How To Lighten Hair With Hydrogen Peroxide?

How Does Hydrogen Peroxide Work On Natural Hair?

Hydrogen Peroxide is a strong oxidizer. You can use it for several purposes such as bleaching, disinfectant, and using it as a cleaning agent. In addition, 2% - 12% Hydrogen peroxide can be used to bleach human hair. When being applied to natural hair, it will react with melanin and keratin in your hair and then strip away the natural color of your hair.

Although it can lighten your dark hair 1-2 shades, it’s not a really effective technique to bleach hair. Many experts no longer recommend using this chemical to bleach hair because of its side effects.

>>> Read more: 4 Underrated Homemade Hair Bleach That You Must Try! <<<

Does Hydrogen Peroxide Damage Your Hair?

Although hydrogen peroxide is usually safe, it might result in some issues mentioned below.

1 - Skin Irritation

Hydrogen peroxide works as a disinfectant on the skin. However, if you apply this chemical regularly, it can cause skin irritation. While using a dye containing hydrogen peroxide, you can notice some irritation around your hairline.

You can avoid this situation by ensuring you have applied petroleum jelly around the hairline and covered it with clean cotton. You should apply the dye-containing hydrogen peroxide for as short a period as possible.

2 - Damage To The Hair Cuticle

The cuticle is responsible for keeping your hair strong and protected. Since hydrogen peroxide has to go through the cuticle to change your hair color, it can make the cuticle vulnerable. If you regularly apply hair dyes containing hydrogen peroxide, you can cause damage to the cuticle.

When the cuticle is damaged, it causes split ends, hair breakage, and frizz. You should always do deep conditioning of your hair before bleaching because it will limit the damage to the cuticle.

3 - Hair Loss

In the cortex, a chemical reaction is caused by hydrogen peroxide for it to provide new hair color. Although reactive dyes provide permanent results, it also causes hair loss. Damage to the hair cuticle also causes an increase in hair loss problems.

How To Lighten Hair With Hydrogen Peroxide Without Damage

1- Using Hydrogen Peroxide with Baking Soda

The combination of hydrogen peroxide and baking soda is usually used to remove stains on yellowed white clothes. However, it can also be used to lighten hair. When hydrogen peroxide reacts with baking soda, it can strip the pigment of your hair and lighten your hair by 1-2 shades. 

You need to know how to lighten hair with hydrogen peroxide and baking soda. Here are the steps:

- Take some baking soda and 2-3 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide in a bowl.

- Wear gloves to make the paste. Mix the ingredients.

- Apply it evenly on the strands of hair you want to lighten.

- You can leave it for 25-45 minutes, depending on how light you want to turn your natural color.

- Rinse it out using cold water.

2- Using Hydrogen Peroxide Alone

Here we will discuss how to lighten hair with hydrogen peroxide alone:

- Apply petroleum jelly around your hairline. Use a cotton cloth to cover the area. Wear gloves to protect your hands while dying.

- Take a small bowl and fill it with water and hydrogen peroxide in equal quantities. Put the mixture containing the chemical in a spray bottle.

- Take a small test by spraying the mixture on some strands of hair. You must check that you don’t get any allergic reaction after application. You will also be able to find out whether you want this color to change or not.

- Once you are ready, put a towel around your neck so that the chemical doesn’t ruin your dress. Put the spray-containing solution on your hair evenly.

- You should leave it for 25 to 45 minutes, depending on how much light you will like the color. Rinse it out using cold water.

Tips To Lighten Hair With Hydrogen Peroxide

As I said before, although you can get a very eye-catching result when using Hydrogen peroxide to lighten natural hair, you have to keep in mind that it can damage your hair and cause irritation too. By following our guide below can help you avoid those side effects.

1- Patch test first: It’s very necessary to do a patch test before lightening your whole hair. You won’t know how it affects your hair until you apply it on your hair. Take a small amount of strands and apply the combination first.

2- Make sure you choose the right concentration: You can easily buy 2%-6% hydrogen peroxide at pharmacies, but you can fasten the process by using stronger concentration up to 12%. Other higher concentrations will absolutely damage your hair.

3- Avoid lightening the root: The best way to protect your hair from hydrogen peroxide damage is keep it away, especially with high concentration.

4- Take the process under control: It’s very important to keep an eye on the clock when peroxide lightening. The higher concentration you use, the less time it will take.

Alternate Products For Hair Lightening

If you have an allergic reaction to hydrogen peroxide or don’t like to turn your hair blonde, you have other options to lighten your hair color. Some of these products which can lighten your hair color are mentioned below.

1 - Lemon Juice

2 - Apple Cider Vinega

Apple cider vinegar can provide you more subtle changes compared to other products. Take 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar and some amount of water, depending on your hair length. Put them into a spray bottle. You have to spray the solution all over your hair evenly. Leave it to dry for 20 minutes. Rinse it thoroughly with normal water.

3 - Chamomile

Chamomile tea can gradually lighten dull blonde hair. Make a strong tea of chamomile. Apply the tea all over your hair evenly. Rinse it thoroughly.

>>> Read more: Tips tricks to get white hair without bleach hair maintenance routine <<<

Conclusion

We hope now you understand how to lighten hair with hydrogen peroxide. You can also use the dyes containing this chemical for the same. However, if you don’t want to damage your hair, you should visit a salon to dye your hair. They will provide you the color change which best suits your complexion.