Gossie Question: DIY lemon treatment

Here’s the answer for gossie Stacey Goldsmith who asked another great question for our panel of experts! Stacey is looking for a treatment to lighten her blonde roots for summer and is thinking about using a lemon juice treatment. She wanted to know how well it works and for any tips!

We took her question to hair care specialist Nigel Russel! Nigel is the founder of hair care range Holistic Hair and has some great advice for Stacey!

What’s the juice on lightening blonde hair naturally? Take advice from someone who has tried it!

When my hair was shoulder length (many moons ago) and I was travelling through Europe I put the lemon juice theory to the test.

I applied lemon juice to my hair religiously everyday before going out under the Mediterranean sun and then swimming in salt water. I even reapplied more during the day.

The best I got after about five weeks was a slight gold almost brassy effect. Lemon juice is not strong enough to make a substantial difference to hair colour. On a blonde it may create a warm tone on the roots but would not lighten them.

My best advice is get it done properly by someone who uses the balayage  technique, which is painting on lighter colours rather than using foil or mesh. This has many advantages as several colours can be used, it’s half the price and is low maintenance because the hair colour will naturally get lighter over time.

However, always remember to use a good leave-in conditioner when you’re out in the sun to protect your investment.

It’s important to invest in several products to look after your colour because any technique that alters the hair’s natural colour will create some potential damage if it’s not maintained.

Buy one Rolls Royce product and then scrounge through your bathroom cupboard to see what you can combine it with.

Rolls Royce products range from $35.00 to $40.00- Kestase Thematique, Oleo Relax, Redken Fresh Curls , Pureology
Mid range products range from $19.00 to $25.00- Matrix smooth, Holistic  Hair Hydrating range, Trilogy
Low end products range from $6.00 to $8.00- Vo5 Hot Oil Treatment, Tresemme Naturals, Pantene Frizz Defence

All these products are fine to alternate with your Rolls Royce product so you do not have to break the bank! No one ever said you couldn’t cheat by mixing them together!

Pro tip: Remember prevention is better than a cure! Protect your hair before and after hair colour as well as environmental exposure!

Would you ever try the lemon juice treatment?
What do you think of balayage colouring?
Have you got a question for one of our experts?

Jo xx