Are you looking for a way to lighten your (dark) blonde hair naturally without 
damaging it? Does your hair feel dull during the winter months without those natural highlights that the sun brings?
If you are looking to avoid the expensive salon visits and the standard peroxide based hair lightener (that is considered unsafe during pregnancy!) there are a few natural ways you can try at home to add some subtle highlights to your hair.
Believe it or not, try turning to your kitchen for some basic inspiration. Common household items such as lemon juice, honey, olive oil, and even tea can all be used to make your hair a few shades lighter.
Read on to find out more and how you can use these methods for yourself.
1. Natural Hair Lightener – Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is one of the most commonly sort after solutions to naturally lighten hair at home. It is very simple to do and something that is best achieved in the summer months as sunshine is also needed.
- Get yourself a few fresh lemons.
- Make a mixture of lemon juice and water (approximately 1/2-1 cup a cup each) and put into a spray bottle. Quantity is dependant on your hair length, thickness and the amount of highlights you want to achieve. The important aspect here is to ensure the amounts of lemon juice and water are equal
- Mix well
- Spray the mixture liberally over your hair, or concentrate on the areas where you want it to achieve the highlights.
- Remember that the more that you use, the lighter your hair should become.
2. Chamomile tea – natural hair lightener
Do you drink Chamomile tea?
Add a couple of chamomile tea bags in a cup of water and let them brew for about 3-4 minutes. You can also add some lemon juice (optional – a teaspoon or two).
Use this tea mixture as a ‘leave in’ rinse after you wash and condition your hair.
The tea also seems to add some body to naturally fine hair.
3. Chamomile Essential Oil
Place one or two drops of essential oils in olive oil and comb it through your hair. Leave it in for up to 30 minutes before washing out.
4. Cinnamon as a natural hair lightener
When using cinnamon to lighten your hair, the results will vary depending on the color of your hair that you start with. One attempt will most likely not give you the results you are ultimately wanting so try this a few times.
As a guide, there are some of the expected results:
- Blonde: Achieve a strawberry blonde look with some brown highlights
- Black: Achieve a light brown look and can even get some red streaks after a few uses.
- Red: Some brown tints
- Light or Dark Brown: A few light and even some red tints
If your hair is dark and you are looking for a natural solution, give this a try. Plus it will give you the added bonus of smelling lovely. This method requires at least 4 hours so don’t opt for this as a quick fix.
- Wet your hair.
- Make a mixture of cinnamon and hair conditioner and work it into a paste.
- Use a brush or comb and gently work it through your hair from the roots, or again concentrate on the areas that you want to highlight.
- Leave in for at least 4 hours – overnight is even better but on your first attempt leave for 4 hours and then check the results and see if the shade is as desired.
- Shampoo and condition to wash it out.
5. Honey & Olive Oil Hair Lightener
This method is rather sticky but is a great natural solution, using two products commonly found in the home
- Place about 1/2 cup of honey and 1/2 cup of olive oil into a mixing bowl and combine. Stir well, even using a whisk if needed.
- Wet hair and apply all over or in the areas that you want the highlights to be concentrated.
- Cover your head with a disposable plastic shower cap when you have finished to stop yourself getting covered in sticky mixture.
- Sit for approximately half an hour – the longer the better, and then wash it well until it no longer feels sticky.
- Shampoo and condition as usual.
All of the above natural hair lightening methods must be attempted with great caution. If your hair has been salon lightened and you are attempting to use one of these on top of peroxide the results may drastically differ so please be aware.
