How to Get White Blonde Hair

Co-authored by Karen Leight

Last Updated: January 14, 2022 References

White-blonde hair is dramatic, stylish and increasingly popular. It is also one of the most difficult shades for brunettes to achieve. Regardless, there are methods to help both brunettes and blondes lighten their hair naturally, chemically at home or with a stylist.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Using Natural Techniques

1
Apply natural ingredients daily over a long period of time to lighten naturally blonde hair. Doing so will cause less damage to your hair than applying chemicals. However, it’s unlikely that you will achieve the perfect shade of white-blonde hair through this method.^{[1]
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Expert Source

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.}
- Ensure that you have undamaged hair. Applying hair lighteners on hair that is already chemically dyed can cause unwanted effects. Be sure that you only use this method if your hair is in its natural state.
- Select a test strip. As you begin to choose one or more hair lightening techniques, be sure to test the technique(s) on a small strip of hair before applying it to the rest of your hair. While some people prefer to test a strip underneath the top hair so that it cannot be seen, others prefer to cut off a small strip of hair for testing.
2
Use a lemon juice mix. Spray a mixture of 1 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice with 1/4 cup warm water on your hair. Sit in the sun for a couple of hours before you rinse the mixture out with shampoo and a deep conditioner.
- The more you use the lemon-juice mixture, the lighter your hair will become. However, the lemon juice will also dry out your hair, so be careful to condition regularly.
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3
Use a honey mix. Apply a mixture of 1 cup honey and 1/4 cup water or apple cider vinegar to hair. Cover your hair in a plastic wrap and let it sit for at least 2 hours before rinsing.
- The longer you leave in the mixture, the lighter your hair will become. Consider leaving the mixture in overnight.
4
Use a mix of herbs. Mix chamomile, rhubarb, marigold, lemon juice, mullein and a little hydrogen peroxide with water overnight. Apply the mixture to your hair and sit in the sun for a couple of hours before rinsing it out.
- Each of these ingredients is known to lighten hair, so it’s OK to try different combinations and ratios.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Using Chemical Products at Home

1
Dye your hair a white-blonde shade at home using chemicals.^{[2]
X
Expert Source

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.} If you are familiar with dying your hair and have dyed it before, you may feel comfortable dying your hair white blonde by yourself. If you have dark hair, it may take two tries to achieve a white-blonde shade. Be sure to wait a couple of days between dyes or seek out a professional to be safe.^{[3]
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Expert Source

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.}
- Be careful if you're dying your hair for the first time. Bleach can damage anyone's hair and it's important to handle the product with care. If you have dark hair, you will likely have to bleach your hair twice, once to achieve the yellow base necessary to dye it white blonde and again to achieve the desired shade.^{[4]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Karen Leight
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.}
2
Prepare your hair. Be sure that your hair is in its natural state. If your hair is already dyed, the safest way to dye it lighter is to seek out a professional.
- If you apply bleach to chemically-treated hair, there is a chance that you will burn off your hair.
- You may want to deep condition your hair the day before you dye it to minimize the hair-drying effect of the dye.
3
Purchase supplies. You will need to purchase bleach powder, creme developer, red gold corrector and toner. You will also need a mixing bowl, a plastic hair wrap, gloves, hair clips and towels.
- Purchase your products at a beauty-supply store to ensure the highest-quality chemicals.
- Purchase a bleach powder with a concentration of H2O2 between 3 and 6 percent. If it has a concentration of 10 percent or more, it may induce scalp blistering.^{[5]
  X
  Trustworthy Source
  PubMed Central
  Journal archive from the U.S. National Institutes of Health
  Go to source} Some trusted brands include Salon Care and Manic Panic.
- If your hair is blonde or light brown, use a 20- or 30-volume developer. If your hair is black or very dark, you may need a 40-volume developer. The lower the volume, the less damaging the bleach is to hair.
- The toner you need will depend on the exact shade of white blonde you want to achieve.^{[6]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Karen Leight
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.} Read the brands and product reviews to help you get an idea of which one you want to use. Wella T18 Lightest Ash Blonde Toner or Manic Panic Virgin Snow are two of the most popular.
- Red-gold corrector will help the hair grab the color most effectively.
4
Mix the bleach powder and creme developer in a bowl. Follow the instructions included with the products to ensure the correct ratios.
- Depending on the product, the ratios could be slightly different. Consider purchasing the same brands of bleach powder and creme developer.
- A typical ratio could be two scoops of power and 4 ounces of creme developer.^{[7]
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  Research source}
5
Test a strip of your hair by applying the bleach mixture and timing how long it takes the strip to turn yellow. It should take about 30-45 minutes. The resulting color of the test strip will alert you if you are using the wrong amount of bleach.
- If the strip turns orange, do not apply the bleach mix to the rest of your hair. The most common reason your hair could turn orange is that your hair is too dark to bleach completely in one sitting, so you may have to wait a couple of days and try again with the same test strand.
- If the strand is still orange or dark after the second bleaching, try adding a semi-permanent hair color to cover the orange INSTEAD of toning it.^{[8]
  X
  Research source} If you choose one shade lighter than the current strip color, you will retain a little orange, but keep the lightness. If you choose one shade darker than the current strip color, you will minimize the orange, but darken your hair a little.
6
Apply bleach mixture to hair. Once you are happy with your test strip, section off hair and apply the bleach mixture evenly throughout your hair using gloves and a brush. After you finish, you can cover your hair with a plastic wrap if you wish.
- For the best results, ask someone to help you apply the mixture.
- If your hair is very short, it helps to part your hair in a straight line and apply the bleach starting from the root and moving all the way up the strand of hair. When finished, part the next section and do the same thing. Continue until the mixture is applied everywhere.
- If your hair is longer than chin-length, consider applying the bleach starting from a couple of inches away from the scalp and letting it sit for 10-15 minutes before you apply the bleach to the hair nearest the scalp. Because bleach is heat-activated, this will ensure a more even coloring.
- If you are a brunette, it will be more difficult to achieve an even shade of white.^{[9]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Karen Leight
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.} Be extra careful to apply a generous amount of the mixture evenly on every strand of hair.
7
Wait 30-45 minutes for the bleach to begin stripping your hair of color. Make sure that you are checking your hair every 5-10 minutes, however, to ensure you are achieving the desired results. If not, you can adjust your treatment before it's too late.
- If you see that some spots are turning lighter faster than others, correct the darker spots by adding a little bit more of the bleach mixture.
- As you wait, you are likely to experience some itching and burning sensations. This is normal. If you cannot stand the itching or burning, however, rinse it out since your discomfort could be a sign that your scalp is reacting poorly to the chemicals. Consider trying a different brand after a couple of days.
- You want your hair to turn lighter yellow, not orange. If it does turn orange, wait 5 minutes to see if it turns yellow before rinsing it out and repeating the process in a couple of days or going to the hair salon.
8
Rinse out the bleach. When you determine that your hair is light enough, rinse out the bleach with cool water and a mild shampoo followed by conditioner. Towel dry and blow dry.
- Be careful not to let the bleach sit in your hair for too long or it will burn the ends off.
- Remember only to proceed to the toning step if your hair is yellow, orange.
9
Mix the toner in a clean bowl and add a few drops of the red-gold corrector. The red-gold corrector will help your hair keep the color.
10
Apply the toner to the same test strip of hair before applying the toner to your hair. Leave the toner in your hair until it reaches the desired color. Usually this step will take 30 minutes, but be sure to read the instructions on your toner product.
- The longer you leave in the toner, the more silvery the resulting shade of hair.^{[10]
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  Research source}
11
Rinse out the toner. Wash the toner out of your hair. Consider using shampoo for bleached or blonde hair to help your hair retain its new color. Follow the shampoo with conditioner.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Seeking a Professional

1
Find a professional stylist to bleach your hair. If you have dark hair, and you do not have much experience dying it yourself, seeking a professional stylist is the best way to dye it white blonde and ensure you safely achieve the desired shade.^{[11]
X
Expert Source

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.}
2
Know your budget. The cost to dye your hair white blonde varies by how drastic the change will be. Expect to pay between $60 and $200.
- The longer, darker and thicker the hair, the longer it will take to dye white blonde and the more a salon is likely to charge you.^{[12]
  X
  Expert Source
  
  Karen Leight
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 13 November 2020.}
3
Research salons. Hair salons vary in price and quality, but paying a higher price doesn’t always ensure a higher quality service.
- Be sure to read online reviews of hairstylists and talk to people whose hair color you admire. Ask them who they use. You’re better off finding a specific person than a general salon.
4
Book an appointment. Good hair stylists usually book weeks or even months in advance, so call ahead of time to ensure an appointment.
- Describe your hair as it is now and what you would like it to look like it to look like. Your hairstylist needs to be aware of how long the color treatment will take.
- Even if your stylist does not give you a time estimate, make sure that you leave ample time to dye your hair. The process can take anywhere from two to four hours, especially if your hairstylist is attending to other clients in between your processes.
- Agree on a price over the phone so that you have a clear understanding of how much the color treatment will cost before you walk into the salon.
5
Bring a visual to your appointment. It is very helpful for your hairstylist to see a picture of how you want your hair to look. Consider finding a photo in a magazine, printing one out or having one on your phone to show him or her.

Expert Q&A

Question

Does platinum hair turn yellow?

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Karen Leight is a Professional Hair Stylist and the Owner of Karen Renee Hair, a private salon suite inside the Salon Republic Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. With over 12 years of experience, Karen is a licensed cosmetologist specializing in hair color, balayage technique, and women’s and men’s precision haircuts.

Karen Leight

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Bleached hair can turn yellow if not toned correctly. At home, the best you could do to avoid that effect is probably purchase a purple shampoo. If the yellow is too strong, another option would be to use a professional grade toner.
Question

Can you dye platinum blonde hair to brown?

Karen Leight
Professional Hair Stylist
Karen Leight is a Professional Hair Stylist and the Owner of Karen Renee Hair, a private salon suite inside the Salon Republic Hollywood in Los Angeles, California. With over 12 years of experience, Karen is a licensed cosmetologist specializing in hair color, balayage technique, and women’s and men’s precision haircuts.

Karen Leight

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Yes, you can! What I recommend, though, is to do a filler color in between, something that is not as dark as you desire, but darker than your current color. If you skip this step, you're probably going to be left with something that looks muddy or green.

Warnings

If your scalp is severely blistered, consider visiting a dermatologist for a soothing creme prescription.

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If your hair is already dyed, dry or damaged, you may want to wait for it to grow out before attempting to achieve white-blonde hair.

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Follow all package directions, including all safety warnings.

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Bleach is a powerful chemical compound that can burn your hair in if you leave it in for too long. Be mindful to continually check your hair every couple of minutes after you apply it.

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Bleach can also stain your clothes and even the towels you use to dry your hair. Be sure to wear clothes and use towels that you don’t mind damaging.

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