How to Lighten Highlights That Are Too Dark

Co-authored by April Ferri and Hannah Madden

Last Updated: February 18, 2021 References

Highlights create depth in your hair and can brighten up your style to add a pop of color to your overall look. However, if you’ve gotten highlights and they are too dark, you may not be happy with how they look with your features or skin tone. You can try a few different ways of lightening up your highlights at home to avoid going back to the salon for a color correction.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Washing Your Hair

1
Shampoo your hair with a clarifying shampoo as soon as you get home. If it’s a toner that has made your highlights too dark, you may be able to remove some of it by giving your hair a quick wash. Use the shampoo you normally use and don’t be afraid to scrub at your hair.^{[1]
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- Sometimes, the toner your stylist used might be a little darker than you'd like. Using a clarifying shampoo will pull some of that out, which might help your highlights look lighter.^{[2]
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  Expert Source
  
  April Ferri
  Professional Hair Stylist
  Expert Interview. 8 December 2020.}
Tip: Washing your hair works best if you do it right away, so try to hop in the shower within 1 hour of your hair appointment.
2
Use dish soap as a shampoo for extra color-stripping power. Although dish soap is super drying, it’s also much harsher than shampoo. Use 2 to 3 drops in your hair to remove some of the dark color and fade your highlights a little bit.^{[3]
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- Since the dish soap will dry out your hair, put on conditioner afterwards and let it sit for 5 to 10 minutes.
- You can also add 2 to 3 drops of lemon juice to the dish soap if you want more color-stripping power.
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3
Try a purple shampoo if your highlights are brassy. If you were going for cool blonde highlights but you ended up with more orange or yellow ones, you can try toning them to make them whiter. Lather a purple shampoo into your hair and follow the instructions on the bottle to see how long you should let it sit before rinsing it out.^{[4]
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- You can find purple shampoo at most drug stores.
- Try not to use purple shampoo more than once a week, or it could stain your hair purple or blue.

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Applying Lemon Juice

1
Mix 1 US tbsp (15 mL) of lemon juice with 3 US tbsp (44 mL) of conditioner. You can squeeze a fresh lemon or buy lemon juice from the store. Mix your ingredients together in a plastic bowl that you can take into the bathroom with you.^{[5]
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- The conditioner will put some moisture back into your hair that the lemon juice may strip out.
- You can also use coconut oil instead of conditioner.
2
Get your hair wet in the sink or shower. Use warm water to fully dilute your hair. If you want, you can wash your hair with shampoo as well.^{[6]
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- Washing your hair beforehand can strip your hair of its natural oils. If your hair is particularly dry, don’t use shampoo before applying lemon juice.
3
Apply the lemon juice mixture from the ends of your hair to the roots. Pick up large globs of the lemon juice and conditioner and run them over your hair, starting at the ends. Pay special attention to the highlighted areas of your hair to lighten them up.^{[7]
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- Your roots will lighten faster than your ends because your scalp is warm.
4
Rinse out your hair with cold water after 10 minutes. You may be able to see your hair lighten up slightly as you watch the lemon juice process. When you rinse, make sure you get all of the lemon juice mixture out of your hair so it stops lightening.^{[8]
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Tip: If it’s sunny out, sit outside to make the lemon juice lighten your hair more.
5
Use the lemon juice mix once a day for about 2 weeks. Since lemon juice is pretty mild, it probably won’t lighten up your highlights a ton the first time you use it. Keep applying the mixture to your hair for a couple of weeks or until you lighten your highlights to the color you want.^{[9]
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- Try not to use the lemon juice for longer than 2 weeks, or you could start to really dry out your hair.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Using a Color Remover

1
Purchase a color remover from the beauty supply store. Make sure you find a professional-grade color remover from a beauty supply store so you don’t dry out your hair. Look for one that can lift permanent hair dye for the best results.^{[10]
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- Many color remover kits come with gloves and a dye brush so you don’t have to buy them separately.
2
Mix together the components of the color remover kit. Most color removers come with a powder and a developer. Follow the instructions on the box and mix them together in a plastic bowl.^{[11]
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Try the remover on 1 strand of hair to see how it turns out. Use a hair dye brush to apply the color remover to a 0.5 in (1.3 cm) vertical section of your hair. Leave it on for 15 minutes and then wash it out with cool water. Let the strand dry to see how the color remover worked on your hair.^{[12]
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Tip: If the remover didn’t lift your hair color at all, you may need a bleach bath. If it turned your hair orange or brassy, a color remover won’t work on your hair because it’s been dyed with permanent dye.
4
Brush the remover onto your dry hair with a hair dye brush. Use an applicator brush to apply the color remover to the highlighted sections of your hair. Try to avoid putting it on any areas of your hair that aren’t highlighted so you don’t damage your hair unnecessarily.^{[13]
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- If you have highlights on top of your natural hair color, a color remover won’t remove your natural color.
5
Rinse the remover out after 20 minutes with cool water. Run your hair under the sink or in the shower. Make sure you rinse out all of the remover to avoid damaging your hair.^{[14]
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- Using cool water will close up your hair cuticles and make your hair feel less dry or damaged.
6
Apply conditioner to your hair to bring back moisture. While your hair is wet, apply some conditioner to the parts of your hair that you used color remover on. Let it sit for about 5 minutes, then rinse it out.^{[15]
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- Color remover can dry out your hair, so it’s important to add moisture back in with conditioner.

Expert Q&A
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Question

How do you make highlights blonder?

April Ferri
Professional Hair Stylist
April Ferri is a Professional Hair Stylist and the Co-Owner of Widows Peak Salon, a hair salon based in Los Angeles, California. With over ten years of experience, April specializes in hair coloring and enhancing and transforming natural tones into vibrant shades for beautiful and low maintenance hair. Her work has been featured in Voyage LA Magazine, and she has worked as a stylist for LA Fashion Week.

April Ferri

Professional Hair Stylist

Expert Answer

Support wikiHow by unlocking this expert answer.

Usually if your highlights are weren't lifted enough, you have to go back and lighten them again. However, if your hair was just toned too dark, a clarifying wash could pull some of the toner.