Bleaching hair to lighten it is an increasingly popular method for women looking to alter their appearances. Unfortunately, bleaching chemicals may leave your locks more brittle than usual while sun exposure may further harm them.
A 23andMe study discovered that those of European descent tend to possess genes which encourage photobleaching of hair in sunlight. There are natural solutions such as lemon juice and apple cider vinegar which may promote this phenomenon.
Salt Spray
Your may have heard reports that sitting out in the sun for long periods can bleach your hair. While it might not produce that perfect lived-in balayage that many pay thousands for at salons, lightening your locks naturally and safely with some simple ingredients can certainly lighten it safely and naturally.
Lemon juice contains citric acid which works synergistically with UV rays to lighten hair (2). Combine lemon juice and water into a spray bottle, apply to hair prior to sunbathing, ensuring adequate dilution of solution since lemon can be an extremely potent ingredient.
Alternative approaches include non-toxic sea salt sprays to achieve that beachy, textured look perfect for summer. ORIBE’s Sea Waves spray is non-toxic, safe for color treated hair and contains exotic oils which protect strands against dryness or damage (3).
Lemons
Lemons are beloved citrus fruits, renowned for their distinctive and complex sour taste. Grown on flowering evergreen trees, lemons are both commercially farmed as well as in backyard gardens for home use; its juice, peel and oil extracted from its fruit all find applications in both food preparation and cleaning products.
Sun bleaching is a popular method to lighten hair, but it can damage its strands. Lemon juice can help restore integrity to damaged strands. Citric acid in lemons helps break down melanin, the natural pigment responsible for giving hair and skin their color, according to Matrix Trichologist George Papanikolas. Since lemon juice can be acidic and cause cuticle damage, diluting it with water will prevent tangles and breakage of hair cuticles and prevent future breakage of locks. Lemons also boast many other health benefits that come from vitamin C such as immune enhancement and better digestion.
Honey and Olive Oil
Honey and olive oil combined is an effective treatment for sun bleached hair. Honey is an emollient that also lightens your locks while olive oil moisturizes it. Mix one tablespoon of honey with one tablespoon of olive oil, apply to hair, leaving on for approximately 30 minutes and washing out afterwards using shampoo – repeat this treatment every week until desired results are reached.
Alternatively, use chamomile tea. This will work to lighten and add subtle highlights to your hair by infusing a cup with your scalp for 30 minutes before leaving it in the sun for another 30. Repeat this process several times each week until desired results have been reached – be sure to add moisturizing conditioners afterwards to keep the lengths moisturized!
Chamomile Tea
Chamomile tea is an herbal beverage known for relaxing and inducing sleep, and offering numerous other health benefits like increasing immune system strength, treating colds more effectively, improving skin, bone, and eye health.
Lightening benefits come from its natural compounds which inhibit melanin production in both hair and skin, providing a less intensive form of bleaching treatment while still adding subtle touches of color to lighter hair.
To use chamomile as an anti-bleached hair treatment, boil some water in a pot and steep chamomile tea bags or flowers for approximately five minutes in it before adding honey or a sugar-free sweetener, stirring vigorously and straining out into a spray bottle for easy application.
