Select Page

In preparation for my upcoming vacation, I figured I would play around with some of these hair lightening techniques I keep hearing about.  I’ve heard of people using honey, lemon, cinnamon, olive oil, chamomile, hydrogen peroxide…you name it, I’m pretty sure someone has tried it.  It’s fun to be able to change up your hair color a bit!  And it’s definitely nice to be able to do it without chemicals.

Herbal Hair Lightening Spray

This recipe combines ingredients that I’ve heard most often used to successfully lighten hair while not causing any damage.   The only thing I’ve heard of being successful that isn’t in here is honey but apparently that’s not a mixture that is effective when premade.

Ingredients:

  • 1 cup boiled water
  • tea bag/strainer for brewing and a cup to brew it in
  • cheesecloth for straining
  • 1 cinnamon stick (could substitute 2 tsp ground cinnamon)
  • 1 tablespoon chamomile
  • 1 teaspoon lemongrass
  • 5 drops lemon essential oil
  • 15 drops grapefruit seed extract (for preservation, optional)

Steps:

1. Place the stick of cinnamon inside whatever you’ll be brewing the tea in.  I used a single-serving tea brewing cup (see picture above). If you’re using ground cinnamon, add it to the chamomile and lemongrass in step #2.

2. Steep the 1 tbsp chamomile and 1 teaspoon lemongrass in the 1 cup of just-boiled water .  (The cinnamon stick will be all submerged in the water below the herbs.)

20140312-184014.jpg

3. Cover and let brew until the liquid has become room temperature.

4. Using the cheesecloth, strain out any bits that could be left in the hair lightening spray.

20140312-184022.jpg

5. Decant the herbal hair lightening spray into a spray bottle. I place the cinnamon stick inside so that the spray smelled extra delicious.

20140312-185405.jpg

6. Once the spray is in the bottle, add the 15 drops grapefruit seed extract (for preservation, optional) and 5 drops lemon essential oil (citrus oils can increase photosensitivity so I kept it very diluted).  Shake well now and before each use.  If you’re not using the grapefruit seed oil, keep this spray refrigerated in between uses.

Hip hip hooray for non-toxic hair lightening options!