5 minute secret: How to make your hair a lighter color without damaging it?

It is summer. A lot of us brunettes (or alomst blondes) would like to get lighter hair. Blonde hair, however, often comes at a high price of really damaging the hair. My mother always said to put lemon in my hair and simply lay in the sun. While it might not have bothered me when I was little, it does bother me now: it also can damage the hair!
There are a lot of cheap ways I found that can lighten your hair without damaging it.



The first way to do it is going to cost you a little, depending what you go for. I know they have been out for a while now. I am talking about sprays that you spray onto your hair, they are also supposed to nourish and protect your hair, as well as make it lighter. So basically, you spray some of the product into your hair and go out into the sun. An example would be John Frieda's Lightening Spray (never tried it though), and Garnier also came out with a lightening spray. I would recommend to try it on just one strand of hair if you are afraid of counter effects.

The next few methods are using natural ingredients that you probably have around:

Lemon

I know, I know. I said lemon damages your hair. But using a good conditioner and a serum before putting it into your hair is going to prevent your hair from being damaged. So, CONDITION your hair, put some lemon in it, leave it in for at least 2 hours, and expose your hair to the sun for at least 30 minutes. Also use conditioner after you are finished with the process. Be careful not to put any lemon onto your skin as it also lightens the skin.
WARNING: If you have dark brown hair, do not use lemon as it may turn your hair orange!




  Olive oil

Not only does it condition your hair, but it also helps lighten it. Put some olive oil onto your hair, comb it through and go out into the sun. You should be in the sun for 30 minutes in order to see a difference. After you are done, rinse your hair well and apply some conditioner. Unlike the lemon, the olive oil helps darken the skin, so don't hesitate to slather some onto your legs. :)








  Tea

 Chamomille or mint tea can be added to your shampoo or conditioner, or hair mask in order to lighten your hair. Before doing this, wait for the tea to completely cool off. Again, you will have to spend 30 to 60 minutes in the sun in order for this to work.






 



Honey

 You can apply honey directly onto wet hair and let it sit for 2 hours. Since honey is very sticky, it can sometimes be very hard to wash it out of your hair. To avoid this, you can mix it with some lemon and olive oil and put those in a spray bottle to use. You will have to stay in the sun for about an hour. Another way is to mix honey with a conditioner, cover it with a shower cap and leave it for 8 hours (go to sleep).











 Cinnamon

Mix 3 tablespoons of cinnamon in with 4 tablespoons of your favorite conditioner to create a paste. Massage this paste into your hair and comb it through with a wide tooth comb.Cover this with a shower cap. It may irritate your scalp, but it should pass quickly. If it bothers you too much, try something else. Leave this mixture in your hair for a minimum of 4 hours for it to work. I would, again, recommend for you to sleep on it. It is said that cinnamon can lighten your hair up to three shades.
WARNING: Be careful not to make the paste too thick as it may get pretty hard to wash off.



Beer

  Last but not least, beer can also help lightening your hair. It has to be LIGHT, not dark beer. Put it into your hair and go out in the sun for an hour. After that, rinse your hair with cold water.














You can also mix some of the ingredients together. You can mix lemon juice and olive oil, honey and olive oil, honey, lemon juice and olive oil, etc.
I hope this helped!
Thank you for reading!
Clarissa