Dreaming of natural, sun-kissed highlights without the salon price tag? Lemon juice might just be your secret weapon. This simple, DIY method can brighten your locks, offering a subtle and natural-looking change. If you’re looking to lighten your hair color, squeezing lemon juice over your strands can give you a new look without going to a salon.
Why Lemon Juice for Highlights?
Lemon juice is a safe, natural, and cost-effective way to lighten your hair. The citric acid in lemon juice enhances the sun’s natural hair-lightening abilities. When you expose your hair to sunlight after applying lemon juice, the citric acid opens your hair cuticles, stripping away a layer of color and resulting in a natural change.
Keep in mind that lemon juice works best on hair that is already light, such as blond to dark blond hair. Darker hair may turn orange or see little change.
What You’ll Need
- Lemons
- Water
- Spray bottle
- Towel
- Sunscreen
Step-by-Step Guide to Lemon Juice Highlights
- Mix the Solution: Squeeze the juice from fresh lemons into a spray bottle and add water. A general recommendation is to mix two parts water with one part lemon juice. If you have dry hair, you can use three parts lemon juice and one part leave-in conditioner instead.
- Prepare Your Hair: Wet your hair so it’s damp, but not soaked. Clean, wet hair is even better.
- Apply the Lemon Juice: Spritz the lemon juice mixture over your entire head, or just the sections you want to lighten.
- Soak Up the Sun: Sit outside in the sun for one to two hours to activate the citric acid and lighten your hair. Be sure to apply sunscreen to protect your skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays.
- Rinse and Condition: Wash your hair with shampoo and conditioner to remove the lemon juice.
- For parted hair and all-over lightening: Drop lemon juice along the right side of your part, and comb away from the part. Repeat on the left side of the part.
- For parted hair and streaky highlights: Drop lemon juice in a zigzag across your part, and comb both sides away from the part.
- For pulled-back hair and all-over lightening: Starting near the center of your forehead, drop lemon juice just inside your hairline, moving down toward your right ear. Repeat on the left side.
- For pulled-back hair and streaky highlights: Starting near the center of your forehead, drop lemon juice in short lines away from your hairline. Move from center to ear, one side then the other.
Tips and Tricks for Perfect Lemon Juice Highlights
- Start Slowly: Lemon juice creates subtle highlights, and the color change is gradual, so it’s easy to control.
- Mix It Up: Feel free to mix up the lemon juice application. Try throwing in a streaky highlights layer once a month.
- Deep Condition: Lemon juice can be drying, so be sure to deep condition your hair after each treatment.
- Considerations: Brown or black hair might go red, not blond.
- Be Careful: Lemon juice shouldn’t bleach your skin, but it will probably take off your makeup, so wait to apply cosmetics.
Other Benefits of Lemon Juice for Hair
Besides highlighting, lemon juice offers other benefits for your hair:
- Scalp Health: Applying diluted lemon juice to your scalp can help reduce dandruff.
- Hair Growth: Lemon juice may stimulate hair growth.
To attain these additional benefits of lemon juice on your hair, squeeze juice from a fresh lemon into a spray bottle and add water. Use one part lemon juice to two parts water. Spray the lemon juice mixture directly onto your scalp or hair. Massage the juice over your hair and scalp, then let it sit on your head for about 10 minutes. Rinse, shampoo, and condition your hair as normal. You can apply lemon juice to your hair and scalp up to two times per week.
A Word of Caution
Lemon juice can be drying to the hair, so use it sparingly and always follow up with a good conditioner. It is also important to protect your skin from the sun while using lemon juice in your hair.
Conclusion
With a few lemons and a little sunshine, you can achieve natural, sun-kissed highlights at home. Whether you’re looking to brighten your overall color or add a few strategic streaks, lemon juice is a simple and effective way to lighten your hair.