Natural Ways to Lighten Hair at Home

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!