How to Lighten Your Hair With Lemon Juice Overnight

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Author Name: Mia Barnes
Date: Wednesday April 13, 2022

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When life gives you lemons, you could make lemonade. Or, you could learn how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight and naturally brighten up your highlights. With enough lemons, you could even do both. 

Lemon juice has been used to lighten skin for years. However, this citrus fruit can also brighten your hair without the severe drying effects of bleach. With the proper precautions and a whole lot of hydration, this natural treatment can brighten and refresh your hair for summer.

How to Use Lemon Juice on Your Hair

If you have extremely healthy hair that’s never been dyed or chemically treated, you could try treating it with straight lemon juice. However, adding conditioners and other ingredients to this natural treatment will protect your hair by minimizing drying and other damage. 

Many people spritz their hair with a bottle of lemon juice diluted with water. Then, they let the sun dry their hair. Sunshine can increase the brightening effects of lemon juice because it naturally bleaches the melanin in your hair. That’s why hair tends to get lighter in the summer. 

However, not everyone has time to sit outside and wait for their hair to dry. In addition, you should protect your scalp and skin from too much sun exposure. Instead of applying lemon juice during the day, you can instead treat your hair with it overnight. 

The best recipes to teach you how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight also include hydrating ingredients like coconut oil or conditioner. This is because the longer you leave lemon juice on your hair, the greater possibility there is for damaging and drying it out. 

Recipe for Naturally Lightening Hair

To make an overnight lemon hair treatment, you’ll need several ingredients. There’s no one right way to do this and some people use more ingredients than others. Here’s a quick breakdown of how to create the most effective overnight lemon treatment. 

  • Start With Lemons

This is one of the only non-negotiable items for your overnight treatment. Fresh-squeezed lemons are best, although you can use bottled lemon juice as long as it doesn’t have any added ingredients. For the very highest quality, opt for organic lemons. 

  • Add Conditioner

If you’re planning to leave this treatment in overnight, you most definitely need to add conditioner. Mix in a dollop of your favorite brand or invest in a deep conditioner for extra protection. You can also use coconut oil to protect your hair from drying out. 

  • Supplement With Herbs

Some people add chamomile tea and cinnamon to their overnight hair-brightening treatments. Both of these herbs are known to brighten hair without damaging hair strands and can increase the success of your at-home treatment. 

  • Sweeten With Honey

This ingredient works to nourish and brighten your hair simultaneously. It’s a wonderful way to ensure that your hair doesn’t dry out while also supplementing the lightening action of lemon juice and herbal ingredients. 

  • Go to Sleep

As you can probably tell, this overnight treatment will be messy. Squeeze several lemons and combine their juice with a dollop of conditioner or coconut oil. Next, add some steeped chamomile and cinnamon tea. Finally, mix with some honey and apply to your hair. 

Wrap firmly in a shower cap, put a towel on your pillow and go to bed. In the morning, you’ll need to wash your hair with a gentle shampoo and then add plenty of conditioner. Wait several days between applications to ensure your hair is handling the treatment well. 

What to Watch Out For

Dryness. Cracking. Frizzy textures. If it sounds scary, that’s because it is. Lemon juice is very acidic, so it can dry out your hair quickly. Thankfully, there are several things you can do to prevent damage to your hair during these treatments.

First, it’s essential to rinse the lemon juice out of your hair and condition it the next day. You should space your treatments apart so you can monitor your hair and ensure you’re not doing too much too fast. It’s also a good idea to dilute the lemon juice you use with water so that the acid content isn’t as potent. 

Another word of caution – using lemon juice can also weaken your hair so that it’s more likely to break if you decide later to get your hair chemically brightened at a salon. It’s also important to note that natural treatments work best on light brown or dark blonde hair. Because black hair is rich in melatonin, lemon treatments won’t do much to change its color. 

In addition to damaging hair strands, lemon juice can also make your skin more sensitive to the sun. This increases your risk of scalp sunburn, especially if you’re sitting outside as part of your brightening treatment. Be cautious about sun exposure and wear a hat when you’re not intentionally trying to sun your hair.

Brighten Your Hair Naturally

If you’re longing for subtle highlights but don’t want to go to the salon, you should consider using lemon juice to naturally lighten your hair at home. With the proper precautions and the right ingredients, you can learn how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight, brightening your locks while you sleep. 

Use this recipe to enhance your hair with natural highlights and get a sunny summer hair look. However, go heavy on the conditioner to ensure your hair stays healthy and strong during the process. Who knew lemons could be so useful?

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