Here are some how to lighten hair without bleach. These natural, DIY hacks helps you get blonder hair at home.
Do you love coloring your hair and experimenting with new shades every few months, but it now seems like your hair has had enough of the bleach?
Well, bleaching uses chemicals and is definitely not the best thing for the hair, right? So, what do you do? Is it true that there are other ways to lighten hair without using any bleach?
Guess what, there are many ways to lighten hair without bleach and this article has all the possible remedies for you to try!
So go ahead and check out this article for eight ways to lighten hair without using bleach.
How To Lighten Hair Without Bleach?
To lighten hair without bleach, consider natural methods like using lemon juice or honey, which can gradually lighten strands when activated by sunlight. A mixture of lemon juice and water sprayed onto hair before sun exposure is a traditional method. Honey, which contains trace amounts of hydrogen peroxide, can be applied as a mask to subtly lighten hair over time. Commercial hair lightening sprays and shampoos designed for gradual lightening are also available and typically contain peroxide or citrus extracts. Always remember to condition your hair thoroughly after using lightening treatments to maintain hair health and moisture.
Key Takeaways:
- Explore natural alternatives to bleach for lightening hair with these DIY methods.
- Use apple cider vinegar to balance pH levels and gradually lighten strands while cleansing the scalp.
- Combine cinnamon with honey and olive oil for up to two shades of lightening in one application.
- Harness the power of lemon juice to reduce melanin in hair strands when exposed to sunlight.
- Open up hair cuticles with saltwater and let sunlight fade color naturally for a gentle lightening option.
- Brew chamomile tea, add lemon juice, and apply to hair for a lightening effect enhanced by exposure to sunlight.
- Crush vitamin C tablets into shampoo and apply to damp hair, allowing the citric acid to lighten hair gradually.
How To Lighten Hair Without Bleach
Here are 8 different hair lightening hacks that you can try at home.
1. Try the apple cider vinegar hair lightening hack
Well, I’m sure you would have heard about the infamous apple cider vinegar hair lightening hack because it has done the rounds over the internet, so it should pretty much work right?
Apple cider vinegar is acidic in nature and is known to help fade hair colour as it can balance out the pH levels in the hair.
Thus, the acids in apple cider vinegar lighten the hair strands to a certain extent. The added benefit is that apple cider vinegar is also a natural cleanser, so you can be sure it will not just lighten but will also cleanse your hair in the meantime.
Here’s how you can do it, so you could try it for yourself.
Into a mixing bowl, you will need to add in a cup of water along with one fourths of a cup of apple cider vinegar. Mix this well and pour it into a spray bottle for easy application.
Once you have washed and conditioned your hair like you normally would, then you could spray this mixture evenly all over your hair and leave it on for half an hour.
Then rinse off thoroughly with plain water, but do not shampoo or condition.
You can repeat this hack once in a few days, until the colour of your hair lightens.
2. Use cinnamon to lighten your hair
Next up, you could try out the cinnamon hack. Using this hack can help lighten your hair to around two shades in one attempt. It also acts like a toner for the hair and can refresh one’s hair colour.
In this recipe cinnamon is mixed with olive oil, acting like natural boosters of hydrogen peroxide.
All you need is ¼ cup organic honey (or raw honey preferably), 3 teaspoons of organic cinnamon powder, 3 teaspoons of olive oil and ½ a cup of water.
Into a bowl, mix all these ingredients together well and set it aside for an hour before you use it on your hair so that the ingredients begin to react.
Then dampen your hair, section it out and apply this mixture evenly all over your hair (you could also use a spray bottle to do so), tie it up into a bun and keep your hair covered in a shower cap for two hours before washing it off with plain water.
3. Try out the lemon lightening hack
This one’s super famous and one of the easiest hair lightening hacks out there, but it is important to note that this hack works best on hair that is devoid of previous colour-treatment.
Lemon can help lighten hair by reducing the hair pigment melanin in the hair strands, when the citric acid in the lemon juice gets accelerated when exposed to the UV rays from sunlight.
So, if you already have lighter hair shades like dark blonde or lighter shades of brown, the lightening effects will be more prominent.
You will have to mix together equal parts of water and lemon juice in a spray bottle and spray this mixture evenly all over your hair until your hair feels damp. Then, stay outdoors under the sun for an hour.
Do not cover your hair with a shower cap as it needs to be exposed to the sunlight. You could probably use this time to sunbathe (with sunscreen on of course!).
After which, you can rinse it off under running water and then condition your hair to regain the lost moisture as lemon juice is highly acidic.
Please Note: This hack requires exposure to UV rays from sunlight, so using heat from a blow dryer will not work to lighten your hair.
4. Lighten your hair using saltwater
When saltwater comes in contact with sunlight, it will automatically fade it to a certain extent.
Using saltwater on the hair will help open up the cuticles on the hair shaft and then when the hair is exposed to sunlight, the color will eventually begin to fade.
All you need to do is mix sea salt with hot water in the ratio 1:5 respectively and let this mixture sit for 15 to 20 minutes so that the sea salt has completely dissolved.
Then pour this mixture evenly all over your hair and sit outdoors under direct sunlight for an hour. Do not cover your head with a shower cap, leave it loose.
Later, wash your hair with plain water and condition thereafter, as sea salt can strip the hair off its natural oils and make it dry.
5. Use Chamomile to lighten your hair
Chamomile contains plant compounds called flavonoids. These flavonoids in chamomile come in three types namely apigen, azulene and quercetin.
But for the hair to lighten, only one of these flavonoids, that is quercetin, contributes to hair lightening.
For this hack you will need a heating pot. Add in a cup of water along with 3 to 4 bags of chamomile tea. Then, let this come to a boil.
Turn off the heat and leave the tea to cool down. Remove the chamomile tea bags and add in a few drops of lemon juice, mix this well and apply this mixture all over your hair.
You can leave it on for 3.5 hours. Going out in natural sunlight while this mixture is on your head can accelerate the lightening process.
Also, you can rinse this off under running water and repeat this hack once every week until your hair lightens to your desired color.
6. Lighten your hair using vitamin C
Using vitamin C or ascorbic acid is one of the very trending methods when it comes to hair lightening. It works well on hair that has been dyed as it can help remove the dye pigments.
Vitamin C tablets are made from citrus fruits and citric acid is helpful to accelerate the hair lightening process.
You will need 10 to 12 vitamin C tablets. Crush these tablets into a fine powder and add it into a small amount of shampoo (about how much you’d use on a regular hair wash).
Mix this well and apply it evenly all over your damp hair, tie your hair into a bun (and cover it with a shower cap if you wish to) and leave this on for an hour or two. The longer you leave it on, the better the lightening effects.
Later, wash your hair under running water. You do not need to shampoo your hair again, simply condition it and you’re good to go.
7. Use a baking soda and hydrogen peroxide hair mask to lighten your hair
Baking soda when combined with hydrogen peroxide can help cause a reaction in the hydrogen peroxide causing it to lighten the hair.
But this mixture cannot be kept on the hair for too long as both these ingredients are extremely drying for the hair and so you can keep this hair mask on your hair for around 30 minutes.
To make this hair mask you will have to mix together ½ a cup of baking soda, along with 1.5 tablespoons of hydrogen peroxide (you can increase this quantity proportionately according to the length of your hair).
Mix this well and evenly apply this hair mask all over your hair, tie your hair up into a bun and keep your head covered with a shower cap. Let it sit for 30 minutes.
Then, rinse off under running water and make sure that there is no residue left. Shampoo and condition your hair like you would do normally.
Make sure to use a conditioning hair mask once this hair hack has been used so that your hair gets rehydrated once again.
8. Use products that do not contain bleach
If you find that these natural remedies take too many sessions in order to work, you can try out commercially available products that do not contain substances like bleach or even hydrogen peroxide and use them to lighten your hair.
Why You Should Lighten Hair Without Bleach?
Lightening hair without bleach is often recommended because bleach can be harsh and damaging, especially with repeated use.
Bleach works by penetrating the hair shaft and dispersing the color molecules, which can lead to weakened strands, increased porosity, and a higher risk of breakage and split ends. It can also strip the hair of its natural oils, leading to dryness and frizz.
By choosing alternative lightening methods, you can reduce the potential for damage and maintain healthier hair. Non-bleach lightening options are typically gentler, causing less stress to the hair's structure.
They are especially beneficial for those with already damaged or fragile hair, as well as for individuals looking for a subtler, more natural lightening effect.
It's important to note that while non-bleach methods are less damaging, they may also be less effective in achieving significant color changes, particularly for darker hair colors.
The final takeaway
Since there is no bleach involved in these remedies, you may have to repeat the hack a couple of times in order to see the results.
And depending on your current hair color and how many levels you wish to lighten your hair, this number might vary.
But well, these hacks are all without bleach, so it is definitely worth the effort if you can save your hair from damage, right?
While these hacks may not lighten your hair down to many levels at once, if you just want to go a shade or two lighter, then these hacks can come in handy.
Also Read:
How To Get Black Hair With Blue Tint Without Bleach
How To Dye Brown Hair Blonde Without Using Bleach
How Long Does It Take To Lighten Hair With Honey