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How To Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice and Conditioner

Want to lighten hair but don’t want to apply harsh chemicals (typically found in permanent hair dyes) that can damage your hair or irritate your skin? You can use lemon juice and conditioner to lighten your hair!

There’s only one catch: they can’t lighten your hair on its own. It needs the assistance of the sun to get the job done. This article will cover how lemon juice and conditioner lighten your hair and how to do that in the safest way possible.

Can You Use Lemon Juice and Conditioner To Lighten Dark Hair?

Yes, you can lighten dark hair with lemon juice and conditioner, but it usually requires multiple applications to see significant results. As lemon juice can dry out your hair, you should condition your hair thoroughly after each application to maintain moisture and prevent damage.

Lemon juice is a good source of Vitamin C and citric acid. Both of which are known to and used to lighten dark spots and hyperpigmentation of the skin.

However, lemon juice alone can’t lighten your hair alone. To lighten hair, lemon juice requires exposure to sunlight. When combined, these elements can effectively lighten dark hair.

Vitamin C

vitamin c for lightening hair

Nowadays, more often than not, when purchasing a product that can brighten your skin, you’ll notice that it will include Vitamin C as an active ingredient. Vitamin C can brighten (or lighten) the skin because it can limit the production of melanin.

Melanin is what gives our hair, eyes, and skin pigmentation. By limiting the production of melanin, the other ingredients in your skincare product can diminish the appearance of hyperpigmentation and dark spots, making your skin look brighter.

Citric Acid

Citric acid is known to whiten fabrics and is occasionally included in skincare products to help lighten the appearance of dark spots. Citric acid acts like a chemical exfoliant, clearing away the old so the new can take its place.

So after plying your hair with critic acid and then exposing it to sunlight, the critic acid helps the UV rays strip away that first color layer by opening the hair’s cuticles, which in turn enhances the color change in your hair.

You may be wondering what conditioner has to do with this lightning process. Well, conditioner is vital when lightening your hair with lemon juice because it can cause your hair to become dry and brittle if overused. So, a good conditioner can help prevent this while you work on getting the lighter hair you want more naturally.

How To Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice and Conditioner

Next, let’s discuss how you can use lemon juice and conditioner to lighten your dark hair. First, you’ll need some lemons, an excellent moisture-inducing conditioner, and a spray bottle. Below are the best steps to get lighter hair while ensuring your hair remains in great condition.

Next, let’s discuss how you can use lemon juice and conditioner to lighten your dark hair. You’ll need lemon juice and an excellent moisturizing conditioner.

Additionally, a good leave-in conditioner is ideal for your hair’s aftercare. Below are the best steps to get lighter hair while ensuring your hair remains in great condition.

Step 1: Get Some Lemons and Make Lemon Juice

How To Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice and Conditioner - Lemon Juice
Fresh Lemons with Lemon Juice

First, you’ll need enough lemon juice to saturate your hair thoroughly. You have two options for acquiring lemon juice. The easiest option is to purchase pure 100% lemon juice from your local store.

The harder option is to buy lemons and squeeze them for their juice. Keep in mind that a small lemon can produce about four ounces of juice, a medium lemon can produce about five ounces, and a large lemon can produce about six ounces.

When lightening all of your hair, short hair requires at least two ounces of lemon juice, medium hair requires at least four ounces, and long hair requires six ounces.

However, this can change depending on hair length and thickness. Additionally, two ounces of lemon juice should suffice if you want only to lighten strands.

Step 2: Prepare the Lemon Juice and Conditioner Mixture

Mix the lemon juice with a moisturizing conditioner. You’ll need one ounce of conditioner for every two ounces of lemon juice.

Step 3: Apply The Mixture

How To Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice and Conditioner - Apply the Mixture

Apply the lemon juice and conditioner mix to your hair. To lighten your hair, ensure you thoroughly saturate all of your strands. To create highlights, separate your hair into sections and apply the mixture to the desired strands.

Step 4: Exposure to Sunlight

Now that the lemon juice is applied, you’ll need the sun’s UV rays to activate the lemon juice’s lightening effect. Your hair needs to remain in direct contact with the sun for at least one hour but no longer than two hours.

Step 5: Rinse and Condition

Once done, wash out the mixture and apply a leave-in deep moisturizing conditioner to your hair.

Although this is only your first session, your hair should already appear slightly lighter. Depending on how light you want your hair, another session or two may be necessary.

You can do another session in 24 hours. Simply follow steps one to five the next day. For the health of your hair, don’t exceed four consecutive sessions.

FAQs

How long will it take to lighten hair with lemon juice and conditioner?

It will take about three to four applications to see any significant lightening of your dark hair with lemon juice and conditioner.

How long will the lightened effects last after lemon juice and conditioner?

It will last until your hair grows out because lemon juice and conditioner will lighten it permanently.

Can lemon juice and conditioner mixer lighten hair permanently?

Yes, once lemon juice and conditioner lighten your hair, it’s permanent until your hair grows out.

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