How to Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice Overnight

There are many different methods that you can use to lighten your hair. In this article, you’ll learn how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight, including the steps to take, tools you’ll need, and things to consider.

How Do You Lighten Your Hair Using Lemon Juice?

Human beings have been using natural products to lighten their hair for ages. The procedure dates back as early as the times of Ancient Greece. Such practices have evolved to get to what we have now.

Some people decide to go the chemical way where they use products such as bleach. Others might tell you that basking in the sun bleaches out their hair and makes it lighter. Yes, such practices might produce results.

But did you know there is an easier and more natural way to achieve the result? Lemon is a superfood. A glass of refreshing lemonade can boost your mood from 0-100 in no time. But there is much more to a lemon than just the sweet, tangy taste.

You can use them to lighten hair too! When you think about hair lightening, using a fruit might not be among the first things that come to your mind. However, the lemon DIY hair lightening technique is one for the books.

If you have been looking to lighten your hair using lemon, here’s a quick summary of the steps:

1. Choose the best lemon to use, most preferably fresh
2. Squeeze all the juice from the lemon and prepare a juice mixture
3. Spray the mixture to your hair
4. Get a plastic bag and wrap your hair gently
5. Wash your hair

How to Lighten Hair With Lemon Juice Overnight in 5 Steps

Please remember that a single wrong move, wrong timing, or miscalculation might render the whole process useless. As such, you need to be keen throughout the procedure.

Lemon juice is highly acidic and can damage your hair within an instant. With that in mind, here’s how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight.

1. Choose the Best Lemon to Use

When choosing lemons for hair lightening, it is advisable to go for the freshest ones in your pantry. The active compounds in the lemon are more efficient when the lemon hasn’t been in your pantry for weeks on end. 

The number of lemons you choose will depend on the amount of hair you want to spray (or the number of people to use it). It would be best if you gathered more lemons for thicker hair and better results.

2. Squeeze All the Juice From the Lemon

After you have collected all your best lemons, wash them up and cut them in halves. Use a lemon squeezer (or any other tool available for you) to squeeze the lemon halves gently.

Some people opt to buy lemon juice straight from the store instead of squeezing the lemon by themselves, which works as well. However, freshly squeezed lemon juice is better than the store-bought one for several reasons.

For example, they might have laced the juice with chemical additives and sugars. Instead of lightening your hair, these chemicals might destroy it. Why don’t you extract the juice by yourself?  

After squeezing all the lemons:

1. Transfer the lemon juice into a spray bottle.
2. Don’t throw away the leftover lemon pieces, as they will come in handy later.
3. Add water to dilute the juice and reduce the acidity. For one unit of lemon juice, add two units of water.

The step is not compulsory; you can dilute the juice to a concentration of your liking. You are also free to add extra ingredients of your choice to the juice mixture. There is no limit to the number of hair-loving ingredients to use. Just don’t use too much to the point that they overshadow the juice itself. 

Some of the additives you can use include:

• Coconut oil to hydrate your hair
• Conditioner
• Moisturizer 
• Chamomile tea (for additional bleaching properties)
• Cinnamon

These additives also reduce the acidity of the juice. Too much acidity dries out your scalp and hair.  

3. Spray the Mixture to Your Hair

You now have a ready mixture for your hair lightening requirements. For this step, the extent to which you want to lighten your hair guides how much juice you use. Also, if you’re going to highlight sections of the hair, you first have to separate the sections off before you spray. 

There is no specific way to spray your hair. You can get a person to spray you for better results. They will have a better view of the hair than you would, and the chances of missing some parts are lower.

However, you do not have to worry if you are alone; you can do it yourself too! Be careful when spraying. Avoid spraying to other parts of your face, especially the eyes. Remember the lemon pieces we put aside after squeezing the juice?

They come in play here. After spraying, use these wedges to rub your hair, especially the parts that you feel didn’t get enough attention previously. This way, you fully utilize the lemon’s citric acid to the last drop. 

4. Get a Plastic Bag and Wrap Your Hair Gently

At this point, you are fully convinced that every inch of the hair has been sprayed. Now get a plastic bag and cover your head for some time. A bonnet or scarf can easily get the job done too, but they have to be non-absorbent.

Wrapping your head with such items prevents the lemon juice from leaking and trickling down your body as you sleep. Remember, we are doing it overnight. You would want to choose the most comfortable covering material that you can get.

The cap has to sit for several hours. During this time, the lemon components will be working on your hair all night long. The additional ingredients, such as moisturizer and coconut oil, take effect during this period as well.

5. Wash Your Hair

You’ve let the juice sit on your hair for the better of the night. It is now time to wash it off. You can use your favorite hydrating shampoo to wash all the lemon away for this step. It shouldn’t take you long, but you also have to be thorough.

If possible, wash your hair using running water, as it helps rinse all the juice away better. After washing the hair, massage the scalp lightly to get rid of any lemon pulp that might still be trapped in there.

After washing, rinse the hair again and follow up with a moisturizing conditioner, which replenishes your hair after dehydration by the lemon’s citric acid. By the end of this step, your hair should already have a noticeable change in color and shine.

The results vary for different people. Your hair might even become two full shades lighter. Choosing when to wash your hair is pretty important.

It is recommended that you do so when the temperatures are high for better results. It is better to try the procedure during these times for the bleaching properties in the lemon to be further activated by the heat.

Read Next: What Hair Products Should I Use Quiz

Why Use Lemon on Your Hair?

Some people bleach their hair using chemical bleaches. Such commercial products might have prettier and faster lightening. However, it is not the best idea. The chemical hair lightening products and dyes can damage your hair properties.

On the other hand, lemons are organic and offer a more natural way to lighten your hair. Another thing that makes lemon hair lightening preferable is the ease of the process.

Just a pair of lemon squeezers and a spray bottle, and you are good to go. You might be wondering, how do lemons lighten hair? Citric acid is a chemical known for its cloth whitening properties. Additionally, it is added in skin care procedures to heal black spots and acne scars on the skin.

The acid’s bleaching properties are further activated when exposed to the UV rays from the sun. In addition to being natural, lemons are cheap and readily available. The price makes them easy to acquire since almost everyone can afford them.

Lemons do much more than just bleach your hair. Below are some additional benefits to your hair.

Lemon Makes Your Hair Appear Shinier

You will most likely notice the additional glossy feature to your hair by the end of the procedure. When you wash the hair with lemon, the active properties get rid of any gunk on the hair’s surfaces, making it appear duller.

In fact, people who lighten their hair regularly with lemon have shinier, healthier, and more luminous hair compared to those who don’t. 

Lemon Reduces Skin Infections

The scalp can be infected by various infections, especially those caused by skin dryness. However, lemons are acidic, which regulates the scalp’s pH balance. Lemons also have antibacterial properties that combat seborrheic dermatitis. 

The Wash Treats Dandruff

For those who don’t know, dandruff comes about due to flaky, dry skin. This flakiness is caused by body fat, known as sebum. However, lemon actively absorbs this fat, reducing skin dryness in the process. 

Frequently Asked Questions

Still have questions about how to lighten your hair with lemon juice overnight? You might find these FAQs to be helpful:

So, How Do You Lighten Hair with Lemon Juice Overnight?

You can use lemons to get that sparkling bright hair you have always longed for. All you need to do is follow the given instructions carefully, and you will be good to go. This method works for almost everyone, and the benefits overshadows the risks.

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