How to Lighten Your Hair With Cinnamon

Reviewed by Jasmin Todd

Last Updated: June 2, 2024 Approved

Lightening your hair with bleach leaves your hair dry, brittle, and damaged. Instead, use cinnamon to naturally lighten your hair. This at-home concoction will leave your hair hydrated and smelling great.

Method 1

Method 1 of 3:

Getting Prepared

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1
Assemble your ingredients. Check your kitchen cupboards before going out and buying things. You may already have everything you need for this at-home hair lightener.
- Cinnamon. Buy sticks or ground cinnamon. Be sure to buy a lot because you will need multiple tablespoons per use.
- Honey. Raw honey works the best. If you can’t get raw honey, use pure honey.
- Conditioner. Any moisturizing conditioner will work. It will help your hair take in the chemicals.
- Lemon juice. If preferred, buy a lemon and juice it at home for the mixture.
- Shower cap. If you don’t want to buy a shower cap, you can use plastic wrap or a plastic grocery bag but be careful with this around your face.
2
Create the mixture. Put the ingredients together in a bowl and mix well.
- 1 cup honey
- 1 cup deep conditioner
- 1 tsp. lemon juice
- 2 tbsp. cinnamon
- Leave it for at least half an hour. Honey contains hydrogen peroxide. When the cinnamon is mixed in, it activates the hydrogen peroxide. By letting the mixture sit, the hydrogen peroxide will develop and this is what will lighten your hair. ^{[1]
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3
Brush your hair. While you wait for the mixture to develop, comb your hair very well.
- Ensure all of the tangles are out of your hair. This way the mixture can take evenly to every strand.
- You can use this mixture with clean or dirty hair.
4
Know what results you’re aiming for. Lightening your hair with this cinnamon mixture is different than using straight hydrogen peroxide.
- Blondes: strawberry blond, some brown highlights
- Black: lighter brown, red tints (after several times)
- Red: red highlights, brown tints
- Light brown: lighter shades and red tints
- Dark brown: light brown and red

Method 2

Method 2 of 3:

Applying Cinnamon Mixture

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1
Dampen your hair. You’ll need your hair to be wet, but not soaked, for this process.
- Use a spray bottle. If you don’t want to step into the shower, use a small spray bottle to dampen your hair.
- Wet your brush. Run the wet brush through your hair. This will help the mixture grab onto each strand.
2
Test the mixture. Before you apply the mixture to your hair, be sure to test some of it on your hand. If your skin has a reaction, don’t apply the mixture.
- There is such a thing as a cinnamon allergy. Rub some of the cinnamon paste onto the back of your hand and let it sit for 5-10 minutes to make sure you don’t react.
- Cinnamon creates a warm tingle but shouldn’t burn; if you have a sensitive scalp, this treatment is not recommended.
- If it does burn, rinse immediately!
3
Apply the mixture. This will be messy! Have a friend help you if you can. As an alternative, use an applicator brush instead of your hands, which will cut down on the mess.
- Rub the mixture all over your hands.
- Apply thoroughly from root to tip. Be sure to use generous amounts of the mixture throughout your hair.
- If the mixture is too thick, add ¼ cup of water to it.
- If you have thick hair, split it into sections before you apply the mixture. Use hair clips to hold your hair out of the way until you're ready to apply the mixture to it.
- Be careful to keep the mixture off your neck, as it may irritate the skin there.
4
Let it sit. Give the mixture time to lighten your hair while you sit back and relax.
- Put your hair in a bun and cover it. You can use a shower cap to easily cover your hair.
- Leave the mixture in your hair for at least 2-4 hours. If possible, leave it overnight.
- Put a towel over your pillow. Even if you have a shower cap on, the mixture could make a big mess if you move in your sleep. Put a towel over your pillow to protect it.
5
Clean your hair. Be patient. Even though the honey is sticky, it’s the cinnamon that will give you the most difficulty when you’re cleaning the mixture from your hair.
- Rinse your hair. Before trying to wash your hair, do your best to rinse the mixture out of it.
- Shampoo your hair. Once you’ve rinsed all that you can out of your hair, shampoo thoroughly.
- You may need to shampoo twice to get all of the cinnamon out.
6
Repeat as necessary. Unlike bleach, this mixture won’t create a drastic change. Since the mixture is good for your hair, you can repeat it as many times as you’d like without damage. Do this until you get your desired shade.
- Lightening your hair with cinnamon is a gradual process. It will only subtly change the color of your hair with each use.
- It may take three to four applications before your hair becomes noticeably lighter.

Method 3

Method 3 of 3:

Changing It Up

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1
Try olive oil instead of conditioner. If you’re looking to use a completely natural mixture, olive oil can replace the conditioner.
- Olive oil is a great moisturizer, but don’t use it if your hair is naturally greasy. The olive oil will be tougher to rinse out than conditioner.
- This natural conditioner is great for curly hair. If you have dry curls, the olive oil will soak right into your hair and moisturize them.^{[2]
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2
Use cardamom. Cardamom is a spice that is a peroxide booster. Therefore, it has similar lightening powers to cinnamon.
- This spice can be used in place of cinnamon for similar results.
- Try this if you have an allergic reaction to the cinnamon.
3
Add vitamin C. This is an easy way to add nutrients to your mixture. Vitamin C is one of the most effective nutrients to help grow and strengthen hair. ^{[3]
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- Crush up a couple vitamin C tablets and add them to the mixture.
- The vitamin C will help lighten your hair and keep it healthy.^{[4]
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Expert Q&A

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Question

What does cinnamon do for your hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Cinnamon can lighten your hair and add warmth to the tone. It can also stimulate the scalp, encouraging hair growth.

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Question

How long does it take to lighten your hair with honey?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

This depends on how dark your hair is, if it's coarse or fine, and how light you are trying to go. Most people will notice 1-2 levels of lift after 4-6 applications.

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Question

Can honey really lighten your hair?

Laura Martin
Licensed Cosmetologist
Laura Martin is a Licensed Cosmetologist based in Milledgeville, Georgia. She has been working as a hair stylist since 2007, and began a career as a cosmetology teacher in 2013. She worked as a teacher at Arrojo Cosmetology School, teaching cosmetology practices, hairstyling, and hair color application. She also brought her cosmetology expertise to her work as a staff writer for fashion blog Style Noted, writing pieces related to hair and fashion. She received an MFA in Creative Writing from Georgia College & State University, where she was also an English Teaching Fellow. Additionally, she received a BA in Creative Writing and Literature from New York University.

Laura Martin

Licensed Cosmetologist

Expert Answer

Yes, but it needs to be raw organic honey. If the honey has been pasteurized, it may not work.

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Tips

It helps if you section your hair into 3 parts and go over all your hair twice to make sure you didn't leave any hair out.

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For added lightening benefits, wash your hair with a chamomile shampoo or a chamomile tea bag.

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Have a friend help you with the back of your head. It will be easier for them to ensure that each part of your hair is covered.

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Know that the results depends on your natural hair color. Mine is brunette, and it's now lightest caramel brown. If you have already bleached or blond hair, it'll turn strawberry blond or ginger.

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Warnings

If you are a blonde, it is likely that you’ll get a red tint in your hair from this mixture.

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If the cinnamon mixture burns, rinse immediately! This is a common skin allergy.

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