Disclaimer: This content is for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional treatment. Always perform a patch test and strand test before using any hair lightening products.
Chamomile is an herbal flower commonly used to reduce insomnia and relieve anxiety. But it is also known as a natural alternative for lightening hair color!
So, is this real or just another DIY natural hair-lightening method that actually doesn’t work? If it really works, then what gives chamomile its hair-lightening properties? And how to use it to lighten your hair?
We’ll discuss everything you need to know about chamomile hair lightening including its suitability for different hair colors, and teach you how to effectively apply chamomile mixtures to your hair.
Can Chamomile Tea Lighten Hair?
Chamomile can lighten your hair naturally without damage. The active compounds in chamomile have a natural bleaching effect. It has been traditionally used as a natural hair lightener for centuries.
However, these components aren’t as strong or fast-acting as bleaching with hydrogen peroxide. So, it’ll take several uses for you to notice visible effects.
It won’t turn your hair from dark brown to blonde overnight, but you can expect it to lighten and brighten your locks. It also create natural highlights in blonde and brown hair.
How Does Chamomile Hair Lightening Work?
Chamomile functions as a natural toner rather than a bleach. It is rich in a flavonoid called Apigenin. This is a bright yellow natural dye that coats the hair shaft. It corrects dull tones and adds a golden tint that makes the hair appear lighter.
UV rays naturally oxidize (bleach) the melanin in your hair. Chamomile accelerates this effect and acts as a conditioning toner, preventing the hair from looking flat or dry as the sun lightens it.
Pros and Cons of Lightening Hair With Chamomile
There are many advantages and drawbacks to using chamomile tea as a hair lightener. Here’s what you should take into consideration before you try it.
Pros
- Chamomile is an all-natural ingredient that’s safe for your hair.
- It’ll make your hair feel soft and moisturized.
- It nourishes your hair instead of damaging it like bleach does.
- Chamomile will make your hair fragrant.
Cons
- It can cause stains on your pillows, shirts, and towels.
- It’ll turn light blonde hair brassy.
- Chamomile tea lightening is costlier and more time-consuming than bleaching.
- It’s not effective on dark hair.
- If you combine it with acids, you can end up with brittle and damaged hair.
Lightening Hair with Chamomile Tea
Here are a few ways you can DIY a chamomile hair-lightening mixture.
1. Chamomile Tea Rinse
The chamomile tea rinse is the gentlest option for hair lightening. This rinse is the most effective for those with light blonde hair. It’ll give you soft hair that smells nice as a bonus!
The process is simple, yet the results can be pleasantly surprising. If you’ve never tried it before, here are your steps for lightening your hair with chamomile tea rinse.
How to Apply It to Hair
- Wash your hair with shampoo as normal. This will allow the chamomile tea to work more effectively on your strands.
- Take two cups of boiling water and two chamomile tea bags. Simply steep the tea bags in water until it’s cool to the touch. Filter the loose chamomile leaves that remain in the mixture for smooth application.
- With a bowl or basin placed under your head to catch any runoff, slowly pour the cooled chamomile tea over your hair, ensuring all strands are saturated.
- Massage the tea into your scalp and through the lengths of your hair for even distribution.
- Allow the chamomile tea rinse to sit on your hair for about 15-30 minutes. The longer you leave it on, the more effective the lightening effect will be.
- You can choose to rinse your hair with cool water or leave the tea in for a more extended period to maximize the benefits.
You have to repeat this process for several weeks and your hair will gradually lighten.
2. Chamomile Hair Mask
The Chamomile Hair Mask naturally takes care of your hair. It mixes chamomile’s soft touch with a mask’s deep care.
This mask not only tries to make your hair a bit lighter but also gives it a bright shine. If you have dry or treated hair, this mask treats it like a home spa session!
How to Apply It to Hair
- Put the chamomile tea into hot water, stir it, and leave it for an hour to blend and cool down the mixture.
- Mix the tea with 1/2 cup of honey to create a thick paste.
- Divide your hair into manageable sections. This makes the application process smoother and ensures even coverage.
- Run the paste through your damp hair and massage it in. Make sure to coat every strand evenly.
- Cover your hair with a plastic bag or cling wrap and leave it in for four hours. You may feel slight tingling and warmth on your scalp during this process. If the sensation feels painful or severe, wash it immediately as it can be a sign of allergic reaction or scalp sensitivity.
- After four hours, remove the plastic and wash the paste away. You can also use shampoo here.
It’ll take a while to remove all of the tea leaves, and you may need to wait for your hair to dry so you can brush any dry bits out. However, you should notice visible lightening!
3. Chamomile Spray
The Chamomile Spray is your quick fix for brightening your hair without the salon visit. This easy-to-make spray is a blend of nature’s best lighteners: chamomile and lemon.
Caution: Avoid Skin Contact
Lemon juice contains psoralens that react with sunlight to cause phytophotodermatitis, a severe reaction that leads to blistering burns on the skin. Wear a towel over your shoulders and wipe any spray off your face, neck, and ears immediately. Wash your hands thoroughly with soap before going out in the sun.
How to Apply It to Hair
- Put five bags of chamomile tea in two cups of boiling water. Let it cool down.
- Mix a quarter cup of lemon juice with the cooled-down mixture. Lemon acts as a natural bleaching agent.
- Keep your chamomile-lemon blend in a spray bottle. This makes the application easy and even.
- Spray the chamomile-lemon solution into your hair from roots to tips.
- For best results, let it dry under the sun up to 20minutes. Sunlight bleaches melanin in the hair and accelerates the lightening process.
- Once your hair is dry, rinse the chamomile spray off with water. Always follow with a deep conditioning treatment, as UV rays combined with acid can severely dehydrate the hair.
Is Chamomile Hair Lightening Effective for All?
The effectiveness of chamomile hair lightening can vary depending on various factors. Here are some of the major factors:
Hair Color
Chamomile tends to show the most visible results on lighter hair shades adding a natural highlights effect.
The lightening effects on darker hair are much subtler. Chamomile provides a warm undertone rather than a pronounced lightening on the darker shades of hair.
If you’ve ever made chamomile tea, you’ll notice a bright yellow tinge that can cause stains on your clothes. This is because it has tannins that can interact with hair fibers and result in staining.
- Blonde Hair: For people with blonde hair, chamomile can brighten your locks but give you a brassy tone.
- Brown Hair: Chamomile produces highlights in brown hair. You may even see a slightly gold shade after treating your hair with chamomile.
- Gray Hair: Chamomile acts as a natural toner to add a golden glow to gray hair.
- Black Hair: Unfortunately, in an experiment by Bustle, a pure chamomile rinse didn’t lighten black hair even after a month. You may need to mix it with stronger hair-lightening ingredients to see results.
Hair Type
The texture and health of your hair are important when lightening with chamomile.
- Straight to Wavy Hair: Chamomile rinses or treatments might distribute more evenly, leading to consistent lightening.
- Curly to Coily Hair: The hair’s texture and porosity might influence how much chamomile is absorbed and, consequently, its lightening effect.
- Healthy Hair: More likely to show even and consistent results.
- Damaged or Over-Processed Hair: Results might be unpredictable as damaged hair can absorb and react to natural treatments differently.
Previous Hair Treatments
If you recently had any hair treatment the result of the lightening may differ.
- Untreated/Natural Hair: Might react more predictably to chamomile lightening.
- Chemically Treated Hair: If hair has been dyed, bleached, or chemically treated, the reaction to chamomile might differ, and the lightening may not be as pronounced.
How Long Does It Take to Lighten Hair With Chamomile?
The effects of chamomile for lightening hair depend on your hair color and type. There are different recipes for chamomile lighteners. Most include added ingredients that may accelerate the process. For some, it only takes one wash and 30 minutes of drying to see results.
Meanwhile, others need weeks of treatment before their hair lightens. The best way to find out how long it’ll take for your hair is to try it out yourself!
Here’s an average breakdown based on different factors:
Original Hair Color
- Blonde: Around 3-5 rinses for visible results.
- Light Brown: Approximately 6-10 rinses.
- Dark Brown/Black: Over 10 rinses, and the lightening might be very subtle.
Frequency of Application
- 2-3 times a week: Faster results within 2-4 weeks.
- Once a week: It might take 5-8 weeks for noticeable lightening.
Duration of Each Treatment
- Short (15-30 minutes): This might take the higher end of the rinse count mentioned above.
- Long (1-2 hours or overnight): Fewer rinses might be needed for noticeable results.
Sun Exposure
If you dry your chamomile-treated hair in the sun for about 20-30 minutes after each application, you can expect faster results, perhaps reducing the number of rinses needed by 20-30%.
Store-Bought Chamomile Hair Lightening Products
Aside from DIY chamomile hair lighteners, there are a few store-bought ones you may want to consider. Don’t worry. These products use natural chamomile extracts as well.
Chamomile Shampoo
Chamomile shampoo is a hair product enriched with chamomile essence. It gradually lightens light brown and blonde hair without irritating scalp.
The best part about chamomile shampoo is it nourishes your hair as it cleanses buildup. You can get chamomile shampoos that are pH-balanced and cruelty-free.
Chamomile Oil
Did you know you can use store-bought chamomile oil to brighten your hair?
You can dab chamomile oil directly onto your locks for an instant shine. It’s possible to mix it with henna to make your natural highlights pop. It also moisturizes your hair.
Chamomile Spray
Store-bought chamomile brightening sprays gradually brightens lighter shades of hair. These sprays are more effective than DIY ones.
Many brands offer ammonia and parabens free chamomile lightening spray that gradually lightens light brown and blonde hair up to 4 levels. Sometimes these sprays are mixed with hydrogen peroxide.
So, check ingredients and perform patch test before applying any chamomile lightening spray. Do not use them more than once or twice a week or you might damage your hair.
Summary
Chamomile hair lightening is an all-natural and safe method to achieve bright, highlighted hair. It’s great for those with blonde or light brown hair. It can not effectively lighten dark or black hair.
So, if you have a dark hair color you want to shift to a lighter hair color sooner we recommend bleaching your hair.
You can also buy hair products that contain chamomile including hairspray, oil, and shampoo for better result.
FAQs
Here are some commonly asked questions about lightening hair with Chamomile:
Is Chamomile Hair Lightening Safe?
In general, chamomile is safe for lightening your hair. It can also moisturize your hair and treat scalp irritation. But you should not mix chamomile haphazardly with other ingredients.
Some recipes for chamomile hair-lightening sprays contain lemon juice or apple cider vinegar. While these are natural lighteners, they can damage your hair when used incorrectly!
Chamomile can cause allergic reactions in rare cases. There’s also a lack of study on the long-term effects of chamomile on the skin.
Before applying any DIY mixture to your whole head, perform a patch test on a small area of skin behind your ear and a ‘strand test’ on a hidden section of hair.
Do You Need Sunlight for Lightening Hair with Chamomile?
Exposing your hair to sunlight can accelerate the hair-lightening process by applying chamomile but it’s not mandatory.
According to colorists, the citric acid in lemon juice works better if you expose it to sunlight. The reaction breaks your hair pigments and uncovers the lighter color underneath. But If your chamomile hair lightener doesn’t contain lemon juice, it doesn’t need sun exposure.
Is Chamomile Hair Lightener Permanent?
No, chamomile isn’t a permanent way to lighten your hair. You’ll need to use it continuously and regularly.
Some people opt to mix chamomile with lemon juice. This has a lasting effect since the acid in the lemon juice can permanently bleach hair!