How to Make Hair Lighten by the Sun Faster

Harsh chemicals can cause irreversible damage to your hair. By lightening your hair at home, you are saving money and avoiding the damaging chemical processes that you receive at the salon. You are also in complete control of your hair color because you can repeat the process until you reach the desired lightness. There are different lightening methods for dark and light hair, so choose the method suits your current color.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• 1 tbsp. lemon juice
• 1 gallon or 1 qt. of water
• Leave-in conditioner
• Sunscreen
• Hairdryer
• 1/4 cup henna powder
• 1/4 cup chamomile
• Fine-tooth comb
• Plastic shower cap
• Shampoo
• Conditioner

Light Hair

1. Add 1 tbsp. of lemon juice to 1 gallon of water. Rinse your hair thoroughly with the solution, making sure to saturate each strand of hair.

2. Spray your hair thoroughly with a leave-in conditioner. This prevents your hair from dying because lemon juice tends to strip the moisture out of your hair.

3. Spend some time in the sun. Try to stay out in the sun until your hair is dry, but make sure that you apply sunscreen to avoid a sunburn.

4. Dry your hair with a hairdryer if you prefer not to be in the sun. Sunlight does work best, however, so if you are looking for fast results, that is the best way.

Dark Hair

5. Mix equal parts of henna powder and chamomile together. The amount you need depends on the length of your hair, but a good starting measurement is ¼ cup of both henna and chamomile.

6. Boil approximately 1 qt. of water. Add enough boiling water to the henna powder and chamomile mixture to form a thick paste. Wait for the mixture to cool, and use a fine-tooth comb to apply it to your damp hair.

7. Gather your hair and put on a plastic shower cap. Leave the shower cap on for at least 30 minutes and up to 2 hours. The darker your hair is, the longer you should let the mixture soak into your hair.

8. Take off the shower cap and rinse the henna mixture out of your hair. Don't wash it yet; you only want to rinse the henna and chamomile away.

9. Dry your hair in the sun. The sun accelerates the lightening process, giving you the sun-kissed hair you've been wanting even quicker. Wash and condition your hair, then style as usual.

Tips & Warnings

• Repeat the lightening process daily until you reach your desired results. Your hair will lighten gradually, so don't be discouraged if there aren't immediate results. Condition your hair well after treating it with lemon juice. This keeps your hair shiny and smooth.
• Always dilute the lemon juice with water to avoid damaging your hair. Test a small part of your hair before you begin the lightening process to make sure it turns the desired color. Lemon juice can make certain shades of hair turn orange and henna powder is potent.

References

• Catalogs: How to Lighten Hair Naturally
• Thrifty Fun