Try These Shampoos To Lighten Dark Hair Easily 2023

If you want shampoos to lighten dark hair, you should check out these reviews. They include shampoos that lighten dark brown and brunette hair to a considerable degree without bleach. 

I often used to dye my dark brown hair in order to lighten it, until someone told me about hair lightening shampoos.

I was quite intrigued with the idea of shampoos that can actually lighten hair and decided to test them out myself!

Related: Best Lightening Shampoos

So that’s exactly what I did and how I got down to testing these hair lightening shampoos and I must say that I am pretty impressed with the results and how well it worked to lighten my hair.

I have reviewed some of the top best hair lightening shampoos that I tried out, so check out my review below.

Best Shampoos to Lighten Dark Hair	Best For	Top Ingredients
Noughty Blondie Locks Blonde Enhancing and Lightening Shampoo	All hair types including color-treated hair	Cassia Lemon, Bisalobol
Manzanilla Grisi Gold Extra Lightening Shampoo with Chamomile Extract	All hair types	Chamomile Extract, Benzyl Salicylate
Klorane Shampoo with Chamomile for Blonde Hair	All hair types	Chamomile Extract
John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonde Gradual Lightening Shampoo	Color-treated hair	Chamomile Extract, Citrus
Tio Nacho Natural Lightening and Volumizing Shampoo	Thin hair	Chamomile Extract, Royal Jelly, Rosemary, Aloe Vera, Jojoba Oil, Vitamin E

How I tested these best shampoos to lighten dark hair?

I use these products myself to test their efficiency and each time I test a product, I make sure to review them based on certain parameters that I come up with for each set of products. I rate each parameter on a scale of 1 – 5.

These are the parameters I used to test these products on:

Lightening effect: This parameter tests to see how effective the lightening power of the shampoo will be. Whether it lightened my hair considerably or whether it just made the existing color look brighter.

Ingredients: I had often heard that chamomile and lemon are effective natural ingredients at hair lightening. So I chose shampoos that contain either one of these ingredients at least.

Gentleness on the hair: I always look out for shampoos that contain no sulfates, parabens or silicones, so that it isn’t harsh on my hair after I’ve used it.

Top Shampoos To Lighten Dark Hair 2022

Noughty Blondie Locks Blonde Enhancing and Lightening Shampoo

Best for: All hair types including color-treated hair

This was the very first shampoo I tried out, because it was specifically designed for color-treated hair. So since I had previously dyed my hair to a dark blonde shade, I decided to use this brand.

Well, to begin with, this shampoo promises both hair lightening and enhancing. 

But I have to say that I only experienced the enhanced look of my locs, but it didn’t particularly lighten my hair per say. So that is something I was quite disappointed about.

What I liked about this product is that it was gentle on my hair and did a good job at cleansing my hair as well. It contained no sulfates, parabens or silicones, so it was definitely a plus for me.

The scent of this shampoo is subtle, so I liked the smell of it. Also, it was reasonably priced.

Pros:

•  Gentle on the hair, as it contains no silicones, sulfates or parabens.
•  Enhances the color of blonde hair.
•  Has a strong cleansing power.
•  Safe to use on hair that has been color-treated.
•  Has a very pleasant fragrance.
•  It is reasonably priced.

Cons:

•  Doesn’t lighten the hair, only enhances its look.

My Ratings: 

• Lightening effect: 3.8/5
• Ingredients: 5/5
• Gentleness on the hair: 4.6/5

Manzanilla Grisi Gold Extra Lightening Shampoo with Chamomile Extract

Best for: All hair types

After my first experience at trying a hair lightening shampoo wasn’t great, I was hoping that this time it’d be better with this product. Well, it definitely was.

I have to say that even though the results weren’t immediate and took almost a month to show a comparable difference in my lightened hair color (from dark blonde to a lighter shade), it did show. 

So I was definitely satisfied with the lightening aspect of this product.

This shampoo had a good cleansing effect on my hair, leaving my hair shiny and smooth, even though it did contain sulfates. 

I also loved that this shampoo smelt so lovely. It was definitely worth a buy!

So guys this is a great shampoo if you have oily, dark hair and want to lighten it. But if you have dry hair, give it a miss. It can strip moisture if used often. 

Pros:

•  Cleanses the hair well and leaves the hair soft, shiny and smooth.
•  Contained chamomile extract along with benzyl salicylate that promoted considerable hair lightening.
•  Has a subtle fragrance.
•  The product is relatively reasonably priced.

Cons:

•  Contains sulfates, but was not too damaging for the hair.

My Ratings:

•  Lightening effect: 4.4/5
• Ingredients:  3.8/5
• Gentleness on the hair: 4.2/5

Klorane Shampoo with Chamomile for Blonde Hair

Best for: All hair types

This shampoo contained chamomile extract, just the ingredient I was looking for, so I decided to buy it.

Well, it did lighten my dark blonde hair a little, but I would say that more than the lightening, I felt that this shampoo enhanced my locs to a considerable extent.

This shampoo also has its own conditioner, so I bought it as a set and I liked the way it worked on my hair.

This product is free from parabens and silicones, so it was gentle on my color-treated hair and it made my hair feel smooth and shiny. So I would definitely recommend this for safe use on color-treated hair.

The only two things that I didn’t like was that the fragrance was quite strong and that this product was very expensive compared to other hair lightening shampoos.

Pros:

•  The chamomile extract enhances the hair color to a considerable extent.
•  Gentle on the hair, as the product contains no parabens and silicones.
•  Using the Klorane conditioner along with this shampoo made the hair feel soft and shiny.
•  Can be used on hair that is color-treated.

Cons:

•  Hair lightening power of this product is very minimal.
•  Has a strong fragrance.
•  This product was very expensive compared to other hair lightening shampoos.

My Ratings:

• Lightening effect: 4.1/5
• Ingredients: 4.2/5
• Gentleness on the hair: 4.4/5

John Frieda Sheer Blonde Go Blonde Gradual Lightening Shampoo

Best for: Color-treated hair

This shampoo is one that I was waiting to try out and finally found it in stock, so I immediately bought it. 

Well, it was for sure one of the best hair lightening shampoos I have ever tried. It did a really good job at lightening my hair color from dark blonde to a lighter shade of blonde.

It took my hair around 8 to 10 washes to start showing a considerable change in my lightened hair color, but the fact that it did lighten my hair is something that I loved about this product.

I also liked the smell of this shampoo which was very subtle and fragrant.

It also worked very well on my color-treated hair, so I’d definitely recommend that people with color-treated hair can safely use it.

The only thing that I noticed is that my hair did get a little dry once I started using this shampoo. So I’d suggest using a good conditioner to go along with it.

Pros:

•  Shows considerable change in the hair color, as the product contains chamomile extract and citrus.
•  Can safely be used on hair that is color-treated.
•  Has a subtle and pleasant fragrance.
•  Reasonably priced product.

Cons:

•  Can dry out the hair a little, so using a good conditioner is recommended.

My Ratings:

• Lightening effect: 4.4/5
• Ingredients: 4.2/5
• Gentleness on the hair: 4.2/5

Tio Nacho Natural Volumizing and Lightening Shampoo

Best for: Thin hair

Since my hair is quite thin, I was quite surprised to see that there was a shampoo specifically designed for thin hair. 

I was also quite intrigued with the different types of natural ingredients it contained, so I went ahead and bought it.

Well, it worked really well on my hair and lightened my hair quite well too. 

When I used this shampoo my hair was a dark blonde, closer to a lighter shade of brown and after using this shampoo a few times, I began to see my hair lightening. So it was definitely a plus for me.

What I loved was that this product had so many natural ingredients and no parabens, sulfates or silicones. 

This made my hair feel so soft, smooth and gave it an enhanced shine as well. It also worked super well on my color-treated hair.

What I also loved about this shampoo is that it smelled amazing, with subtle fragrances of citrus and honey. Also, it was reasonably priced.

Pros:

•  Suitable for use on thin hair that is also color-treated.
•  This shampoo had no sulfates, parabens or silicones, so it was gentle on the hair.
•  It contained many natural ingredients that made my hair feel soft and smooth with an enhanced and shiny looking appearance.
•  Has a subtle fragrance of citrus and honey.
•  Relatively reasonably priced.

Cons:

• None.

My Ratings:

•  Lightening effect: 4.2/5
• Ingredients: 4.8/5
• Gentleness on the hair: 4.4/5

The Final Takeaway On Shampoos That Lighten Your Hair

Well you guys, I hope this review came in handy for you to pick out the best hair lightening shampoo for yourself.

Whenever you use a hair lightening shampoo, make sure to apply it evenly all over your hair and keep it in your hair for at least 2 to 4 minutes for the best effect.

If you find any brassy tones in your lightened hair, then you could also use a purple shampoo.

Also Read:

How Long Does It Take To Lighten Hair With Honey