How to Lighten Hair Color Without Bleach

Whether it’s because of the time of year or simply it’s time for a change, it’s fun to try lightening your hair color. There are many products on the market for this purpose, but some of them contain harmful chemicals that can damage hair. Instead of using these products, you should try lightening your hair color with a natural solution made with ingredients you can find at home or buy at the grocery store. However, you should know that bleach-free hair removal methods will not lighten your hair color significantly. Hair color after bleaching will have a warm tone and be difficult to notice. If you want a dramatic change in look or prefer cool blonde tones, you should see a stylist.

Table of Contents

Using ingredients in the kitchen

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Try using lemon juice to lighten your hair color. This material is only effective for hair that has not been treated with dye. Lemon juice is one of the most popular bleach-free hair color lighteners. Lemon juice creates a gentle even-toning effect when applied to the entire hair, or a slight highlight effect if applied to preset areas. You should use fresh lemon juice. Bottled varieties are also fine, but fresh lime juice is stronger. ^{[1] X Research Source}

Mix lemon juice with water in a 1:1 ratio. Pour the mixture into a spray bottle and spray it on to moisten your hair.
Or you can apply the mixture to wet hair after showering and not rinsing.
Either way, an important step for this method to work is still sitting in the sun after spraying lemon juice on your hair. UV rays in the sun are the agents that help lighten hair color. Note that heat from the sun does not react with lemon juice, so using a dryer instead of sitting in the sun won’t help. ^{[2] X Research Source}
Just sit in the sun for about 30-60 minutes. In addition, you need to apply sunscreen on exposed skin.
Because lemon juice is highly acidic, you need to use a lot of conditioner to moisturize your hair after using the lemon juice mixture.
Keep in mind that this method only produces very light hair colors. You can try repeating once a week to gradually lighten your hair color over time.

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Use chamomile tea to lighten hair color. Similar to lemon juice, chamomile is a very popular hair color lightener. This material works best for slightly lighter colored hair. Chamomile has no effect on dark hair and is not recommended for dyed hair. After using chrysanthemum tea, you will see that your natural blonde hair becomes lighter and only a little yellow is barely noticeable. Start by brewing some concentrated chamomile tea. Brew 5 tea bags with 3 cups of hot water for 30 minutes or until the tea is cool enough to apply to the head. ^{[3] X Research Sources}

After brewing the tea and letting it cool, pour the tea into a spray bottle (leave about 5 tablespoons). ^{[4] X Research Sources}
Put the remaining 5 teaspoons of tea in a regular conditioner container.
The next time you shower and wash your hair, you can use pure chamomile tea as a shampoo.
After rinsing out the “chamomile tea shampoo”, apply the conditioner/tea mixture to your hair to condition it. Leave the conditioner in for at least a few minutes and then rinse it off. ^{[5] X Research Sources}
If you have time, you should let your hair dry naturally in the sun after washing and rinsing your hair with chamomile tea.
An alternative method is to spray chamomile tea on dry hair and then go out in the sun. ^{[6] X Research Sources}

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Consider using honey to lighten your hair color. Honey is a wonderful substance. Besides its ability to lighten hair color, honey can be used for many medical purposes thanks to its antibacterial properties. Honey also contains a very small amount of hydrogen peroxide that lightens hair color. If you don’t want to use hydrogen peroxide, you shouldn’t use honey. ^{[7] X Research Sources}

Mix 1-2 tablespoons of unrefined honey in a cup of water (commercially pasteurized honey will not work). Apply the honey/water mixture evenly on your hair and leave it on for about an hour.
Regular Conditioner — An alternative to the honey/water mixture is to add 1-2 tablespoons of honey to your regular conditioner, then condition as usual. ^{[8] X Research Sources}
Honey/conditioner blend — Mix 1/3 cup raw honey with 1/4 cup conditioner. Wet your hair and apply the honey/conditioner mixture to your hair. Make sure the mixture is evenly applied. You should use a comb to comb the mixture to cover the entire hair. Put a shower cap (or plastic bag) over your head and go to bed. Wash off the mixture the next morning as usual. ^{[9] X Research Source}
Honey + Cinnamon + Olive Oil — A mixture of cinnamon and honey will create a warm golden color with reddish undertones, while the olive oil helps to moisturize the hair. Mix 1 cup of raw honey with 2 cups of distilled water. Add 1 tablespoon of cinnamon and 1 tablespoon of olive oil and mix the ingredients together. Wet your hair and apply the mixture evenly on your hair, then cover your hair with a shower cap and go to sleep. Wash off the mixture the next morning as usual.
Instead of using distilled water for the Honey + Cinnamon + Olive Oil mixture, you can use 2 cups of white vinegar. The rest of the process is the same as above. ^{[10] X Research Source}

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Make a hair lightening blend from rhubarb. You can buy rhubarb at the grocery store or farmers market, or grow your own in your garden. Rhubarb easily spreads throughout the garden and also often grows in the wild. ^{[11] X Research Source}

Chop the rhubarb to about 1/4 cup. Place the chopped rhubarb in a pot with 2 cups of water. Place the pot on the stove and bring to a boil.
After the mixture boils, let it cool and pour the water into the bottle.
Apply the mixture to your hair and leave it on for about 10 minutes, then wash it off with water.

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Apply olive oil to lighten hair color. Besides using olive oil in other blends, you can use olive oil on its own. In addition to lightening hair color, olive oil is also a great moisturizer. ^{[12] X Research Source}

Apply at least 2 tablespoons of olive oil to your hair.
Let the olive oil soak into your hair for at least 30 minutes.
Wash your hair to rinse out the olive oil and style your hair as usual.

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Use baking soda to lighten hair color. Baking soda can be used both as a shampoo and as a hair color lightener. Baking soda creates a slightly subtle light color so you need to use it daily or weekly until your hair is as light as you want. On the other hand, you can use baking soda as your normal shampoo, just know that your hair will continue to shine a little bit more. ^{[13] X Research Source}^{[14] X Research Source}

Mix 1/4-1/3 cup baking soda with enough water to form a mixture.
Apply the mixture to the entire hair instead of regular shampoo.
Rinse off the baking soda mixture and apply your normal conditioner.

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Make a hair lightening mixture from apple cider vinegar. Similar to baking soda, apple cider vinegar can be used to wash hair and lighten hair color. You can use regular apple cider vinegar to wash your hair after using your regular shampoo. Apple cider vinegar is a great ingredient to help wash away chemicals from styling products that have accumulated on the hair. ^{[15] X Research Source}

Mix 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar with 1 cup water.
Wash and condition your hair as usual, then apply the apple cider vinegar mixture to your hair.
Leave the mixture on your hair for about 20 minutes and then rinse with water.

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Use cinnamon to lighten hair color. Cinnamon can be used in other hair lightening blends or used alone. The great thing about cinnamon is that it has a scent. ^{[16] X Research Source}

Mix 3-4 tablespoons of cinnamon powder into 3-4 tablespoons of regular conditioner. ^{[17] X Research Source}
Apply the mixture evenly on the hair. Use a comb to ensure that the mixture is evenly applied throughout the hair. ^{[18] X Research Sources}
Cover your head with a shower cap or plastic bag and leave the mixture in your hair when you go to bed. ^{[19] X Research Source}
Wash and condition your hair the next morning as usual.

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Use salt to lighten hair color. If you’ve ever spent a summer swimming in the sea, you’ll find salt water a great way to lighten your hair color. Even if you don’t live near the sea, you can still use salt water to lighten your hair color at home. ^{[20] X Research Source}

Mix salt in water in a ratio of 1:5. Apply the mixture on your hair and leave it on for at least 15 minutes. Finally, wash it off with cool water.
Another way is to mix 1/3 cup of sea salt in a moderate amount of water to form a paste. Apply the mixture to damp hair and sit out in the sun for a while. Wash your hair with water after exposing your hair to the sun. ^{[21] X Research Source}

Try other hair lightening tips

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Take advantage of the sun to lighten your hair color naturally. Although it can burn and darken the skin, sunlight can also lighten hair color. One of the simplest ways to lighten your hair color is to spend time in the sun. Always remember to apply sunscreen and wear protective clothing to avoid sun damage. ^{[22] X Research Source}

The great thing is that you can simply take advantage of the sun or combine it with other methods of lightening your hair color. To lighten your hair color faster, apply one of the above mixtures to your hair before going outside.

Advice

“Lightening” hair color is just a relative concept to the current hair color. Black hair will not be able to turn blonde if using the bleach-free method. However, people with light brown or dark blonde hair can get a highlight effect (at least) or turn blond when using a natural, non-pharmaceutical method.
Each method will work at a slightly different rate, depending on your hair color and whether you’ve ever dyed your hair. Apply these methods slowly for about a month to gradually lighten the hair color. Once you have identified an effective method, you can continue to apply it later.

Steps

Using ingredients in the kitchen

Try other hair lightening tips

Advice

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