Does chamomile lighten your hair, for real?

[smileycat]

I think Katze is on to something. My scalp is pretty oily. I tend to prefer more cleansing shampoos at least every other time I wash in part because the excess sebum makes my hair appear darker. I lose my natural lighter blonde highlights that make my hair color dark blonde and not something else. CO or heavy conditioning after shampoo makes my hair take on a monotone color that I am not crazy about, though CO failed as a washing method for me anyway.

[NouvelleNymphe2]

I have light brown hair with lots of natural highlights and a few sparklies, and I really like the corn/gold color Cassia adds. I also use chamomile powder, rhubarb powder, and carcuma spice that I will mix with my Cassia treatments (along with EVOO and Cinnamon). I think all of this adds a vibrant lighter dimension to my light brown hair. Cassia also improves the condition of my hair. Honestly for me what lightens my hair the most is summer and being outside. My hair goes from light brown with highlights to a darker blonde with a few brown lowlights and lots of light blonde mixed in there. HTH, you have BEAUTIFUL hair btw. It is quite long and looks like it's in excellent condition. I'm going to check out your routine for sure!

[Springlets]

As far as I have read around on these boards, chamomile- as well as other teas- have a slight acidity to them, which would lighten hair slowly. Like with lemon juice, which has a lot more acidity to it, I imagine it would depend on drying your hair in the sun so that the UV rays can bleach the hair with the cuticle opened from the acidity in the lemon juice. This is a damaging process for hair, of course.

This might explain better than I: http://www.healthmango.com/does-lemo...your-hair.html

You might want to try catnip tea instead which is supposed to add light blonde tones. Or try honey treatments which can truly lighten hair without damage.

From old post by Ktani:

I use catip tea - I get my catnip from the health food store - organic - It gives light yellow natural looking tones.
I personally find it more conditioning than chamomile - I have used both German and Roman chamomile and found them drying and I got build up. I used a chamomile rinse for over a year.
A bag of the cut and sifted catnip that would last appox several months based on washing 2x per week is about $2.00CND
I use it to cover grey but for you just steep 1 level tsp in over 250 ml boiled water, covered for 30 min. Deactivate by straining it into a 2nd mug - I just use a tea strainer - I use bone china mugs from the dollor store and cover till cooled down.
It will keep in the fridge 7 - 10 days - I strain it into an old washed out shampoo bottle.
Then pour through you hair after shampooing and cover with plastic or shower cap for 10 to 30 min. and rinse out. You can condition afterwards if you want - I do not.
Beautiful light blonde tones.

Honey thread link: http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...light=peroxide


HTH

[soopahgrover]

Thanks everybody! I missed the recent action in this thread.
I don't think I've ever tried catnip tea. Maybe I should.

[Spanky]

Thought I would share my own experiences in this old thread. Chamomile made my blond hair golden. After two days of spraying it on my hair I could not believe how gold my hair was, it evened out the colour too. I think for lightening you are best off with baking soda.

[ktani]

Thought I would share my own experiences in this old thread. Chamomile made my blond hair golden. After two days of spraying it on my hair I could not believe how gold my hair was, it evened out the colour too. I think for lightening you are best off with baking soda.

Baking soda does not lighten hair that I know of but it can be drying which makes hair appear to be lighter because of the dryness. That is why when hair is moisturized it can appear to be darker but it is not really. It is just no longer dry.

See this thread, http://forums.longhaircommunity.com/...ad.php?t=89497

ETA: Chamomile can leave hair golden. However, there are now 2 reports where it lightened hair colour too - one gradually - and one more than that.

[emilia1992]

Hello there, over a year on!

Over the summer I did try camomile tea (the teabags from a supermarket, made to double strength). I soaked my hair in it and sat out with my back to the sun. On my very dark brown roots, it did nothing, but on the dyed parts, which were brown, the hair became blonder, though this was temporary. Thus I think that it deposits some sort of yellow colouring in the hair (thus it only showed up on the lighter strands), rather than actually lighten hair.