You know the saying, ‘When life give you lemons, make lemonade‘? … Oh, please! When life give you lemons, make lemon juice and give yourself some highlights!
My friend and I used to do this sometimes in the summer, a tip given by my mom ages ago. Get freshly squeezed lemon juice, and put it in the areas you want your hair to be lighter. Lemon juice is a great natural bleach. My friend would use a wide tooth comb to comb in the lemon juice so that it would separate and would create pretty hightlights.
For me, I wanted a lighter color all over so I poured the whole cup of lemon juice on my head. After that, sit out in the sun for a while (20 minutes should be enough) and after you wash and dry your hair, I promise you’ll have a very nice, natural looking color. A great tip for summer or for those who have their natural hair color and want to spice it up abit.
Has anyone tried this beauty tip themselves?
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Wow, I had no idea you could do that! I have 2 questions
Do you apply it to dry or wet hair?
Is it lemon juice (lemons, water and sugar) or is it just the squeezed lemons?
Hey Rosa, so sorry – I should’ve been clearer!
1) Apply it on dry hair.
2) It is squeezed lemon, nothing else. Take a fresh lemon, squeeze all the gunk out, take the juice, and apply it to your hair … sit out in the sun for as long as you want (or as light as you want your hair), and voila! I did this about 3 different times though, cause lemon bleaches very little at a time, but I wanted a real difference so I tried it a few times. It depends on how light you want your hair to be
I hope to hear about your experience if you do try it out!
OMG! This is like the best hair tip ever! =D I am so trying this. Hehe.
Yay
Let me know how it goes!
sounds good!!!!
Lemons are great for hair. I start using a home made mask for about 1 month now. I mix the juice from a fresh sqeezed lemon with 2 spoons of honey and wash my hair. This helps my hair stay non greasy for a longer time than usual and give a good clean to the hair roots. I see that it’s really working because my hair doesn’t become oily in the day day or two like it did before.
OMG! im so glad you told me that tip my hair is alwyas so greasy and i tried everything hopefully it works!!
Tavia, thanks for the great tip! I know lemon is great for oily hair as it really ‘cleans’. Have you ever noticed it lightening your hair as well?
honey + water = amazing for hair. Honey mixed with water (I think it’s 1 part honey with 2 parts water) releases a sort of natural peroxide that delicately lightens the hair. When you combine it with lemon juice, i’m assuming that it’s like a dual-action highlighting mask for hair. It’s definitely something to try. Anyway, great post renee!
Hey Jackie, thanks for sharing that with us! My readers are all so smart
I will have to try out these DIY hair masks, I haven’t heard anything about honey but it really is worth a try. Have you tried it yourself? 
yep, i’ve tried it
Over the course of 5 weeks (using the mask once a week), i’ve noticed that my hair has gotten a lot shinier and lighter. I previously had my stylist put in highlights a few months ago and the honey mask brightened them up. My stylist even marveled at how radiant my hair was. I love it!
here are the directions on how to make it (i don’t bother with the saran wrap or cap, i just slather it all over my hair and when it gets dry, i splash some more water on it):
http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/1220564/lighten_your_hair_with_honey.html?cat=69
Maybe is to early to tell, cause I’ve been using this only 4 times. But I will let you know if I see a change of color, I’m a natural blonde anyway so….I don’t want to wake up one morning with platinum blonde hair
I’m kidding.
It may be too early to tell, yeah, but also because you already have light hair!
May take awhile … if you see it happening you may want to stop for a bit in case you do wake up with platinum blonde, haha! 
I just found this site & I love it all (especially the Jennifer Aniston hair article) . My experience with lemon juice & hair isn’t a good one though. I used to have silky straight hair up until i was about 15- then i decided that i wanted to bleach it. Mum at the time wouldn’t let me buy “Sun-in” for my hair soo i would squeeze lemon juice on it & lay out in the sun. .. my hair went from a nice medium-dark brown to a gross orangey blonde & my hair got sooo soo dry & damaged that it turned my hair frizzy & curley
. My hair dresser could not believe how damaged my hair had got -luckily im 21 now & those ends are long gone …but it did take a VERY long time to repair/ grow out my damaged hair so I would not advise it.
Hey Sarah. Thanks for visiting and hope to see you around more!
I am so sorry to hear about your experience. Did you mix the lemon juice with bleach? My friends and I have been doing this for years and it’s the least damaging thing we’ve done to our hair, it always looks very natural. 
I guess for different hair types it could react differently?
This may sound stupid, but do you have to go outside in the sun for it to work?? xx
Not stupid at all, Lois! I think the sun definitely ‘speeds’ up the process – I know leaving the lemon in your hair for 20 minutes at home will not do as much as sitting out in the sun, since it helps bleach it. I used to do it at home myself but I found the sun would do it much quicker. If you want to avoid the sun, you can apply it at home, but leave it on longer, perhaps 40 mins? And you may have to do this about 3 times before you notice a difference.
Let me know how it goes
is this thing just for the color r the weight of hair too??
Hey! Not sure what you mean by weight, but yup, it’s definitely for the color!
will this work on people with black hair and will it turn brown?
It sure will, Marianne!
You may need to do this a few times, though.
did you know that you can use lemon juice out of the bottle…it doesnt work as well but it still works!!! Try it…and enjoy
Would This Worl on like, VERY dark brown hair? XD
xx
Yes, works on any hair color!
i read that chamomille tea also works especially for dark hair because of color and texture but it says ( i found this info online searching for homemade bleach) tea will lighten dark hair and bring out natural highlights. the tea was recommended for very dark hair. where lemon was suggested for naturally light hair. some people suggest mixing the two and advised sun as well for significant and fast results. they did mention dark hair turns orange with peroxide and lemon, and light hair suffered from dry and brittle results. i would suggest oiling your hair or a deep condition before, or, and after bleaching, or abuse of any sort. good luck hope this helps and please always research before doing ANYTHING!!!
Hi! Ummmm, im 11 and i want highlights for my bday, but my mom said no. Then we heard about this whole lemon juice things and she said i could do this, but idk if it will work cause i have dirty blonde hair and from what i’ve read on other sites it says it BARELY lightens hair. Help?
I just discovered your website, and I love it! I’m already taking notes
The thing is, I have almost black hair, and I read elsewhere that lemon juice does nothing for very dark hair, but that chamomile tea does. What would you recommend?
i have blacki want to dye it red but i used the hair dye and it never worked , does this lemon trick work does it need to be bleached then the dye can cum onn
Cool blog btw! Your entries are enjoyable!
I’ve tried “lemonlighting” (haha that’s how I call it
my hair before, during my school days. As you probably know, many schools here in SG forbid their kids to color their heads. So, being a student and broke, I used lemons & hairdryer to lighten to lighten my black hair. The result was a fantastic shade of brunette on the parts I had applied pure lemon solution on. And my hair smelt good too!
It didn’t look too “unnatural” (from my natural hair color) and my friends said it looked good under the sun.
Cheap and fun! Why not! (:
xoxo
ahah now you really want me to do this too
)
Hey, i was wondering if this is going damage my hair? Because i have colored my hair a lot and it has become quite damaged.
Could you use the blowdryer instead of the sun?
i know im late, but i really want to know this !
I’ve been using this beauty trick each summer for a couple of years now, to get the beachy natural look. I have natural dark brown hair, and it usual gets lighter in the summer, but with the lemon juice it speeds up the process. I usually put it on before I go out to sunbathe.
But since lemon juice is sour, it might change the natural pH-value on your scalp, and that might be the reason why people experience dryness? I think you should take the usual precautions when going out in the sun though, like spraying hair-sunscreen on your hair when you go out in the sun, and using a hair mask regurlarly, especially after intensive sun bathing. AND avoid pools with chlorine!
I will definitely try the trick with honey and lemon this summer! And maybe add some almond oil or lavender oil? Or maybe the camomille tea?
So you can use bottled Lemon Juice?
hey evry1,=~) i have darkish brown hair w natural highlights that depending on the time of year change colr they are usually mostly visible in the sun but not in low light or unnatural light what can i use to keep them the same color but make them more visible? does the lemon bleach the hair or jst bring out my natural highlights i would also like to add some redish honey brown highlights. any advice.+ im 13 and mom wont let me use any more chemicals cuz i already got a relaxer
I’m 75. When I was a teenager I would squeeze 1/2 a lemon in a glass with a little water (my hair was short). Then I’d was my hair as
usual, squeeze the water out and towel dry and then pour the lemon juice and water through my hair. I ran my fingers through my hair and then went outside in the sun and just let my hair air dry. It was summer. It looked so good and so natural.
i want natural – looking high lights with the lemon juice. i have almost black dark brown hair and i wanted to know how i do this process with the lemon juice. like do i pick a strand of hair and spray the lemon juice or is there another way?
Thanks
hey could you use a hair dryer after you put the lemon in ?
I just want to mention/ sooth some of the fears I’ve been reading about applying lemon juice to dark hair. It depends on the shade and color of brown that your hair actually is. For example, I have dark hair with naturally occurring red/auburn highlights and lemon has not turned my hair brassy. Instead it’s brought out the red in my hair in a beautiful way.
Will they highlights fade over time if I don’t like em?
i’m trying this lemon juice thing right now while sitting in the sun.
I can definatley see a difference!
its already sort of lighter and it looks soo natural
Awesome!
Glad it’s working for you x
Hi! I really enjoy reading your blogs Renee!But i have a question, my hair is a medium brown with light-caramel (natural) highlights. Unfourtunatley these highlights can only be seen in the bright sun. so i was wondering, will the lemon juice make my hair brittle and orange or will it slightly bring out my highlights(like i want)?Does this depend on the amount of juice?
Thanks a lemon bunch,
Kia
Hey Kia, yep I think it should work – as long as your hair color is natural and not dyed, i think it should!
Oh and brown hair when bleached, even by lemon, has the tendency to go red/orange so just don’t do it too much! Maybe once or twice should be enough to bring out your highlights
Hi, I’m very interested in trying this, but I’ve got a problem… There’s no sun, its winter. And cold, so i wouldnt really want to just be hanging around out there waiting for a couple precious uv rays. Escpecially considering there’s a lot of snow.
I was wondering if perhaps a blow dryer would have similar effects.? Does it work at all if you use one ? Or will the lemon juice do its thing all by itself?
This actually really does work I tried it and it last 4 like 3 1/2 months or it probably lasted cuz I use nonsolfates conditioners
hey my hair is really really dark. In the summer my hair goes lighter but only at the bottom of my hair. I want my hair to be lighter all over but im a bit scared my hair will turn orange i need to be reassured by a person who has got really dark hair or should i just make some chamomile tea???
Thanks
Tanzila
Yep, I’ve tried it before. My hair was black and it turned a couple shades lighter.
I have a question. Doesn’t lemon juice dry your hair out?
Hi I have brown hair that has blonde and red highlights that you only can see in the sun. I really want to die my hair red but my parents won’t let me I heard that if you do it enough times lemon juice will turn your a reddish color. I just wanted to know if that was true how long or how many times you have to do that
I have strawberry blone hair, would my hair turn blone or…? How many times would I need to do it to make a difference if I have light hair?