How to Lighten Your Hair Naturally: 5 Chemical-free Ways

Do you want to highlight or lighten your hair but are afraid of the hair damage caused by commercial bleaching products that are loaded with chemicals?

Getting your hair professionally lightened over a long period can make your hair extremely dry, brittle, and frizzy.

However, you can set aside your worries as we have come up with 7 tried and tested home remedies that will easily lighten your hair naturally.

And the best part is that they are made with chemical-free household products easily found in your kitchen and bathroom.

Method 1: Lemon and Cinnamon

You can easily make a simple hair lightening mask at home by mixing freshly squeezed lemon juice and ground cinnamon spice.

Lemon contains citric acid and vitamin C; consequently, it acts as a natural lightening agent for both skin and hair. Cinnamon is loaded with minerals and vitamins that help to nourish your hair.

For this natural hair lightening mixture to work most successfully, you have to expose your hair to sunlight after application as the UV rays help boost the natural bleaching properties of both the ingredients.

Things you’ll need:

• Lemon juice (natural bleaching agent) – ½ cup
• Cinnamon powder (natural bleaching agent) – 2 teaspoons
• Raw honey (generates hydrogen peroxide and acts as humectant) – 2 teaspoons
• Organic, extra-virgin coconut oil (nourishes and rehydrates hair) – 2 teaspoons
• Distilled water – 1 cup

Step 1. Mix lemon juice, cinnamon powder, and honey in a beaker

• Pour ½ cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice into a beaker.
• Add 2 teaspoons of cinnamon powder.
• Pour 2 teaspoons of honey as well.

Step 2. Add coconut oil and water

• Add 2 teaspoons of coconut oil.
• Finally, pour in 1 cup of water.

Step 3. Whisk and spray to lighten hair

• Use a small blender to whisk everything into a smooth blend.
• Transfer the prepared blend into a spray bottle.
• Shake well and spray on your hair to lighten it naturally; you can either spray it all over your hair or on the sections you wish to lighten to get highlights.
• Go out in the sun to enhance the bleaching properties of lemon and leave the mask on till your hair dries completely.
• Shampoo and condition as usual; repeat once a week or as required to lighten your hair naturally.

Alternatively, you can also apply this mix on damp hair and leave it on overnight; cover your head with a shower cap.

Method 2: Chamomile Tea

Chamomile tea works to both brighten and lighten your hair. This natural herb is full of nutrients that also rejuvenate your hair, giving it a beautiful silky shine.

Plain yogurt contains lactic acid that has mild bleaching properties while also being full of fatty acids that nourish and rehydrate your strands.

We have also added organic coconut oil into the mix to prevent your hair from drying out during the hair-lightening process. This mask is especially recommended for those with dull, dry, or damaged hair.

As mentioned before, you will need to sit in the sunlight for this mask to work properly.

Things you’ll need:

• Chamomile tea bags (natural bleaching agent) – 4
• Plain yogurt – ½ cup
• Lemon juice (natural bleaching agent) – 2 tablespoons
• Organic, extra-virgin coconut oil (nourishes and rehydrates hair) – 2 teaspoons
• Hot water

Step 1. Brew 1 cup of chamomile tea

• Take 1 cup of hot water in a jar and steep 4 chamomile tea bags in it for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Remove the teabags and wait for the tea to cool down a little.

Step 2. Pour the tea into a mixing bowl, add yogurt

• Pour the chamomile tea into a large mixing bowl.
• Add ½ cup of plain or sugar-free yogurt.

Step 3. Add lemon juice and coconut oil

• Add 2 tablespoons of freshly-squeezed lemon juice.
• Add 2 teaspoons of organic, extra-virgin coconut oil as well.

Step 4. Whisk and apply to lighten hair

• Whisk thoroughly to get a uniform blend.
• Apply using a hair-dye brush; make sure to coat every strand completely.
• If your mixing bowl is large enough, you can also dip your hair in it and let it soak up the mixture.
• Sit in the sunlight for 30 minutes or till your hair dries.
• Shampoo as usual and use a rich conditioner.

Repeat the process every 3 to 4 days or as required to lighten your hair naturally.

Method 3: Honey and Cinnamon

Honey has been highly valued since Ancient Egypt for health and beauty purposes.

This rich amber liquid contains a small amount of hydrogen peroxide that acts as a bleaching agent for your hair and in combination with cinnamon powder, can give you excellent results.

Honey also acts as a humectant, hydrating and nourishing your hair, while also locking in moisture.

Things you’ll need:

• Raw honey (contains hydrogen peroxide and acts as humectant) – 2 tablespoons
• Cinnamon powder (natural bleaching agent) – 2 teaspoons
• Extra-virgin olive oil (contains vitamin E) – 2 teaspoons

Step 1. Combine cinnamon and honey in a bowl

• Take 2 teaspoons of organic cinnamon powder in a small mixing bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons of raw honey.

Step 2. Add olive oil and mix well

• Add 2 teaspoons of extra-virgin olive oil as well.
• Mix well using a wooden spoon.

Step 3. Apply on your hair for a few hours

• Dampen your hair a little for application.
• Use a hair-dye brush to apply the prepared mixture on the strands you wish to highlight or all over if you want complete hair lightening.
• Cover your hair with a shower cap and leave the mixture on for 3 to 4 hours.
• Shampoo and condition as usual.

You can repeat the steps every 2 to 3 days until you get the desired hair color. Do not go overboard; stop using the mask once you've reached your desired shade.

Method 4: Henna

Henna is a natural hair dye, traditionally used to cover graying hair. However, if you have black or dark brown hair, you can apply henna to lighten your hair.

We especially recommend this method if you want reddish highlights in your hair.

In combination with chamomile tea that has natural bleaching properties, this hair mask works wonders for darker hair colors, and apart from lightening your hair, this mask can also be used to get global hair color with warm red tones.

Things you’ll need:

• Henna powder (natural hair dye and lightening agent) – ½ cup
• Chamomile tea (natural bleaching agent) – ½ cup

Step 1. Combine henna powder and chamomile tea in a bowl

• Add ½ cup of henna powder in a mixing bowl.
• Add ½ cup of cool chamomile tea.

Step 2. Form a smooth paste and apply this on your hair

• Blend well with a spatula to form a smooth paste.
• Apply with a hair-dye brush; you can use it as a hair mask, covering your entire hair and scalp.
• Cover with a shower cap and leave it on, till it dries completely.
• If you are a brunette, you can leave it on for 2 hours.
• Afterward, shampoo and deep condition your hair.

You can apply this mask as needed to maintain color. Make sure that your hair does not have a coating of serum or any other chemical product before applying henna.

Do not forget to condition your hair as this mask can be extremely drying.

Method 5: Vinegar and Honey

This method puts the acidic properties of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar to use for lightening hair color.

Organic apple cider vinegar contains acetic acid that acts as a natural lightening agent and, in combination with raw honey works to lighten dark hair shades.

This natural hair-lightening mask also contains olive oil that keeps your hair healthy and buoyant.

Things you’ll need:

• Raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar (contains acetic acid) – 2 tablespoons
• Raw Honey (contains hydrogen peroxide and acts as humectant) – 2 tablespoons
• Olive oil (contains vitamin E) – 2 teaspoon

Step 1. Combine all ingredients in a bowl

• Take 2 tablespoons of raw, unfiltered apple cider vinegar in a bowl.
• Add 2 tablespoons of raw honey.
• Add 2 teaspoons of olive oil as well.

Step 2. Whisk and apply on hair for lightening

• Whisk using a hand blender and apply using a dye brush.
• Apply it at night and put on a shower cap; let the ingredients work their magic overnight.
• In the morning, shampoo and condition.

Use the mask twice a month to get and maintain your desired hair color.

Tips You Should Keep in Mind

• For the best possible results, stop getting hair treatments done for 2 to 3 weeks before trying out any of the methods described above to lighten your hair naturally.
• You can try out all of the above techniques first on a few hair strands and determine which one is the best for you.
• Sunlight is great for hair lightening; you can spend long hours in the sun to gradually lighten your hair and have fun at the beach, of course. Now, you have another reason to spend long days at the beach during the summer.
• Another trick is to brew a strong pot of coffee and spray it all over your hair. You now just have to expose your coffee-covered hair in the sunlight for 30 minutes, and voila, the natural highlights in your gorgeous brown hair come into focus.