In the quest to lighten our spirits, we try everything—yoga, meditation, juicing. In an attempt to lighten our brunette hair, well, we leave that to the professionals.
“Home colors simply do not have the science for such a drastic color change, and it will likely go orange or patchy if not in the hands of an expert,” says celebrity colorist Barbara Farnworth. “Even as a professional, there is still an element of the unknown, but we have the necessary products—filler, toners, treatments—to make sure we have access to antidotes if problems occur.”
If you are determined to use at-home dye to go lighter, Farnworth says, “Make sure you do a strand test and follow the kit instructions, and if you like the result after the desired time, then apply it to your hair.”
“For a soft DIY lightening, you can lighten your hair subtly the old fashioned way with lemon juice,” says Farnworth. Simply sit outside in the sun for a couple of hours (with SPF on, of course) and allow the natural bleaching agent to give you understated highlights.
