sun bleached hair

[redneckprincess]

:confused: how long do you think it would take to lighten my hair with only sunlight?...I dont want to put any colors chemicals, lightners or honey just sunlight...

I sit outside all day long and dont see my hair getting much lighter...my son can go outside for an hour and his hair gets so white people really accuse me of bleaching it....maybe too because it gets so dark in the winter

[Euphony]

It all depends on the person's hair. My hair tends to get lighter each summer, it's not a noticeable difference until my hair is longer. When I put the ends of my hair next to my roots it looks like a bleach job gone bad. My hair is milk chocolate brown at the roots that gradually goes into a golden, medium blond at the tips at bsl. I've never grown my hair past bsl without henna so I have no idea how bleached the ends would be at the length I have now.

Some people also end up with their hair bleached in the summer from the sun and then it darkens in the winter - my sun bleaching builds and never gets darker once it's bleached.

A lot of people's hair never bleaches from the sun.

So my answer is (uselessly) it all depends.

[Fractalsofhair]

Just to warn you, sunbleaching is very damaging from what I know! Your hair also will not get as light as your tips, because you have naturally darker hair(Than your ends at least!) and are taking care of it.

[redneckprincess]

i really just wanting to lighten it only a shade or 2, not a real noticible diffrence..and it will be more natural that way

[wintersun99]

.............

[florenonite]

From what I've heard, finer hair bleaches more than coarser hair. I see you've typed yourself as an M, so that might be why you haven't seen a difference yet. My hair bleaches significantly over the course of the summer (it drives me mad; I look silly with blonde hair), but it's quite fine. I suspect this might be because fine hair is more susceptible to damage than coarser hair, generally-speaking.

Wet hair also bleaches more easily than dry hair, which is perhaps why my hair bleaches so much, as I swim a lot in the summer. It depends upon how much your hair can hold up to and how long you want to grow, though. I've gotten hair that's got wet and bleached close to waist without really doing anything special to it (other than treating it gently) and it looks reasonably healthy to me. If you do want to bleach it slightly, then try it with damp hair, but in short spurts, and condition it afterwards.

[LisaB234]

I have the same observation as Florenonite. . . My hair is fine or fine/medium and does bleach over the course of a summer. My husbands hair is course and the sun doesn't touch his color. Also, the lightening for me is more apparent on the ends than near the top. AND I live in a very sunny climate and at high altitude.

A random fact, my arm hair also fades to white in the summer despite sunscreen -it's also very fine and light brown in the winter but white in the summer - I wonder if arm hair behavior is a predictor of head hair sun reaction? My head hair sun fade is much more subtle than my arm hair. . .

[Heidi_234]

Diluted lemon juice can be used to speed up the sun bleaching process. You'd want to protect the processed length and lighten the virgin part though. And no, it is not the lemon juice that is damaging for hair, but the exposure to direct sunlight.

[Roseate]

I guess I mess up the fine/coarse bleaching correlation- my hair lightens noticeably in the sun, but it's quite coarse.

If you look at my "pre LHC" album, you can see how light the tips of my long hair were- that was all virgin hair. If I part my hair on the opposite side from normal, people ask me if I've dyed it, because the part that's not usually in the sun is so much darker.

It's definitely a slow process, though. Weeks or months; I've never exactly kept track.

[KiwiLiz]

I think it depends on your hair -especially what colour it is to start with. My hair doesn't hold chemical dye, and then the sun bleaches my natural colour quickly.

I think it will also depend where in the world you are, the sun is very strong in New Zealand and Australia, much stronger than other parts of the world. I don't think my hair would loose it's colour nearly as fast if I was in another part of the world.

[Elainehali]

You said you don't want to try honey, but really it's not as bad as it sounds.

It's not that sticky because it's diluted.

:sun:If you go with the sun, wear sunscreen.:sun:

[free_hug]

Hey hey hey princess, careful!

First, it's true that the Michigan sun might not be strong enough. And second, you should rather be happy about that! Unless your hair fades very easily, the sun probably does a lot more damage than lightening. A bit of sunshine could do some good to your skin for your body's ability for processind or absorbing vitamin D (umm, sorry for my confusing English in cases like this) but certainly not to your hair. It's definitely won't worth it, so why don't you try some honey lightening intead? Might be a lot healthier plus easier way of lightening up a shade or 2...

[redneckprincess]

thank you for all your information...and yes Michigan sun is the same sun your getting anywhere else and it does bleach hair..thank you very much

[jivete]

I found sun bleaching to be very damaging. I was actually a blond growing up, but I think it had to do more with living in San Diego and being a horse girl than actually being blond. It was really hard on my hair.

And please don't be offended by the Michigan sun comments. Sun is stronger in different areas.

http://www.epa.gov/sunwise/uvindex.html

:flower:

[Zindell]

and yes Michigan sun is the same sun your getting anywhere else and it does bleach hair..thank you very much

Actually the difference in solar strength is due to the axial tilt of the eart. The sun's rays hit the earth at a higher angle—more perpendicularly— at the equator than anywhere else on the planet. :)

This is one reason for different vegetation growth zones. (hardiness zones)

I live in southern Sweden and the sun still bleach my hair every summer, so Michigan should be ok too. :cheese:

[suicides_eve]

i remember back when i was tanning my hair would bleach out over a course of a few months. I have since gone on to the spray tanning since we are so back-woods it just now come to the salons in the area

[Gothic Lolita]

My sister's hair bleaches in the sun from midbrown to really light blonde hand has M/C hair. My father however has naturally almost black F hair and never gets a lighter shade. My hair bleaches to copperpenny red with orange streaks, but only when I'm outside really long and run around with wet hair.
And yes, the angle of the sun does depend, but you still might get lightening in Michigan. But sun can be drying, although it sounds wonderfully natural.

[Heidi_234]

It's not just drying, I've read how is works, and basically the lightening occures due to UV rays breaking bonds in the hair, from 2 bonds to a single bond (I'm not that good at chemistry, and I don't even have enough vocabulary to explain it better). Bith with the change of color, hair becomes velcro-like.
The bottom line, unless you're aim for extra lengths, actually putting sun block on hair is too much IMO, human hair was subjected to sunlight since the cradle of civilization, and we don't spend as much time outside as our ancestors did :p, so little sun won't hurt, but aiming for sun bleaching is not a good thing for your hair.

[florenonite]

I reckon the Michigan sun should be plenty strong; my hair bleaches in Canada, and I know folk whose hair bleaches in Scotland.

[redneckprincess]

thank you all for the information, I guess I shouldnt be sitting in the sun to purposfully bleach out my hair...I will have to come to terms and start to enjoy my natural color....blah

[neon-dream]

thank you all for the information, I guess I shouldnt be sitting in the sun to purposfully bleach out my hair...I will have to come to terms and start to enjoy my natural color....blah

Or you could try the other methods on LHC, such as honey lightening?
You said you weren't prepared to try them but didn't give reasons, they're probably less damaging than the sun, so why don't you give them a go?
If you're so unhappy with your natural colour, you shouldn't have to put up with it.

[wintersun99]

.............

[Fractalsofhair]

If you're looking for white/platinum hair like you used to have, that's very damaging with the chemical relaxer and flat iron. You'll be able to pick mild highlighting, a relaxer, or a flat iron occasionally in all likelyhood with your hair. Now, if you go to a skilled colorist(Costs $$$$, which is a pain!), and get some very mild gentle highlights(Not a full out bleach job. And not done that often, but for more of a true blonde shade in most people's opinion as opposed to your lovely ash/cendre!), and don't flat iron or relax your hair(once your currently chemically relaxed hair is grown out.), and baby your hair a lot, you may be fine(Esp right now, since your hair is short.). I'd suggest just accepting your natural color and texture, but that's just me. It took me a while to like my natural hair color! But now I love it for being a unique silvery blonde.

[redneckprincess]

I wasnt looking for the blonde I used to have...that will never happen again. I just thought sun lightened highlites would look nice.

[cobblersmaid]

I used to use LUSH marilyn and sit with it on my head for an hour in the sun, and it gave nice highlights. I don't remember any damage.

ETA: Finally GURU! 1000th post!

[Fractalsofhair]

Ah. I'd suggest going to an experienced colorist once a year(This may cost a bit. Be warned...) and asking for a few face framing highlights. Oil heavily after(Ie, enough so your hair looks greasy, and drips drops of oil when touched) and leave it in overnight with a shower cap on(Then wash etc as usual.). If you know a good colorist, ask them to use 10-20 volume peroxide, no higher and only do gentle light small highlights for a natural look. Or honey lightening might work well!

[neon-dream]

I used to use LUSH marilyn and sit with it on my head for an hour in the sun, and it gave nice highlights. I don't remember any damage.


They also do one called 'the blonde!!' now, which is supposed to work wonders.

[Gumball]

I used to use LUSH marilyn and sit with it on my head for an hour in the sun, and it gave nice highlights. I don't remember any damage.

ETA: Finally GURU! 1000th post!

Quick tangent for a sneaky congrats! *sneaks off again*

[jivete]

Redneckprincess, you may like your hair color more when more of it grown out. I can't tell fully from your avatar, but it looks to be a light ash brown or dark ash blonde. Mine in light ash brown and I hated it at first, but now that I have more length in my virgin roots, I'm liking it more. I actually bought Loving Color in light ash brown to match my length to my roots and am looking forward to using it.

[Demetrue]

My hair only bleaches in the sun if I go swimming every day. I used to put some lemon juice and regular hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, shake, spray some on wet hair and comb through and let it dry in the sun, then rinse it out - that lightened it pretty quickly.

[Gothic Lolita]

My hair only bleaches in the sun if I go swimming every day. I used to put some lemon juice and regular hydrogen peroxide in a spray bottle, shake, spray some on wet hair and comb through and let it dry in the sun, then rinse it out - that lightened it pretty quickly.


Do you remember any damage? My sister loves the light blonde, almost whit highlight the sun gives her and she really does look pretty with it. She'll be vacationing in Croatia and Italy, so sun isn't a problem, but maybe it could speed things up a bit and she wouldn't need to be baking in the sun. She's currently aiming for BSL, so I don't want her hair damaged, it's so pretty, especially with the sun highlights!

[dragonfrog]

Redneckprincess, you may like your hair color more when more of it grown out. I can't tell fully from your avatar, but it looks to be a light ash brown or dark ash blonde. Mine in light ash brown and I hated it at first, but now that I have more length in my virgin roots, I'm liking it more. I actually bought Loving Color in light ash brown to match my length to my roots and am looking forward to using it.

I agree with this comment. When I stopped dyeing my hair, the first several inches (3-4") grew in a completely different color than the dye or my natural color. You can see some pictures in my album. I like my natural color so much more than those weird few inches.

[redneckprincess]

I agree with this comment. When I stopped dyeing my hair, the first several inches (3-4") grew in a completely different color than the dye or my natural color. You can see some pictures in my album. I like my natural color so much more than those weird few inches.
Maybe, Im sure that is true I do like it better then what I did a year ago... maybe I'll like it better next year

[rhubarbarin]

It depends on your hair. Mine gets noticeably lighter if it's in direct sun for a couple hours (usually I don't go outside between 10 and 5 and I have my hair covered, though). If I spent the summer outside like some people I know I would be a true blonde.

My hair is M though, with some C strands.

[Darkhorse1]

DON'T Sunbleach it!! it's more damaging than chemicals!

I work outdoors and have for the past 15 years, plus being outdoors for most of my life for showing horses. My hair took a killing from 1995-1999 when I noticed my hair had totally changed color and texture as a result of damage from the sun. It went from dark to this dry auburn red.

Always cover your hair from the sun.

If you want to color it, I am sure the henna experts here can help you with that. There are many natural alternatives to coloring your hair. Or , you could go with a semi-permanent color as I do to cover my gray. it's got no peroxide, so it just covers the hair and will wash out over time.

[blondecat]

Please do not forget to wear suncream.

Any sun enough to bleach hair is way to much for one's skin.

[My hair is totally sunbleached, by the way. I am also in Australia]

[brok3nwings]

i think the ends are the first to get bleached... cause they are older. the roots take longer. At least that is my experience

[rhubarbarin]

My hair is lighter as it goes down because the longer it is the more sun it's seen. But when I first start spending time outdoors in the spring, the hair on the top front of my head and around my face lightens instantly, and gets lighter much faster than anywhere else.

[heatherdazy]

Why would you prefer sun bleaching to just going in and getting a few soft highlights? All lightening has the potential to compromise your hair structure, but pro highlights are at least in a controlled setting!

[Daoine Sidhe]

My hair bleaches easy from the sun, so my hair is lighter towards the end. (see pic in profile) But I find it very damaging for the hair!!

Also, your bleached ends will lighten a lot faster then your virgin part, because they are more damaged. So sun lightening will make the difference in color between those two parts even bigger...


edit: I wanted to add that I always need to trim my hair when my ends became 'too blonde'. I often ask the hairdresser to 'snip off the blonde ends' because those are the really dry parts. So if I were you I would protect the hair from sun damage instead of trying to get it. That's what I started to do now too.

[Dex]

So what do we do if we already got sun bleached?
I don't mind the two-tone effect, just the texture and damage. :rolleyes:

[spidermom]

I never paid attention, but I do get sun-bleaching. Or I did. I wear hats now, trying to keep my hair in the best condition that I can. The sun can be damaging, especially to fine hair.

[Nera]

My hair also bleaches A LOT in the summer, and I have really thick and coarse hair.

[CoalMinersDtr]

it could have a drying effect, but since i was a child i have put lemon juice on my hair before going out in the sun. it def works on my dark blonde hair.

[florenonite]

Why would you prefer sun bleaching to just going in and getting a few soft highlights? All lightening has the potential to compromise your hair structure, but pro highlights are at least in a controlled setting!

I liked it because it was (a) free and (b) looked natural. I don't do it anymore because I actually look better with darker hair; when my skin's tanned my hair and skin aren't the same colour and when my skin's not tanned there's greater contrast, which I like.

I'm actually surprised so many people are reporting excessive damage; I knew that sun bleaching was damaging to a degree, but I've never had a problem with it in the past and until I joined LHC I didn't even use conditioner (:shudder:). Perhaps it was because I generally took good care of my hair, compared to the general population, and am not growing to extreme lengths (only hip): I'm a couple inches short of waist right now and my ends must have been bleached on a couple occasions but don't have terrible damage. Or maybe my hair's just rather resilient towards it, perhaps because it tends to be oily, and hence might be less likely to dry out :shrug:


So what do we do if we already got sun bleached?
I don't mind the two-tone effect, just the texture and damage.

I think the problem with the sun is that it dries out the hair, so maybe try SMTs or cassia for conditioning? And just generally baby your hair.

[Darkhorse1]

Hair at the ends will discolor sooner as it's the older hair and probably lost it's oils, so it's easier to discolor. just think--we use sunblock on our skin to protect it from the sun, you'd want to do the same for your hair.

[mariika]

I've been reading about lemon juice to be known to fasten the sun-bleaching process so I am thinking about trying that tomorrow. I used to have a really nice locks after summer when I was a teenager. not so much time in the sun these days so my hair won't get as bleached as it used to. got a bit nostalgic for that look though.

CoalMinersDtr wrote about using lemon juice all the time, wow, that must've been a difficult time for your hair. or was it?

[Henrietta]

I thought my hair would bleach from dark blonde to red-ish colour in the sun. But no. After just a few days of sunny weather at the beginning of the summer I have noticed that, yes, my hair, especially my fringe, changed it's colour. But it's not red. It's grey-ish:( Anyways, it takes a little time to bleach the hair, at least in my case.
And so far I didn't notice any damage. Maybe it will show up in the Autumn. Hope not...

[Joliebaby]

mariika- your avatar hair color is soooo lovely!!!
but I understand what you say about childhood sun bleached blonde! I had that too, TB length thick hair that was lightened by the sun and it was never damaged. I look at my nieces long natural blonde hair with sun highlights and it's so pretty (one is curly, one straight haired).
It will be interesting to see how my natural hair reacts to sun these days, when I have enough natural hair ;)

[julliams]

I remember this product called "sun in" when I was younger. You sprayed it into your hair and then dried it will a hairdrier. Hey Presto - sunny highlights. It could be damaging but I used it when I was about 15 and I really don't remember. I wonder if they still make it...

[julliams]

Ha - a quick google and I found it http://www.sun-in.com/ This one it seems you spray on and sit in the sun and let it do the work.

[chopandchange]

I remember this product called "sun in".... It could be damaging

It's VERY damaging! I used it when I was a teen as well. My sister and I both did. I think the fact that it just came in a spray bottle made us think it was something fun and temporary to do for the summer....

...It's permanent.

ETA: every hairdresser who's ever discussed sun-in with me has shuddered and said they normally refuse to do any kind of dye job on top of sun-in. You can't dye over it apparently. All you can do is cut it out or wait for it to grow out.

[tinti]

really? Can you lighten your hair with honey? Maybe that's a more hair friendly way to lighten hair?

ETA: eh sorry for of topic post :) Just surprised me.

[julliams]

It's VERY damaging! I used it when I was a teen as well. My sister and I both did. I think the fact that it just came in a spray bottle made us think it was something fun and temporary to do for the summer....

...It's permanent.

ETA: every hairdresser who's ever discussed sun-in with me has shuddered and said they normally refuse to do any kind of dye job on top of sun-in. You can't dye over it apparently. All you can do is cut it out or wait for it to grow out.

Oooh - well I'm not advocating it then! It did,after all bleach my hair which is strawberry blonde and takes forever to bleach (I used to get foils and they had to stay on for ages in order for my colour to lift).

Just a childhood memory. Can't believe it's still around!

[Igor]

i really just wanting to lighten it only a shade or 2, not a real noticible diffrence..and it will be more natural that way

Natural doesn’t mean less damage!

I fell for the very same thing once. The result? I refer you to my starting length in the profile :rolleyes:

Edit: FACEPALM
*throws layer of dust back on year old thread*

[babybabycat]

Hey RP! I remember reading a link here at LHC that Nightshade wrote about putting sun-in on her hair length. She used the sun-in on her henna. I don't think that you want to use chemicals, but maybe you could strand-test/hairball test some sun-in.

BTW..you hair looks great like it is! But, it could be interesting to do the strand-test using some Sun-In.

DUH!! How did I not notice that this is a year old thread, I even read what Igor wrote and I am clueless!!!!
Sorry folks, I had a senior molment and I am not even 45 yet.

[mariika]

"mariika- your avatar hair color is soooo lovely!!!" - Joliebaby, thanks, it doesn't look so good in real life, it's just the lighting

so I tried that today, could sit only one hour in the sun (covered by a white sheet, all but my hair). I even used some lemon juice to fasten the process. can't say I can see the difference but funny side effect - lemon juice made my curls separate so nicely with minimum frizz, so - wow, now I know what to do to enhance my curls!