Color your hair naturally (pt. 1)

This may not be everyone's solution - some people want a particular color. However, if you are simply wanting to lighten or darken your original hair color a few notches, believe it or not there are a few easy-to-do and effective strategies.

There are so many different ways to lighten your hair - you can use honey, lemon juice, and even hydrogen peroxide (there are more! I will only talk but a few). I tend to stay away from hydrogen peroxide, simply because it can damage your hair and make it prematurely gray if used too much! If you ever do decide to do this, make sure to get the 3% or less, otherwise you will have severe damaging results.

Lemon juice can make a great lightener for light-heads, it looks very natural when applied. Directions:
* approx. 2 tablespoons lemon juice (depending on your hair length - apply only 1 tablespoon for short hair, 2 for medium length, 3 for long hair. You may need to experiment.)


* 6 tablespoons water
Mix lemon juice and water together. Rub in hair or desired area you want colored. Leave in for at least a few hours before rinsing. Apply to hair as many times needed for several days until you see the desired result. Spend time outside in the sun for faster results. Quoting from www.catalogs.com:

It can be difficult to lighten dark hair with lemon juice, as it tends to leave orange streaks in hair. Instead of lemon juice, try using henna powder, which can be found in some health stores. Henna provides a protective layer over each strand of hair, which will make your hair feel thicker. To highlight your hair, mix henna powder with a light herb, such as chamomile. Mix enough boiling water with the powdered herbs to create a thick paste. Let the mixture cool slightly. Then comb it into your wet hair. Fit a plastic bag over it and let it sit for between thirty minutes and two hours. Leave the dye in longer for darker hair. Then remove the bag and rinse your hair. If you want faster results, let your hair finish drying in the sun. Henna can be powerful, so you may want to test a small section of hair first to verify the results.

Some herbs can be used to naturally lighten blonde hair as well. Chamomile flowers work well to brighten hair and evenly add color to it. To make a chamomile rinse, steep half a cup of the flowers in one quart of boiling water for half an hour. Strain the mixture and let it cool. Wash and towel-dry your hair. Then pour the chamomile mixture over your hair. Catch the solution in a container and pour it over your head once more. Repeat this 10-20 times, depending on how light you want your hair. After the last rinse, leave the solution in your hair for at least fifteen minutes. Then rinse it out completely. 

I should add the henna alone will not dye your hair - you'll need another solution. However, henna is actually shown to improve hair quality and also will "allow dramatic color changes" (quoted from www.blissplan.com).

Here is another good one for you: honey. Directions: Wash hair. Mix a tablespoon of honey to the regular amount of conditioner that you use and put it in a bowl. Let it sit for about 15 minutes. Apply to hair or desired parts you want highlighted. Let it sit in your hair for a few hours before rinsing. You may need to use 5+ times before you see your desired results.

The sun is always a good way to lighten your hair - and also a good booster to any of the techniques you decide to use!

I'll post something for darkening hair naturally soon. Whatever technique you choose to dye or highlight your hair naturally, good luck!