How to Color Your Hair from Black to Blonde at Home

Ever wanted the drastic change of pace with black hair from blonde, but weren't sure how? So you want to dye your brown hair blonde without going to a salon or using bleach? There are ways to dye hair naturally and these are not only much gentler to the hair but are also a greener alternative. Read on!

Steps

1. Mix lemon juice with water in a spray bottle. Fill a plastic spray bottle with water, and add lemon juice (fresh or concentrated). Shake up to mix.
2. Spray the lemon juice on the hair you want dyed blonde.
3. If you're dying all of your hair, spray liberally and run your fingers through your hair to make sure you get full coverage.
4. If you want blonde streaks instead of dying whole areas, separate out the strand, hold the sprinter so that it's a half-inch (about 2 cm) from your hair and spray. Use your fingers to wet the rest of the strand with the juice that's on it.
5. Apply heat or sunlight to your hair to make the color process. You have two options for this step:

• Apply the lemon juice to wet hair, and blow it dry on high heat.

• Or, apply the lemon juice to wet or dry hair, and go outside in the sun for a few hours. If you choose this option, apply sunscreen that's at least SPF 15 to any exposed skin. 

Repeat the above process every 2 or 3 days. You might not see results after the first time, but you'll notice a difference in a week.

Keep your hair healthy. While dying your hair with lemon juice doesn't require you to damage your hair with bleach, lemon juice is an acid, and will dry out your hair. Use a moisturizing shampoo and conditioner, and try not to blow dry, curl, or flat iron your hair more than 2 or 3 times a week.

Apply your blonde all over your head.  If you have long hair or want to turn your full head blonde, I suggest you purchase multiple packages because you would like enough hair dye instead of less. Once it is on, you will probably not need to let it sit for very long, as your hair is already very porous from the bleaching. 10 minutes is usually sufficient. 15 at the max, if you feel like the color isn't lifting enough, for those of you using 40. Once again, heat from your scalp will be magnified, speeding up the coloring process, if you wear a processing cap/shower cap, or cover your head in saran wrap.

Rinse thoroughly until the water runs clear and your scalp feels clean. Then condition, condition, condition. Heck, you could probably use another deep conditioning, but a leave in conditioner in addition to a sickening treatment will suffice if you cannot stand to rinse your hair any more for one day.

Give your hair a rest for a while. That's enough chemical processing to satisfy anyone for one round. Remember these things when caring for your newly blonde locks in the future:

Blonde hair is more sensitive to sun and heat damage. Always spray on a thermal protectant before you blow dry, and again before you flat iron. There are some hair serums and sprays you can apply to dry hair that contain UV protection, so use them!

     

To maintain the health of your hair through chemical processes such as this one, use a deep conditioner at least once a week and a leave in conditioner or silkening treatment; Moroccan oil, Biosilk's Silk Therapy, or Chi's Silk Infusion, after showering. Do a deep conditioning with a quality deep conditioner in addition to the daily conditioner you use following shampoo. Deep conditioners are often found in tubs (not bottles).

     

Don't go in the pool for a few weeks. The chlorine can mess up your color. Be good to your hair and it will be good to you! If you feel like you need more color, consider adding highlights through clip-in or glue in extensions, for a temporary change, or a semi-permanent color or glaze, for less damaging colors that eventually fade, leaving you freedom to play. 

Warnings

Always think carefully before going black as once you dye your hair black, it can be very hard to go back, because black hair dye is the hardest color to remove and trying to go back to blonde can severely damage your hair, even the most professional hairdressers would hesitate and warn you before doing it.

    If you swim or are in the sun often, your hair may fade quicker.

    Platinum blondes hoping to go black may be best off seeing a hairstylist.

    If your hair is already dry, the dye will make it drier. Make sure you condition a lot the next day.

    Hair dye stains. It can stain fabric, wood (tables and counters), and even things like plastic, so avoid letting these things touch and clean up spills or splashes.

   

    The day before you dye your hair makes sure to wash it only with shampoo and no conditioner. If you use conditioner the dye will become slick in your hair and will ooze onto your back, not sink into your hair depending on the brand.

Tips

Don't shampoo your hair 12 hours before and after dyeing it for best color results.

    Try not to flip you hair around as tiny droplets of the color will end up everywhere.

    Medical on your hairline and ears before the brown and before the black makes cleaning off the dye a snap.

    If you can, try to wipe off what gets on your arms, legs, or other body parts up right away. It usually takes two showers to come off.

    Have a warm rag ready to wipe off dye. Have one for your face and one for your items around you. If any dye gets on a household surface, clean it up immediately.

    Wear old clothes you don't mind staining to dye your hair.

    If your hair is usually prone to oil, you won't have to shampoo as much directly afterwards.

    If you feel the color is fading quickly, or your hair is very weak or brittle, use a shampoo/conditioner set made for color-treated hair.

    If your hair is very long, buy an extra box of dye to ensure you have it if you need it.

    Dye that has stained counter tops and walls can be removed with a tough sponge.