How to Lighten Dark Hair

Are you looking for sun-kissed hair that lets you glow in every room you enter?
You’ll need a reliable method to switch from bold dark hair to light tresses. There are several ways to lighten dark hair, from simple DIY tweaks to professional salon services. The best way for you depends on your starting point and goals.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about how to lighten dark hair at home or in salons. We’ve got you covered, from how to lighten dark brown hair to what to do when you’ve gone too dark.

I Dyed My Hair too Dark – How Can I Lighten it at Home?

If you’ve ever used a box of at-home hair dye or visited a salon only to find yourself shocked at the final results, you’re not alone. What you once thought was your dream colour becomes a source of awkwardness and insecurity.
As you look in the mirror, you think, I dyed my hair too dark; how can I lighten it at home?
Thankfully, there is no shortage of options for lightening dark hair. Learning how to lighten dark hair at home will be a breeze with these methods.

Lemon Juice Rinse for Gradual Lightening

Lemon juice might sound like a beauty hack your Nanna would teach you, but it’s a neat DIY method for lightening dark hair at home.
You can mix lemon juice with a leave-in conditioner or hair mask. Then, sit in the sun for 30 minutes to an hour, and your hair will be lighter.
While this is one of the best ways to lighten dark hair at home, try not to do it more than once a week, or you’ll encounter dryness.

Chamomile Tea Treatment for Subtle Highlights

Your usual cuppa can also double as a crafty method for lightening dark hair! Chamomile tea bags can create natural hair highlights that last a few days.
If you want to know how to lighten dark hair naturally using these bags, it’s simple. Boil some water and steep 3-5 tea bags. While that is happening, wash your hair.
Then, pour the tea over your washed hair and let it sit for around 30 minutes. You can also sit out in the sun to amplify your results.

Honey and Cinnamon Mask for Soft Lightening

We all love a good hair mask. One of the best ways to lighten dark hair at home is by creating an effective mask that gives your tresses some much-needed TLC.
Honey and cinnamon are the centrepieces of a fantastic mask that helps with lightening dark hair. Mix the two with lemon juice, then apply it to wet hair. Wrap it in a towel or with a shower cap, leaving it on for a few hours or even overnight.
Not only will your hair look lighter–but it’ll smell fantastic, too!

Choosing Gentle Lightening Shampoos and Conditioners

The methods available to you aren’t limited to just how to lighten dark hair naturally. High-quality products, like shampoos and conditioners, will help brighten your locks.
You don’t need to choose one or the other between shampoo vs conditioner–both work wonders for lightening dark hair.
Look for gentle shampoos with clean ingredients. Lemon, chamomile, honey, and cinnamon are all excellent, but any sulphate-free blend works. Give them a few weeks to see the results. You can also mix in purple shampoo to colour-correct as you progress through the lightening process.

How to Use Clarifying Shampoo for Slight Colour Removal

I dyed my hair too dark–how can I lighten it at home?
If you find yourself in this spot, the good news is that lessening the effects of hair dye is easier than you may think.
Clarifying shampoos can dampen the effect of your dye by removing any buildup. With a quality shampoo, you can use it as usual once a week and watch your dye lighten back to its natural colour.

Hair Masks and Treatments that Support Lightening

Another reliable way to learn how to lighten dark brown hair is by using post-colouring treatments. Hair masks, especially those with professional-quality ingredients, will lighten your locks without damaging them.
Look for those with natural ingredients like coconut oil, honey, and plenty of vitamins.

Deep Conditioning After Each Lightening Session

A crucial part of the process for how to lighten dark brown hair is ensuring it remains healthy. While these methods are great for going lighter, they can also dry out your scalp.
That’s where deep conditioning treatments come in. They provide the support your hair needs to lighten without damage. They’ll add back in moisture and only take 15 to 30 minutes.

Essential Oils and Moisturising Treatments to Prevent Dryness

If there’s a central theme to remember when learning how to lighten dark hair naturally, it’s the importance of avoiding dry scalp. Moisturing treatments, essential oils like Argan and Jojoba, and other leave-int treatments fight back brittle hair.

Avoiding Heat Styling to Minimise Damage

We’ve gone through all the best ways to lighten dark hair at home without professional salon equipment.
But there’s one more tip to consider–avoiding heat damage. Heat styling may look nice in the short term, but it damages your hair, especially when colour-treated.

Tips on Lightening Dark Hair as a Professional Stylist

Lightening dark hair at home is a reliable option, but it becomes easier when working with professional stylists or using professional-quality products. Given how much it costs to dye your hair at a salon, you’ll want to research to ensure you make the right decision the first time.

Assessing Hair Colour History and Potential Risks

Before lightening your hair, you must assess what you’re working with. Several factors can influence any potential risks:

• Hair Colour History: Virgin hair that has never been coloured will be able to tolerate more bleach and processing than treated hair. Given how long permanent hair dye lasts, you may be re-dyeing your hair every 8 weeks, which can be harsh on your strands.
• Chemical Treatments: Any relaxers, perms, or keratin treatments can affect your hair health and make dyeing risky.
• Hair Porosity: Highly porous hair absorbs colour easier, making using dye faster and more effective.
• Natural Colour: If your base colour is dark, getting lighter will take more processing. This applies whether you are using permanent, demi, or semi-permanent hair colour.

The more factors on this list that apply to you, the riskier dyeing your hair will be. Talk to our My Haircare & Beauty team if you need a detailed opinion.

When to Use Colour Removers and Pre-Lightening Treatments

Hair Colour is as much a process of removal as it is addition. You may need to remove the darker colour particles from your hair before getting lighter tones.
If you have dark hair dye, multiple layers of colour, or are trying to go from dark black to light blonde, you’ll need to use a colour remover, like bleach.

Using Low-Volume Developers for Controlled Lightening

Developers are the chemicals that determine the level of lift, or lightening, that your hair dye achieves.
They range from 10 to 40-volume, sometimes higher.
For most people, 10 or 20-volume developers are suitable. Higher values can damage your scalp, especially if left on too long.

The Importance of Toners and Their Role in Colour Balance

Developer will help move your hair from dark to light, but toners determine the colour.
Hair dye works on scales. Different dye brands have unique terminology, but most brands go from 1 (dark black) to 10 or 12 (platinum blonde).
Toner lets you access all the colours within a specific hue on the scale. You can be a 6 (very light) and have red hair, blonde hair, or even a cooler blue-ish tone. Toning blonde hair at home is an option, especially if you have professional products. Either way, it’s best to research how to achieve your dream tone. That way, you can keep up with your tuner periodically.

Foiling and Balayage Techniques for Subtle Lightening

Highlights are an excellent option if you don’t want to lighten your entire head or prefer that sun-kissed look.
Plenty of techniques exist, but foils and balayage are the two most popular.
Foils allow you or your stylist to get precise and will enable you to achieve different colours simultaneously.
Balayage is a more “natural” way of highlighting, as it involves hand-painting. It also has a more straightforward grow-out stage that’ll have you looking like you just got back from Bali.
Both are excellent choices. We recommend looking up hair inspiration on social media and asking a professional which technique would get you the desired results.

Bond Builders and Treatments to Minimise Damage

Dyeing hair can be taxing on your scalp. Bond builders and other treatments can minimise damage and are used during or directly after dyeing.
Look for those that can be mixed into bleach and colour for the best result. Still, ensure you follow proper protocols–bond builders still won’t protect you from going overboard.

Tailoring Lightening Techniques for Different Hair Types

Your hair type and texture can also affect the way you lighten it. Finer hair requires low-volume developers and more frequent toning, while thicker hair needs longer processing times and more potent formulas.
Curly hair tends to dry out more quickly, so ensuring moisturising products is paramount.

Choosing the Right Products for Salon-Quality Results

Ultimately, your final results will depend on the products used. You want to ensure that you or your stylist are using the best products for blonde hair treatment.
That means professional hair dyes, quality bond builders, and proven treatments to keep your hair health safe.

Scheduling Follow-Up Appointments and Maintenance Products

Depending on how much you mind seeing your roots, we recommend re-dying your hair every 4 to 8 weeks. This will give your hair enough time to remain healthy without waiting too long.
Maintaining platinum hair or other colour-treated locks comes down to the maintenance products. Invest in purple shampoo to avoid brassiness, colour-safe, sulphate-free conditioner, leave-in treatments, and weekly hair masks. As for how often to use purple shampoo, limit your hair washing to once or twice a week. This will ensure the hair doesn’t fade before you need a new toner.

Find the Products You Need to Effortlessly Lighten Dark Hair and Keep It Looking Stunning at My Haircare & Beauty!

If there’s one thing you’ve learned today, the key to colour-treated hair care is your products.
But you can’t just walk into your local pharmacy and pick up the first thing that catches your eye. You need quality products recommended by seasoned professionals.
That’s where our team at My Haircare & Beauty comes in! With hundreds of products from storied brands, we have everything you need to make haircare simple.
From the moment you choose to dye your hair, you can rely on our selection of demi-permanent hair colour, permanent hair colour, semi-permanent hair colour, and temporary hair colour. 
Our team of hair experts will use our years of experience to guide you to the perfect products for your needs. It’s like having your own personal hair stylist in the comfort of your home!
We’ll also recommend post-dye treatments and maintenance products, including sulphate-free shampoo for coloured hair, all types of conditioners for coloured hair, hair masks, and more.
You’ll even find reliable hair toners to minimise the need for salon appointments and keep your hair healthy and vibrant in between visits.
Our inventory of reputable brands is practically endless. Here’s just a tiny sample of the magic that awaits at our online store:

We top it all off with premium customer service and speedy shipping. Before you know it, you’ll have that vibrant hair you’ve been dreaming of for years, all while keeping your hair healthy.

Final Thoughts on How to Lighten Dark Hair At Home

Sun-kissed streaks aren’t just something to wish for and never achieve. With the right products, like quality hair colour and the best shampoos and conditioners for coloured hair, you’ll be able to lighten your dark hair and turn heads in no time.
The best place to find those products is at My Haircare & Beauty. Our team is standing by to give you a personalised recommendation and help you get started.
From advice on at-home methods to salon-quality products, you’ll find everything you need here. Talk to us to learn more about lightening your dark hair today!

My Haircare and Beauty

Established in 2008, My Haircare & Beauty have not only established ourselves as a trusted name within the retail world, but also for our ability to deliver on-trend, dynamic services and advice to our loyal clientele.