Why you should never bleach your hair with lemon juice

I think I'm in a slight identity crisis when it comes to my hair color, because after a month and a half of living as a brunette, I'm blonde again. And honestly: I feel more like myself again. It's bizarre how much a hair color can influence that. Suddenly, no outfit suited me anymore and I really felt like a gray mouse. Well, I gave it a chance, but this week I was just comfortably back in the hairdresser's chair at my all-time favorite BRUSH Hair + Make-Up in Amsterdam. In the meantime, I've spent many hours there and owners Bryan and Justin always have the best tips for my hair and also know how to give me the best hairstyles.

They also know by now that I never really know what I want, but I do know that I always end up with a blonde hairstyle. I've actually always had that. I also mentioned that when I was a student and later as a poor student, I didn't really have money for a good hairdresser, I bleached my own hair. I would always put lemon juice in my hair every day on vacation, because that made my hair lighten even more.

Look, I saw that playing hairdresser for yourself wouldn't always end well. But the shocked look on my face because I put lemon juice in my hair, I did not see coming. Aren't lemons just natural products? Can they really be very harmful to your hair?

Well... Yes. Apparently so, I was told. Because even though lemon is a natural product, it's not exactly good for your hair. Bleaching with lemon makes your hair brittle, dull, and very fragile. This is due to the fact that the acid in lemon is way too harsh for your hair. Quite logical actually. It can even cause hair loss or slow down hair growth. Oops. I really didn't know that.

However, there is another home remedy for bleaching your own hair: add some lemon juice (apple cider vinegar apparently also works, but I've never tried that) to your conditioner or use it with coconut oil as a hair mask.