DIY All natural Balayage Hair Highlights (step by step)

When I explain to people how I lighten my hair at home, it’s often followed by a slightly tilted head, a subtle dropped jaw and a silent pause.

I guess the fact that I maintain my balayage hairdo with baking soda and hydrogen peroxide has to sink in a little for some people.

Therefore, exclusively on my blog, their silent questions answered:

– Does it work?

Well, yes! After one application, my hair is visibly lighter. It went from a medium brown to a convincing blonde, and even a white blonde if I wanted to.

– Isn’t peroxide the same harsh chemical stuff that damages your hair?

No! The 3% hydrogen peroxide that you buy at the drugstore isn’t.

– Isn’t this all just a little bit too much of a fuzz?

It’s really just 2 simple ingredients that I pick up when I go grocery shopping. The method is pretty much the same as you would go about with store bought hair dye. And you spent less time trying to fix your hair afterwards.

To sum up, a list of all very good reasons to DIY your balayage at home:

• it’s less damaging for your hair
• it’s very, very cheap
• you get a more natural (read: less streaky) effect
• it lightens like crazy

Test it first! Try it on a section of hair that you can’t really see when your hair is down or in a ponytail. Rinse the mixture out after 20 minutes and look at the result.

So, let’s get started! This is what I do:

Mix equal parts of Hydrogen Peroxide and Baking soda. Feel free to wing it. It just has to form a paste.

Wear a button down shirt you’re not very fond off. Section off your hair in strands. I like to spray each strand with hydrogen peroxide before I apply the paste, to give it an extra kick. If you’re going to keep the peroxide in a spraying bottle make sure it’s a darker one.

Distribute the paste evenly over the section of hair. You can wear gloves if you want to.

wrap it in some aluminum foil.

Blast them with heat for a few seconds every 15 minutes. Don’t leave the mixture in for longer than an hour! Rinse it out and wash your hair like you normally would.

You won’t look like a bottle blonde straight away, but that’s the beauty of it. The effect is so natural, people will think you’re a real blonde.

Afterwards I like to use a hot oil mask to give my hair a treat. And my DIY highlights hair mask even helps to maintain my new do at the same time! I bring out the highlights even more by spraying a DIY hair lightening spray on my wet hair after I shower.

If you want your hair to be lighter re-do this 2 weeks later on the same sections.

My hair turns out less coppery than when I used one of those hair lightning sprays. If your hair turns out a little too orange though, you can always use the magic that is silver shampoo.

Enjoy your highlighted hair!