Homemade Hair Color Brighteners

My first experience with natural hair color came about when I found a box of red hennaunder the sink at my stepmom’s house. I don’t know if my stepmom had ever used it before - I didn’t ask, I just put it on.  I started coloring my hair young – the first of any of my friends to do so at 15. That’s no big deal now, in fact I helped my daughter put bright crimson streaks in her hair in the 5th grade, but I was 15 back in 1982.  Things were different then.

So, the henna…..it turned me a bright crayon-orange and I loved it. It had this mud smell to it, that I also liked. I used it a few times, wore my hair in a modified flat-top-like thing. Not very feminine, but I believe I was more into shock than awe in ‘82.

If you’d like to try something natural and a lot less mud-smelling than my old friend, Henna, I suggest using a chamomile or citrus rinsefor your blonde to light brown hair.

To use the chamomile, steep a very strong cup of chamomile for 30 minutes. Wash your hair, then towel dry. Lean over the sink, pour the cup of tea over your hair, letting it drain into the sink. Refill the cup and and repeat with the pouring. Do this 12-15 times, then let it sit in your hair, without rinsing, for 40 minutes. Rinse, then style. If you have long hair, make a double batch.

Lemons are easy to usein the Summer time. Squeeze the juice of 3 lemons into a cup of water, strain, then pour into a spray bottle. Mist your hair with the lemon water as you sit in the sun (with sunscreen, of course). The combination of the citrus acids and the sun will brighten your blonde tones.

To be on the safe side, try a strand test before applying either mixture. Cut a small lock from an area of your head where it’s easily hidden, then try your natural color procedure. This way, if it goes wrong, you don’t have to walk around with the mistake on your head.

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