Hydrogen peroxide is a colorless liquid chemic. Some small amounts occur naturally, only the hydrogen peroxide you notice in stores or salons is synthesized in labs.

Hydrogen peroxide* is sold in drugstores and grocery stores at a low concentration, usually at 3 to 9 per centum. It can be used as a disinfectant and as bleach, including as a hair lightener. Because of this, hydrogen peroxide is an ingredient in many blonde hair dyes.

While it's more often than not prophylactic to use hydrogen peroxide* on your skin and pilus, it tin can cause skin, lung, and eye irritation.

Hydrogen peroxide to lighten hair

Hydrogen peroxide is commonly used to lighten hair. It may be used on its own or in other blonde dyes.

Hair dye with hydrogen peroxide is considered permanent dye, which means that information technology will but go away equally new hair grows. This is because hydrogen peroxide works in the hair cortex, the innermost office of the hair that holds the pigment that gives hair its color.

Hydrogen-peroxide-based dyes solitary can help accept your hair to a light blonde color. These dyes are also often used to turn night hair a lighter colour earlier adding another color of dye. It can turn dark chocolate-brown hair red, for example.

Hydrogen peroxide and hair damage

Hydrogen peroxide is more often than not safe for your pilus, simply it can crusade some problems, fifty-fifty in the concentrations yous can buy for home use.

Skin irritation

Although you tin can apply hydrogen peroxide on your skin as a disinfectant, it can irritate your peel if you use too much.

When dyeing your hair with hydrogen peroxide, y'all might experience irritation on your scalp and around your hairline.

You lot tin can help prevent irritation past making sure your hairline is protected by petroleum jelly and clean cotton, and keeping the hydrogen peroxide in your hair for as little time equally possible.

Damage to the hair cuticle

The cuticle is the outer layer of your hair. It protects and helps strengthen it.

Lightening your pilus with hydrogen peroxide* can damage the cuticle, considering the hydrogen peroxide needs to enter through your hair cuticle to dye the hair. Cuticle damage tin can lead to breakage, split ends, and frizz.

Deep conditioner treatments will help reduce damage to the pilus cuticle.

Hair loss

Hydrogen peroxide is a blazon of oxidative hair dye. This ways it causes a chemic reaction in the pilus cortex that leads to the new hair color.

While oxidative dyes are more permanent than other dyes, this also means they cause oxidative stress for your hair. This stress ages your pilus and tin cause hair loss.

Breakage from damage to the hair cuticle can also lead to hair loss.

How to lighten hair with hydrogen peroxide

The safest way to lighten your hair is at a salon. However, you can safely apply hydrogen peroxide* to lighten your hair at habitation — y'all but demand to exist careful.

Make certain you dilute the hydrogen peroxide*, protect the skin around your hairline, and go slowly to get the right colour without irritating your peel.

Dyes containing hydrogen peroxide

Many permanent dyes you tin buy in a drugstore include hydrogen peroxide. These dyes utilise hydrogen peroxide* to strip your natural pilus color and make the dye last longer.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda

Baking soda is an alkaline, which helps hydrogen peroxide* work improve in two ways.

Get-go, information technology opens up the cuticle to permit the hydrogen peroxide* to get into the hair cortex more hands. 2nd, when mixed with hydrogen peroxide, it helps break down the melanin in pilus.

To lighten your hair with hydrogen peroxide* and baking soda, mix the two ingredients into a paste, and spread it evenly throughout your hair. Exit it on for fifteen minutes to an hr, depending on how nighttime your hair is, and so rinse it out with common cold water.

Hydrogen peroxide alone

The commencement pace to dyeing your hair with hydrogen peroxide* is to protect your skin. Cover your hairline with petroleum jelly and a cotton fiber strip (if you have one), and wear gloves. Then you're ready to dye.

Make a mix of half hydrogen peroxide* and half h2o. Put it in a spray bottle and spray a small test piece commencement. This is to make certain that you lot don't have an allergic reaction and you lot're happy with the resulting color.

Once yous're satisfied with the colour, encompass your cervix and shoulders with a clean towel y'all don't mind staining. And so saturate your hair with the hydrogen peroxide solution and leave it on for 15 minutes to an hour. Rinse your hair well.

At a salon

A trained hairstylist and colorist can apply hydrogen peroxide* in a salon to lighten your hair. They'll make sure to match the final color to your pare tone and can add highlights if necessary.

Culling hair-lightening products

If you lot're worried about the safety of hydrogen peroxide or don't want to make your pilus likewise blonde, there are other means to lighten your hair. These include:

Lemon juice

Lemon juice works best on dark blonde or calorie-free brownish pilus.

Combine lemon juice with water and saturate your hair with the mixture. Permit your hair dry for a few hours — preferably in the dominicus — and then rinse information technology out.

Apple cider vinegar

Mix one part apple cider vinegar with six parts water and spray information technology all over your hair. Exit the mixture on for 15 to 20 minutes, and then rinse thoroughly. This color change might exist more subtle than some of the others.

Chamomile

Brew a potent cup of chamomile tea and saturate your pilus. This lightens your hair gradually, but should work for most hair colors. Chamomile tin also burnish dull blonde hair.

Cinnamon

Cinnamon is a great way to bring out cherry and blonde highlights in your hair. Just mix cinnamon powder with h2o to form a paste, and it spread throughout your hair. Cover your hair, leave the paste on for several hours, and then rinse.

Beloved

Mix honey with warm water and spread information technology throughout your hair. Wrap upwards your hair and go out the mixture on for several hours. Yous can even leave the honey on as long every bit overnight, since it only lightens your pilus slightly. Then rinse it out.

The takeaway

Hydrogen peroxide* and dyes containing it are a safe way to lighten your hair. However, it'due south all-time used in a salon to minimize pilus damage and ensure you get the right color.

FAQ

Leave the hydrogen peroxide in your pilus for about thirty minutes. Depending on how nighttime your pilus is, how low-cal you want it, and how much irritation the chemic may cause, yous'll want to experiment and play effectually with it.

On one hand, hydrogen peroxide is a lot improve than some other chemicals when it comes to your hair. … It is a permanent way to lighten your hair that is less harsh than bleach. However, peroxide isn't good for your hair. No chemicals are skilful for your hair.

Hydrogen peroxide suppresses hair growth through down regulation of beta catenin.