the lighten up project

I have no problem admitting that I color my hair. Yes, I dish out an outrageous amount of money so that I can have roots every six weeks or so. I am neither ashamed nor proud of this. Actually, my mother generously dishes out the money. She participates in the whole foiled head and girl talk ritual. It all started with a few highlights for my sixteenth birthday. You and I both know that it never ends at just a few highlights. I have been quite blonde, caramel blonde, and burgundy..
The burgundy was a very regrettable mistake made by my hairdresser. She fixed it. Sort of. I was a red head for some time after that. On the plus side, it made my green eyes pop!

                                         Enjoy this unfortunate picture from my ginger days.

This is not my first rodeo with naturally lightening my hair, but, I and my mother, have set out to find a more natural and less expensive way to add a little life to our hair. I asked the google about the various ways to accomplish the task, and I have narrowed the info down to the five best (and my five favorite) ways to lighten hair naturally. 

• Lemon Juice. This works best if you have time to sit in the sun and let it work it's magic. Lemon juice alone will dry your hair out, so dilute with an equal part of water or olive oil. Olive oil is best because it also has lightening properties.

• Honey. A form of Hydrogen Peroxide forms in honey. Add 1 tablespoon of honey to one cup of water and let sit for half an hour. Coat your hair with the mixture and leave it in for at least twenty minutes. The longer the better.

• Salt. This works amazingly. Mix salt with water (the ratio is up to you) and let sit in your hair for at least ten minutes. If you live on the East Coast, an even easier way to do this is to soak your hair with the abundance of saltwater at the beach and then sit back and relax.

• Chamomile Tea. Make yourself a cup of Chamomile Tea, rinse your hair in it and let dry. The rinse and repeat method works best for this.

• Cinnamon. Mix Cinnamon with water and apply to your hair. Let sit for an hour. It will lighten your hair and give it a slightly caramel color. the ratio on this is up to you as well.

This is my favorite part. You can mix methods to up the lightening and get it done faster.

• Mix lemon juice and chamomile tea. Use as a rinse or put the mixture in a spray bottle and mist your hair every little bit while you're at the beach.

• Lemon juice and salt it a great combo. Add a little Olive oil to the mixture so your hair doesn't dry out.

• Honey, Lemon juice, Cinnamon, and/or Chamomile tea or Olive oil. This is the mother of all mixtures. Remember though, the cinnamon will give you a slightly caramel color.

I will be using every single one of these methods from now till I leave on the Hawaii trip. I have dubbed this The Lighten Up Project. Obviously, none of these methods are going to give you dramatic results the first time around. Naturally lightening your hair is a process. Be patient.

Also, today is Random Wednesday on Shanna's blog. This is one of my favorite days of the week!

  Join the fun - link up on Shanna's blog and grab the button. It's a wonderful way to make new blogger friends! Have a wonderful Wednesday.