldn’t dry it out at all 🙂
how many times do i have to do the chamomile hair lightening recipe until my hair turns light? I have dark blond hair.
Hi Cynthia,
It all depends on the color of your hair, whether it’s dyed or not, and how thick or thin your hair is. Start off with one application, and keep going until you get the color you’re satisfied with 🙂
Hi I have strawberry blond hair and want to make it lighter is the hair lightening recipe a good method