How to Use Lemon Juice to Lighten Hair

Co-authored by Gina Almona and Amber Crain

Lemon juice has long been used as a natural hair lightener and can be very effective. After you create your lemon juice solution and apply it to your hair, you have to expose your hair to sunlight, so don’t forget your sunscreen! You will likely see results after about an hour of exposure, but the change will be extremely subtle. Repeat this ritual a few times in a row for more noticeable effects. Beware that although lemon juice is natural and inexpensive, it’s not necessarily a healthier way to lighten hair.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Creating and Applying the Lemon Mixture

1
Squeeze the juice from three fresh lemons. Cut each lemon in half, then remove the seeds with the tip of the knife. Squeeze each half into a bowl or measuring cup. You may need slightly more or less, depending on the length of your hair.^{[1]
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2
Add two parts lemon juice and one part leave-in conditioner to a spray bottle. Transfer the lemon juice into a clean spray bottle. Add a small amount of leave-in conditioner to the bottle. Replace the nozzle and give the bottle a good shake to mix the two ingredients together.^{[2]
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- If you don’t have a leave-in conditioner, you can use water instead. However, leave-in conditioner is generally a better option because lemon juice can leave your hair dry and brittle.
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3
Protect your skin with a layer of sunscreen. You are going to use the power of sunlight to activate the lightening effects of the citric acid, so make sure that your skin is protected from harmful UVA and UVB rays. Slather a good sunscreen with a minimum of SPF 30 all over your face and body.
- Bring the bottle with you outside, and reapply it if you sweat or go swimming.
4
Spritz the mixture all over your hair for a full dye. For full coverage, spray the mixture on all of your hair and then give it a few light brushes. Make sure your hair is damp, but not soaked with the mixture.
- If you just want to lighten your roots, tips or create highlighted streaks, concentrate the spray on those areas only.^{[3]
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- For an ombre look, concentrate the spray on the bottom half of your hair.
5
Use a cotton ball soaked with the mixture to highlight specific strands. Once saturated with the mixture, slide the cotton ball down the strands you want to highlight. This will create highlighted streaks. Keep track of which strands you're working on, since you'll need several sessions to achieve significant results.
- To make sure you don't double treat the same strands and forget to treat others, wrap foil around the strands you've already saturated with juice.
6
Expose your hair to direct sunlight for 1-2 hours. Head outside for a couple of hours so the sunlight can activate the lemon juice, which creates the lightening effects. As the mixture dries on your hair, it will start to feel hard and a bit crunchy. This is normal! Tousle it with your hand, but don’t try to brush through it at this point.^{[4]
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Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Rinsing, Conditioning and Repeating the Process

1
Rinse the lemon mixture out of your hair. After 1-2 hours of sunlight exposure, head back inside. Hop in the shower and rinse the mixture out of your hair. Lemon juice is very drying, so be sure to rinse it out thoroughly.
2
Apply a deep conditioner. Once rinsed, saturate your hair from root to tip with a quality deep conditioner. Leave it on for about 10 minutes (or however long the product specifies). Rinse it out thoroughly.
3
Dry and style your hair as you normally would. After the first session, you will already start to notice very subtle lightening effects! If your hair is still feeling a bit dry, apply a moisturizing product like a hydrating styling cream. You can also use a very small amount of the deep conditioner on the ends and to tame fly-aways.
4
Repeat this ritual for 3-4 days in a row. Lightening with lemon juice is a process; it takes several sessions to get noticeable effects. Try applying this mixture and sitting out in the sun for 1-2 hours on four different occasions.^{[5]
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- You can do this for several days in a row, or spread it out over the course of a week or so – whatever works for you.
- Deep condition your hair well after each session.
5
Expect subtle changes in color. After about four sessions, you may notice your hair is about one shade lighter. If you started with dark brown hair, it will look light brown. Light brown hair will look dark blonde, dark blonde hair will be a lighter blonde, and lighter blonde will be closer to a white blonde. Red hair will gain golden highlights. If you began with black hair, you may see no results at all, unfortunately.^{[6]
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- Lemon juice doesn’t work well with very dark hair.
- If you do have black or extremely dark hair, be careful – sometimes lemon juice can make darker shades look brassy (orange-ish). Monitor the color after every session.
6
Give your hair a few weeks of recovery time. Lemon juice will damage your hair over time. In fact, although it’s natural, some people believe that it’s just as damaging as bleach. After 3-4 sessions in a row, give your hair a break for several weeks. The lightening effects will be subtle but permanent, so work in stages.
- If you want to continue lightening your hair with lemon juice after giving your hair a few weeks off, feel free. Just be sure you keep up with deep conditioning after every session.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Adding Lightening Enhancers

1
Add chamomile tea to your lemon mixture. Boil one cup of water. Add two chamomile tea bags and let them steep for 10 minutes. Remove the bags and add the tea to the lemon mixture in your spray bottle. Use this spray exactly the same way as before.^{[7]
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- Chamomile tea works best on light brown or blonde hair.
2
Add a teaspoon of ground cinnamon. Cinnamon is a natural lightening agent and may enhance the effects of your lemon juice spray. Create a fresh batch, then add about a teaspoon of ground cinnamon to the spray bottle. Shake well and apply as you normally would.^{[8]
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3
Add a squirt of honey. Honey is a natural lightener and can also help condition your hair. After you’ve made your mixture and transferred it to the spray bottle, add a small squirt of honey. Replace the nozzle and give it a good shake. Proceed as your normally would.^{[9]
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Expert Q&A
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Question

Can lemon juice ruin your hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

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Using lemon juice too frequently can dry your hair out, but it won't cause permanent damage. For best results, always condition your hair after applying lemon juice.
Question

Can lemon juice grow your hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist in Georgia. She has been a hair stylist since 2007 and a cosmetology teacher since 2013.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

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Lemon juice can lighten your hair but is not known to increase growth. For a natural hair-growth stimulant, add collagen to your diet or massage your scalp with tea tree oil.
Question

Will the effects ever go away?

Ashley Adams
Professional Hair Stylist
Ashley Adams is a Licensed Cosmetologist and Hair Stylist in Illinois. She completed her Cosmetology education at John Amico School of Hair Design in 2016.

Ashley Adams

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

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As mentioned in the article, dyeing your hair with lemon juice is permanent. You'll have to grow out your hair for it to go away.