When Life Gives Us Lemons,
We Put ‘em In Our Hair
We’re here to shed some light on one of the most loved (and most misunderstood) hair care products we have here at Sun Bum.
Our Blonde Hair Lightener Spray
While we were perfectly happy squeezing lemons from our neighbor’s tree directly onto our hair, we felt like it was time to call upon the lightening powers of ingredients like hydrogen peroxide and Costa Rican Pineapple to take things to the next level.
This UV/heat activated formula within our hair lightener product is made to give us summer kissed highlights, all year round. It’s also meant to be used slowly and gradually for buildable results. We made this stuff with medium brown to blonde hair types in mind, but if you have dark hair and want to use it, we just recommend that you proceed with caution as results are permanent.
And on that note, let’s dig a little deeper into that because it seems to be where a lot of folks get tripped up.
Dear Brunettes and Raven-Haired Friends
“Can I use Sun Bum Hair Lightener on Dark Hair?” is a question we get, a lot. While the short answer is “Yes!”, there are a few other things you should think about before using our hair lightener on dark hair that will offer up the best results.
If you have dark brown or black hair and you spray the hair lightener all over your hair hoping for insta-blonde results, you might be left feeling a range of emotions spanning from extreme confusion to straight up rage—but don't worry that's what we're here to help avoid.
We’re not trying to freak you out, we just wanna be up front about this.
How to Use Our Sun Bum Hair Lightener
One of the main “lightening” agents in the formula is hydrogen peroxide—which is known for oxidizing the melanin in hair causing it to lighten. This lightening process of this product is meant to work gradually, and may not give you what you’re looking for right away.
Here are a few steps we recommend for getting the best long-term results.
Step 1: Prepare Your Locks
Make sure your hair is clean, conditioned, and damp/towel-dried before you spray in the hair lightener.
Make sure your hair is clean, conditioned, and damp/towel-dried before you spray in the hair lightener.
Step 2: Test on Select Strands of Hair
As we mentioned before, results are permanent. So, we recommend doing a little test run to see if you like what you see first by spritzing 1-2 sprays onto a patch of towel-dry or damp hair (in an inconspicuous spot) before applying to additional desired sections. Once you are comfortable with the results that you are seeing, feel free to apply on more sections of your hair!
As we mentioned before, results are permanent. So, we recommend doing a little test run to see if you like what you see first by spritzing 1-2 sprays onto a patch of towel-dry or damp hair (in an inconspicuous spot) before applying to additional desired sections. Once you are comfortable with the results that you are seeing, feel free to apply on more sections of your hair!
Step 3: UV Activated Formula
Does the Hair Lightener work without the sun? Yep! Because it is a UV activated formula, you can use it before heading out in the sun or just bust out your hair dryer.
Does the Hair Lightener work without the sun? Yep! Because it is a UV activated formula, you can use it before heading out in the sun or just bust out your hair dryer.
Step 4: Style and Go!
Once your hair has dried, style the way you life and get on with your day.
Once your hair has dried, style the way you life and get on with your day.
Step 5: Using the Hair Lightener (Again)
Looking to lighten up your hair a little more? To avoid breakage and damage, we recommend limiting use to 2X per week, just to be on the safe side. More specifically, try not to apply more than once between washes/shampoos. This should help avoid over-drying and hair breakage.
Looking to lighten up your hair a little more? To avoid breakage and damage, we recommend limiting use to 2X per week, just to be on the safe side. More specifically, try not to apply more than once between washes/shampoos. This should help avoid over-drying and hair breakage.
And while we might sound like a broken record, we want to reiterate that if you do choose to apply the Hair Lightener on darker hair, that you’ll most likely be seeing a brassy orange results until those sections of hair begin to lighten more over time.
Stay Classy, Not Brassy
If your color’s lookin’ a bit too brassy for your liking, don’t worry—our Blonde Purple Shampoo, Blonde Purple Conditioner and Tone Enhancer were literally made for cooling down brassy tones and for brightening the look of highlights. If you wanna know more about how that toning process works check out our Q&A with celebrity hair stylist Laura Polko.
Lastly, if you notice all this brightening and lightening making your hair drier than usual, our Deep Conditioning Mask and 3 in 1 Leave In can really help soothe and moisturize our strands.
