So after years between the buildings, far out of the sun’s reach, ive gone pretty pale and my hair has gone kinda dark. Those really blonde bits you might have seen, well yes, they’re highlights from the hairdresser. I’ve been in Oz 3 weeks now and i’m tanning up nicely, and my Nana pointed out that I could put lemon juice in my hair to lighten it.  Of course. Like i didnt know that already.  But ive never actually tried. Have YOU ever tried? Does it really work, or do you end up with nasty streaky bits and coarse hair for your trouble? Any advice on how to do it?

(And no googleslapping! I want first hand experiences. I have a feeling noone has actually tried since our grandmother’s days!)

• Natalie said on 05/12/27 at 07:08 PM.....

  Used to do this when I was younger.  It is a very slow process.  You must spray your hair everyday and spend hours in the sun.  Makes your hair look greasy and you have to reapply if you get in the water.  But after 3 weeks or so you might notice some difference.  It’s a whole lot easier to buy highlights and do it yourself.

• MissSin said on 05/12/28 at 06:47 PM.....

  i also tried it a while back - all i ended up with was a sticky head.

  
  there are some gels/sprays available that you spray in before you go out, and has the same effect as lemon juice - and you don’t end up with a sticky head.

  
  tried a gel type but didn’t really notice any difference.

  
  i agree - i think highlights are the the way top go - pretty much immediate results & no sticky head!!

• sarah said on 06/01/01 at 09:48 AM.....

  I have tried this too! It worked really well but then I just went straight for the intense experiment and squeezed it straight onto my head! Did the trick nicely and worked in a day!

• haw said on 06/01/16 at 12:13 PM.....

  works great. I’ve done it all my life, given the right opportunity.  Just take fresh lemon(s) with you on any sunny recreational outing, whenever you won’t mind the stringy look for a few hours. Perhaps after a swim, with a book and drink in hand, squeeze that lemon directly on your hair, seeds and all, don’t comb! Last time I used a bandana around my head at the hairline, partly for the look, and partly to protect my face from extra sun. Later give your hair some extra conditioning.  Works wonders, and you’ll get a natural streak.  Enjoy that sun for those of us stuck here (with would-be blond hair) in cloudy cold Tokyo!

• jojo said on 07/08/22 at 01:39 PM.....

  um i never tried it, but it worked great!

• Dawn (Windber) said on 08/04/03 at 04:30 AM.....

  My daughter has been doing lemon in her hair /tanning salon it looks great! very shinny highlights. she is using lemon juice from a bottle & putting it in her hair & 11 minutes in the tanning bed.

• Lili said on 08/06/29 at 05:15 AM.....

  I’ve been using lemon juice on my hair for a while now, and getting pretty good results. All you have to do is take a bottle of lemon juice (not the extra sugary kind, just plain old lemon juice) and pour a little at a time into you hand, and apply to your hair in small(ish) streaks, or wherever you want it. Sit out in the sun for a while if you want to to speed up the process, but I just sit around and do whatever I need to do inside my house, and I’ve been getting results pretty fast.

• hinduja said on 08/07/10 at 02:40 PM.....

  Yes exactly you are right. I have also tried many times this juices with my hair, Adding to it i also mix the white of the egg to give lively look to the hair and it does work for me. Naturally lemon is good supporter for the hair.

• elise said on 08/08/06 at 03:48 PM.....

  I’m trying it right now. Got lemon in my hair. Did it yesterday for a tester, ended up with a blonde streak in my otherwise purple hair =] looks great. It goes orange before it goes blonde though :S but give it a go !! =]

• sonia (uk) said on 09/08/20 at 02:20 PM.....

  Definately worth trying. I’ve done it a couple of times with fresh lemon though (not the squeezy stuff) and it works good.

• Promotional Bottles (Seattle) said on 09/09/18 at 01:11 AM.....

  When I was in High School I tried just about everything.  Lemon Juice and a hair dryer didn’t do the trick for me.  I had slightly better results with Lemon and sunshine but not much. 

  Good ole Peroxide for me.

• cufflink (UK) said on 09/09/18 at 08:22 AM.....

  After reading your article, I tried but I’m not satisfied with the result of lemon juice in my hair.

• j-ster (adelaide) said on 09/09/18 at 10:35 AM.....

  Oh well, at least there is no danger of overdoing it with the lemon juice. Im sorry you arent satisfied. Why not try again? It might take a few goes to get a good colour.

• steam showers said on 09/10/14 at 12:07 PM.....

  I have tried using Lemon Juice in the hot sunny days fo summer to try to get my hair to go lighter.

  My expereince as i remember was not good.

  For a start the lemon ran down my face as i sweated stinging my eyes and face.
  By the end of the day i washed my hair expecting to find it looking a lovely shade of blonde however i found that it had actually turned my hair a horried shade of yellow and orange alongside making my hair very dry.