How to lighten hair without bleach

I remember the first time I bleached my hair, I did it in the salon with an expert and I loved the result of seeing those light highlights that, as the name says, gave light to my hair color.

However, I also remember how I noticed that the texture of my hair had changed a bit, every time I took a shower my hair felt more easily tangled and it took a little longer to detangle.

I continued to bleach my hair for three more years, however keeping bleached hair healthy requires a greater investment of time and money, and your hair will still have some damage.

For these reasons, we recommend that you keep reading, because we have a guide on how to give light to your hair without bleaching.

1 – Baking soda

Just as you can use baking soda to lighten your teeth, you can also use it to lighten your hair. What you have to do is make a paste, the right consistency is neither too thick nor too liquid, then to create the effects of light or highlights, take a brush to apply the bicarbonate mixture on your hair and wrap the strand in aluminum.

Tip: Take care not to bring the mixture too close to your scalp to protect your roots and achieve a degraded effect.

What do you need:

  • ⅓ of warm water
  • 1 tablespoon of baking soda
  • 1 mixing bowl
  • 1 brush or paintbrush

2 – Chamomile

Chamomile is one of the most used hair lighteners, this thanks to the fact that one of its components is apigenin that helps to generate the golden color that we can appreciate after application. It is also one of the lighteners that have less damage to your hair thanks to the conditioning properties of chamomile.

The way you can apply chamomile to your hair (according to experts) is by diluting the chamomile with water, and then apply it to damp hair to be able to distribute it in a better way, we recommend that you use a wide-tooth comb.

 Finally, you can let your hair dry in the sun or use a hairdryer.

What do you need:

  • 1 coarse tooth comb
  • Chamomile
  • Water
  • Hair dryer

3 – Lemon juice

Lemon juice works thanks to its acidity which manages to change the pH of the hair. All you have to do is squeeze the lemon juice into a jar with a spray lid, spray the lemon juice on the strands you want to lighten, and allow your hair to dry in the hot sun.

Tip: We advise you to use this procedure if your natural hair color is already light.

What do you need:

  • Lemon juice
  • 1 spray bottle 
  • 1 comb to separate the strands

4 – Honey

He can use honey to lighten your hair, which is one of the more time-consuming processes, however, it still works.

What happens with honey is that when it is mixed with water, it generates hydrogen peroxide.

If you use honey with other ingredients such as cinnamon or cardamom, you can encourage the clarification process.

What you have to do is apply the honey to damp hair so that the water activates the generation of hydrogen peroxide, then to keep the moisture in your hair, pick it up and cover it with a plastic cap. Your hair should stay covered for approximately 1 to 4 hours.

Tip: As with the other options, you can use your dryer and apply heat to the hat at alternate times.

What do you need:

  • Honey
  • 1 shower cap
  • 1 brush or paintbrush
  • Hair dryer
  • Water

5 – Sea salt

It is one of the most popular natural methods among hair experts since if you live somewhere with a beach it is one of the most practical processes that you can use.

All you have to do is wet your hair with the saltwater and let it air dry; In case this is not your situation, an alternative you can carry out is to mix the sea salt with warm water and then spray it on your hair and leave it to act for 10 to 20 minutes.

What do you need:

  • Sea salt
  • Warm water
  • 1 bottle with spray 

6 – Cinnamon

To apply cinnamon as a lightener on your hair, what you have to do is prepare a paste.

The most recommended for this process is that you wash and apply conditioner to your hair as you do regularly, while the hair is still wet, separate it with your fingers to start applying the lightening, once you have finished, you can use a comb. coarse teeth to distribute the mixture more homogeneously.

Later collect your hair and keep it that way for two hours, to finish rinse and condition your hair.

What do you need:

  • 4 tablespoons of cinnamon
  • Water to prepare the pasta
  • 1 coarse tooth comb
  • Honey (optional)
  • 1 shower cap

7 – Vitamin C tablets

For this type of bleach, you will have to use 12 vitamin C tablets, first, you have to wash your hair with your usual shampoo, rinse it and then apply the shampoo that contains the crushed vitamin C tablets, allow it to act for five minutes, rinse again and apply conditioner.

What do you need:

  • 12 vitamin C tablets of 500 mg.
  • Shampoo

Why not use peroxide to bleach your hair?

Even though hydrogen peroxide is a widely used lightener to achieve different effects on the hair, it is a chemical that, although it is considered safe, strongly damages our hair, due to different reasons such as:

Skin irritation

Using hydrogen peroxide may cause some irritation to your scalp and around the hairline.

This irritation can be mitigated by using petroleum jelly and clean cotton, as well as being as cautious as possible in terms of exposure time.

Damages the hair cuticle

This happens thanks to how peroxide works is by penetrating the cuticle, which in the long run can cause hair that tends to frizz, break easily, and styes or split ends. An alternative that you can use is a conditioner.

Hair oxidation

Hydrogen peroxide works as an oxidative dye, causing a chemical reaction in the hair and as a consequence a certain type of stress on your hair which generates oxidation and can lead to hair loss.

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