People have used vitamin C to lighten hair for years now. While the vitamin can brighten your hair’s shade by one or two shades, it is a common misconception that vitamin C removes unwanted hair color.
That said, there are ways you can use vitamin C to minimize the effects of unwanted hair coloring to remove the pigment or dye seemingly.
Today, we’ll talk about home remedies for vitamin C hair dye remover.
Using Hair Dye and Color
When you dye your hair a new color, you break open your hair follicles and add pigment to your natural hair color. When you bleach your hair, you strip your natural hair color out.
Some people think vitamin C reverses the effect of hair dye or coloring, but the truth is, once your hair color is modified- there is no way to replace the lost pigment. You cannot restore the natural pigments in your hair after breaking open the hair follicle or when you strip out natural hair color by bleaching.
This can be problematic after you dye or color your hair and you don’t like the results. After we color our hair, we might rather revert to the color we had before.
In some cases, there are ways vitamin C can have the same effect as a homemade hair dye remover.
Vitamin C and Your Hair
Vitamin C has several uses for our health, so it is safe for most people to use in home remedies.
When we eat food with vitamin C, it helps to slow and defends against cell damage. The vitamin also helps us protect our immune system and absorb iron from plant foods that we eat.
Vitamin C is often available in tablets, as ascorbic acid, or as lemon juice. Due to its many health benefits, it is a safe and common ingredient in all kinds of home remedies.
How to Remove Hair Dye With Vitamin C
Due to vitamin C’s anti pigmentary properties, you can use it in a vitamin C hair dye remover to make your hair look similar to how it was before.
Be careful, though, because hair damaged from heat, dye, or bleach will not react well to vitamin C-infused remedies.
Also, naturally curly or textured hair may not react well. For those who want to use these remedies, be aware that vitamin C is not always the most effective for specific hair types.
Here is a list of vitamin C hair treatment ideas to try for a vitamin C hair color remover. Remember, there is no actual reversing hair color, but vitamin C can help make your hair look more like it did before you dyed or colored it.
#1. Ascorbic Acid Hair Mask
The first of our remedies is also helpful if chlorine or saltwater has affected your hair. This is a simple home remedy you can try to reduce hair color or hair dye if the effects aren’t what you wanted.
Ascorbic Acid Hair Mask:
- ½ C ascorbic acid (15-20 crushed powder-based vitamin C tablets)
- Dye-free clarifying shampoo
- Shower cap
- Mixing bowl
You can buy vitamin C tablets for hair over the counter. Begin by mixing the ingredients in the mixing bowl. You want the vitamin C to mix with the dye-free clarifying shampoo. After you blend the ingredients, you can apply the hair mask mix for 30-60 minutes to your hair’s colored areas.
Then, put on the shower cap, and keep it there for another 30-60 minutes. After, rinse your hair in lukewarm water, and then you can apply a hydrating conditioner so your hair isn’t dry after the treatment.
#2. Lemon Juice and Baking Soda
The next way of how to remove permanent hair dye naturally using vitamin C is through a lemon juice and baking soda mixture for your hair. Vitamin C is present in the lemon juice you use in this mixture.
Lemon juice is known to have bleaching properties that will strip your hair color. The baking soda also helps to strip the color. Together, they will fade the effect of unwanted hair coloring.
Lemon Juice and Baking Soda Mixture:
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons of baking soda
- Mixing bowl
First, mix the two ingredients in a mixing bowl. Keep mixing until you get a smooth texture. After, apply the mixture to the parts of your hair where you want to change the color and leave the mixture there for 15-20 minutes. Finally, wash your hair with shampoo and remember to condition well.
You can repeat this process for three to four consecutive days.
#3. Vitamin C and Baking Soda
You can also use crushed vitamin C tablets with baking soda and anti-dandruff shampoo as another kind of vitamin C hair color remover. Before application, make sure your hair is at least damp for the best results.
Vitamin C and Baking Soda Mixture:
- 2 tablespoons anti-dandruff shampoo
- 5-10 crushed vitamin C tablets
- 1 tablespoon baking soda
- Mixing bowl
Begin by combining all of the ingredients in a bowl. After you have a smooth paste, you can apply the mixture to your hair’s affected parts and leave it there for 30-60 minutes. Then, wash the paste off and make sure to condition your hair well after. You can repeat this process for two to three consecutive days.
Side Effects of Using Vitamin C
You might experience some possible side effects if you use one of these vitamin C hair dye remover recipes. At times vitamin C can cause a dry scalp, inflamed scalp, yellow or orange-tinted hair, or inconsistent tint in hair color.
Keep in mind the consecutive days each recipe recommends for the best effects. Lemon juice does have bleaching properties, so be extra careful not to use the recipe too many days in a row to damage your hair or cause side effects.
FAQs
Vitamin C contains acids that are known to lighten the hair. It will not entirely remove hair color, but if you want to remove some of the darkness from your hair color, the Vitamin C will likely work to lighten it a few shades.
Leaving a vitamin C solution on your hair for 30-60 minutes can lighten hair up to two levels. If you want it lighter than that, you will need to repeat the process until you get desired results.
You might find that your hair is much drier after using a vitamin C solution to remove color. However, it will not cause severe and permanent damage to your hair. If you choose to use it as a color remover, be sure to rehydrate the hair soon after.
Vitamin C can lighten permanent hair color, but it will not remove it completely. If you dye your hair with a semi-permanent color, you can expect the hair color to come out quite easily.
Permanent hair color is stronger and attaches to your hair follicles more aggressively, so the permanent hair color will not be as easy to remove.
Many people like to use a solution made with crushed-up vitamin C tablets. You can find these tablets at any drugstore.
Use white tablets because any colored tablets could negatively alter the result. Avoid liquid capsules because they do not crush or dissolve as finely as powder tablets. Other people prefer to use ascorbic acid powder because it is easier.
Mix the crushed tablets or ascorbic acid with dye-free shampoo, then massage into your scalp and let it sit for up to an hour before rinsing.
Final Thoughts
After going through the effort of dyeing your hair, finding results you don’t like at the end can be disappointing. Vitamin C can be useful to help mimic the effects of a homemade hair dye remover. It will lighten hair and could help to get your color back to its starting point.