be more attractive: How to Lighten Dark Hair

Maybe you accidentally dyed your hair too dark, or maybe your natural color is just a shade or so darker than you would prefer. Either way, there are both natural and chemical tricks you can try to lighten your dark hair. Keep reading to learn a bit about some of the most highly acclaimed techniques.

Steps

Lighten Dyed Hair

Use a clarifying shampoo. Scrub your hair with a clarifying shampoo as soon as possible. Clarifying shampoos contain powerful surfactants capable of stripping away grime, chemicals, and hair dye.^[1]
- These surfactants cling to the debris in your hair, and when you rinse away the lathered suds, the shampoo takes away some of the dye, as well.
- Clarifying shampoo may not remove all of your hair dye at once, but it should remove some of it, leading to a lighter color.
- As a general rule, you should condition your hair after using clarifying shampoo. These shampoos are powerful, but they also dry your hair out. A deep conditioner helps correct that.

Try a hair color remover.^[2] Hair color remover can help lift away semi-permanent and permanent hair dye, thereby returning your hair close to its original, lighter shade.
- Follow the package instructions when applying. Usually, you will need to apply the color remover and let it sit for about 20 minutes before rinsing it away.
- Color removers shrink the dye molecules, making it possible for you to wash the dye away.

Apply a hot oil treatment. Hot oil conditioners should be applied to the entire length of your hair, from root to tip, and allowed to sit for 15 minutes. When you wash it out, the color should be a little lighter.
- Wear a shower cap during treatments to keep your hair more heated during the process.
- Oil lifts out excess pigment after an initial coloring. It will not remove all the dye, but it should remove some.

Put highlights in your hair. Highlights can help lighten your overall look. A few light pieces around your face can have a brightening effect.
- Go with highlights three shades lighter than the dye you used for the rest of your hair.
- You might want to see a professional stylist for this, since applying the highlights incorrectly can make the problem worse.

Scrub your hair with a bleach shampoo. As the theory goes, combining bleach with shampoo lessens the damaging effects of bleach. Mix 1 oz (30 ml) powdered bleach, 1 oz (30 ml) developer, and 2 oz (60 ml) of shampoo in a plastic container.^[3] Apply the concoction to damp hair from root to tip.
- Place a shower cap over your hair and sit for 10 to 20 minutes before rinsing with cool to warm water.
- Using straight bleach on your hair will lighten it, but unfortunately, bleach can also cause major damage. On natural hair, you risk drying your locks out. On dyed and processed hair, you could even cause your hair to become brittle enough to break off.
- Do not use a metal container for your bleach.

Call for help. If you dyed your hair too dark using an at-home hair coloring kit, check the side of the box and look for the company's hotline number. Contact the representative and ask for professional advice about how to proceed.
- You could also place a call to your hairdresser. If you do not have your own hairdresser, place a call to your nearest hair salon and ask for advice.

Lighten Naturally Dark Hair with Home Remedies

Work a little honey into your hair.^[4] Mix 2 Tbsp (30 ml) honey with 1/4 cup (60 ml) distilled water. Heat the concoction in a microwave or on the stove to help the honey dissolve. Apply the honey water to your hair, letting it sit for 30 to 60 minutes, before ultimately rinsing it out with warm water.
- Honey contains glucose oxidase, an enzyme capable of producing peroxide. When combined with water, this peroxide begins to form, and it can serve as a gentle yet effective dye.

Tag-team your hair using lemon juice and sunshine. Fill a spray bottle with 1/4 cup (60 ml) lemon juice and 1/4 cup (60 ml) water. Shake to combine, then spray it over your hair evenly.
- The citric acid in lemon juice opens hair cuticles and lifts out the pigment once heated in sunlight.
- After applying the lemon juice, lie down outside, spreading your hair out on the ground to expose as much as possible. Cover your body with clothes and your exposed skin with sunscreen.
- Swap sides over time, turning from your back to your sides to your stomach. Doing so will help promote even lightening.
- The longer you spend outside, the lighter your hair can get.
- Note that you can use the sun to help lighten your hair even without lemon juice. Combining the two together will have a more dramatic lightening effect, though.

Treat your hair with chamomile tea. Brew a cup of chamomile tea, letting the tea seep in hot water for 5 minutes or more. After the tea cools to a warm temperature, use it to rinse your hair after you shower.
- Make sure that the tea is only warm, not hot, when you rinse with it.
- You can also mix the tea into your shampoo and conditioner and apply everything all at once.
- This treatment usually works best if used multiple times.

Achieve a lighter, redder tone with cinnamon. Cinnamon works great as a natural highlighter, but it may also add a slight red tone to your hair after use.
- Combine 1 cup (250 ml) conditioner, 1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice, and 2 Tbsp (30 ml) cinnamon. For added hydration, also mix in 1 cup (250 ml) honey.^[5]
- Apply the mixture all over your hair and cover your locks with a shower cap. Let the cinnamon sit on your hair 3 to 4 hours to overnight.
- Wash your hair thoroughly, making sure that all the cinnamon has been stripped out.
- For best results, apply the treatment three to four times.

Apply rhubarb water. Combine 1/3 cup (80 ml) chopped rhubarb with 2 cups (500 ml) distilled water in a small saucepan. Heat the mixture to a boil over medium-high heat. After it cools, strain the water and use it to rinse your hair.
- Rhubarb has a lightening effect, but it may take several applications before you notice a difference. Note that rhubarb water may also contribute a light red tint to your hair in addition to lightening it.

Rinse with vinegar. Mix 1/4 cup (60 ml) apple cider vinegar with 1 cup (250 ml) distilled water in a small spray bottle. Mist your hair evenly with this mixture and let it dry in the sun.
- This method is rather slow, but gentle. You might need to wait a couple of months before you achieve your desired results.
- The acid in vinegar is what helps lighten your hair.

Make a salt paste. Combine equal parts water and salt until a grainy paste forms. Scrub this paste into your hair from root to tip and let it remain for 20 minutes before washing it out.
- After a few weeks, you should notice lighter hair.
- If possible, use coarse sea salt. Sea salt is an effective lightener, which is why swimming in the sea can also help lighten your hair.

Scrub baking soda into your hair. Mix 1/4 tsp (1.25 ml) baking soda into your shampoo. Lather with the shampoo as you usually would before rinsing it out.
- After several weeks to a couple of months, some of the pigment should be lifted out of your hair, thereby lightening your natural color.

Lighten Naturally Dark Hair with Chemical Treatments

Go swimming in chlorinated water. Spend as much time swimming in a chlorinated pool as possible. After several daily trips, you should notice your hair color lightening up by a few shades.
- To maximize the lightening effect, let your hair air dry in strong sunlight.
- Swimming in a fresh water lake or stream can help, and swimming in salty sea water is even better than fresh water. Ultimately, though, a chlorinated pool will have the most dramatic effect.

Use hydrogen peroxide.^[6] Slip on a pair of plastic gloves and apply a quarter-size amount of hydrogen peroxide to your hair. Let it sit on your hair for 15 to 20 minutes before rinsing it out with lukewarm water.
- Hydrogen peroxide is fairly strong, but it is still much less harsh than bleach.
- Test the hydrogen peroxide before applying it to your entire head of hair. Dab a small amount on the hair at the back of your neck. Check after 24 hours, and if everything looks okay and you experience no irritation, proceed to lighten the rest of your hair.

Try a commercial hair lightener.^[7] Commercial hair lighteners can come in the form of lightening shampoos, sprays, and creams. The exact instructions vary depending on the manufacturer and the type of product, but in general, these products will usually start lightening hair after a few uses.
- Lighteners can contain chemical and natural ingredients. All ingredients should be listed on the label.
- Lightening sprays are usually applied in even strokes after you wash your hair. The sprays do their trick as they sit on your locks throughout the day.
- Apply lightening creams after washing your hair, as well. Within a couple of treatments, you should notice lighter, shinier hair.
- Lightening shampoos can be used as normal shampoos, but you should only use them two to three times a week and not daily.

Put highlights in your hair. If you want to lighten the overall look of your hair without completely changing the color, put highlights in. Choose a dye that is only one or two shades lighter than your natural hair color for a natural look.
- If highlighting your hair at home, follow the instructions on your highlighting kit carefully.
- Note that you might have more success if you get highlights done professionally, however.
- There are also instant highlighting sprays you can try. Apply the spray in even strokes along the areas of your hair you want highlights in. Apply heat with a flat iron and gain immediate highlights.

Experiment with a home hair dye. Home hair dye kits are rather easy to use as long as you follow the label's instructions carefully. To lighten your hair without changing the hue, choose a shade only one notch lighter than your natural color.
- When dyeing your hair at home, keep in mind that wet hair always looks darker than dry hair. It can also be hard to get all the excess dye out of your hair with the initial washing, so your hair will likely lighten up further after the first few days.

Schedule an appointment at the hair salon. While home hair treatments are much less expensive, few can quite match up to the work a professional hair colorist can give you. Find a good hairdresser who knows how to color hair, and make sure that he or she has a good reputation.
- Show the stylist photographs of the color you want. The stylist should be able to work with you to figure out the right dye and the treatments you hair will need in order to stay healthy and beautiful after the dye has been applied.