Has anyone used Lemon Juice to lighten hair?

[DirectionsForUse]

My hair is naturally blonde and does lighten naturally in the sun, but I've got a new very short haircut and all the lightened bits have been chopped off!

I love the crop, but the colour is a bit dirty blonde and I'm wondering whether to try and help it along a bit.

I have heard it can damage hair though. What's your experience?

Erm yes in the 90's, along with Sun In, do they even make that stuff anymore?!!?!

Turned me ginger.

Yep, don’t do it. I ended up with a frizzled mess. Took weeks to get it back to any kind of normality. You would think I would have learnt my lesson from disasters back in my teens when I would go wild with the Sun-In!

Take a look at the John Frieda Go Blonder range. There's a shampoo and a spray (which is basically a fancy Sun In).
www.johnfrieda.com/en-uk/products/sheer-blonde/go-blonder-lightening-spray/
I've not used it for years, but have before and saw good results.

Naturally dark blonde hair here (well, it's currently balayaged to kingdom come!) and I have tried lemon juice loads over the years. The results were extremely subtle and it was drying tbh, plus wasps liked it. Maybe a chamomile tea rinse when you're out in the sun would be less sticky?

I use the Go Blonder shampoo and conditioner and have considered the spray, but a bit scared it will be like Sun In.

Camomile shampoo used to be be the thing when I was in school in the 90s.

So maybe try camomile tea from a spray bottle on your hair and then sitting out in the sun. Probably less frazzling than lemon juice.

sorry, I've just seen that @Bluedelphinium already suggested that.

I used to add lemon juice to the water when I was rinsing my hair. I also used to strain dried camomile flowers and again added the water to the rinse. It did work to an extent (loads better than a camomile shampoo) but was quite drying, although that was less of an issue then as I had very greasy hair. It was certainly better than Sun-in which was a shocker.

The JF spray is like a very gentle Sun In - not like the stuff where you could blow dry yourself platinum blonde. You might notice a difference after 2-3 days spraying but it's gradual and non-drying out.

@DirectionsForUse

My hair is naturally blonde and does lighten naturally in the sun, but I've got a new very short haircut and all the lightened bits have been chopped off!

I love the crop, but the colour is a bit dirty blonde and I'm wondering whether to try and help it along a bit.

I have heard it can damage hair though. What's your experience?

It works better on coarse hair (that’s why Indian beauticians can offer it as an alternative to highlights) but it can really damage it.

My cousin had a psycho mother who wanted her to be blonde rather than brown haired. They spent a month on holiday in Cypress and every day her mum sprayed her hair with lemon juice and she spent all day out in the sun. A couple of weeks in her hair was an orangey blonde but it started snapping off and her scalp was burned. It was mid back length, curly and had been beautiful.

We picked them up from the airport. My cousin came back with a number 2 buzzcut all over and it was quite the shock. Her hair had been destroyed by the lemon juice and the hairdresser had said the only thing to be done was to shave it off and start again. Wasn't much fun to be a bald 6/7 year old and she hated it even when it grew out to a pixie cut and bob.

Only risk it if you are ok with having to cut or shave the damage off. As your hair is already very short, maybe it's not that big a deal to you.

Is there a reason you don't want to go down the professional route and get some highlights put in?

I've never coloured my hair in 50 years. Never needed too, hairdressers always tell me people pay for this colour. Starting highlights now seems like a slippery slope and I'll be colouring my hair forever.

John Frieda Go Blonder range. There's a shampoo and a spray (which is basically a fancy Sun In). - be very careful with the spray, it’s worse than sun in, DD has/had beautiful hair with natural highlights, she’s used this and is a very strawberry blond now, she has red undertones in her hair anyway but I’ve banned her from using it! Please read up on some of the reviews online, I’m not sure what we’re going to do with DDs hair when her roots come through, not sure a hairdresser will want to touch it🙁, I guess if you have a short haircut it will get chopped out quicker, DDs hair is halfway down her back.

The reviews of the JF spray are pretty off-putting. A hot day by the beach and my sun lightens up gorgeously.

*my hair lightens, that should say

This is the modern version of sun in. I find it works pretty well.
www.boots.com/loreal-paris-casting-sunkiss-jelly-03-10177595?cm_mmc=bmm-buk-google-ppc--beauty--DSA%7CL%27Oreal+-+All-_-UK_Brand_Boots+L%27Oreal_Exact&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIwMbWmN6X8QIVRsTVCh0acAXTEAAYASAAEgLOXfD_BwE&gclsrc=aw.ds

Sun in

Honestly op this is what skint teenagers do, it will totally dry your hair out. Use a proper product.

Surely if your hair goes lighter in the sun, it will anyways? Maybe you aren't as blonde as your thought if your roots are clearly darker!

I used 'sun in' as a teenager and also lemon juice. It was super drying and made it orange at times! Maybe to do a few bits at the top, but if you already go lighter in the sun, why bother damaging your hair?

Starting highlights now seems like a slippery slope and I'll be colouring my hair forever.

Lemon juice is an even more slippery slope. What's the problem with colouring your hair regularly? If it's a financial issue colleges or training nights at salons can be very cheap. If it's a time issue there are mobile hairdressers and extended hours at lots of salons. Or you could just accept the natural colour it is. Most people colour their hair if they aren't ready to go grey. I suppose I'm puzzled as to why a very damaging process that can cause breakage, hair loss and a dodgy orange tinge is the preferred option to a few highlights in a salon?

Oh god I did on a 3 week holiday in Mexico in 1994! I had to cut it all off when I got back! ☹️

@Gullible2021

Starting highlights now seems like a slippery slope and I'll be colouring my hair forever.

Lemon juice is an even more slippery slope. What's the problem with colouring your hair regularly? If it's a financial issue colleges or training nights at salons can be very cheap. If it's a time issue there are mobile hairdressers and extended hours at lots of salons. Or you could just accept the natural colour it is. Most people colour their hair if they aren't ready to go grey. I suppose I'm puzzled as to why a very damaging process that can cause breakage, hair loss and a dodgy orange tinge is the preferred option to a few highlights in a salon?

Well, I asked the question because it seemed an easy, natural way to help things along while my newly exposed, darker than usual hair gets a bit of sun. Now I've been told, it's clearly not the "preferred option". I'm really not that bothered. It can stay as it is.

I used the John Frieda lightening spray on my roots and it made my roots an orangey blonde, the rest was professionally done and the contrast was stark. It looked awful and my darker roots left alone definitely looked better

Ok, going against the grain here but I am in my 40s and use lemon juice on the lengths of my hair in the summer. It makes it look naturally balayage but in a really subtle way (I only use it once or twice a year) and my hairdresser and all my friends say my colour is gorgeous! Love that I am so low maintenance!
You may as well give it a try once, what have you got to lose?