TikTok’s very own Dr Max, M.D. has taken on the social media summer trend of using fresh lemon juice as a “holiday hack” for getting “beach sun-kissed hair”, saying it’s not 100% risk-free.
But this “hack” is older than TikTok – older even than most of the people using TikTok. So we thought we’d take a look, and consider how risky the beauty trend really is.
TikTok doctor casts doubt on popular DIY hair lightening method
Contact dermatitis, hair dryness and scalp irritation are all possible side effects of engaging in this kind of DIY faux-natural hair bleaching, he says.
The hack, or trend, Dr Max is expressing skepticism towards is that of applying lemon juice to hair in order to lighten it. He shows part of a video of someone applying a fresh lemon to another person’s hair. They appear to be at the beach.
“Put lemon or lime juice in your hair,” reads the on-screen text in the original video. “They are naturally bleaching to lighten your hair in the sun.” Dr Max questions is this is real, and assures us it is. But he’s not sure if it’s totally safe, or risk-free.
He explains that the citric acid in lemon juice breaks down melanin in hair. Melanin is the substance that produces pigmentation. Most humans have it in varying quantities in their hair, eyes and skin.
UV light from the sun, meanwhile, can cause photooxidation, he says. And the combination can be quite effective in lightening human hair. But he warns that scalp irritation, hair dryness, and in more severe cases contact dermatitis, may result from doing this too much.
So how skeptical should you be?
Using lemon juice as a hair lightener is generally considered safe
According to Healthline, lemon juice provides a “safe, natural, cost-effective way” to lighten hair color. However, its instructions are a little different to the method Dr Max shows in his video. Method likely affects safety level, so this is worth noting.
Healthline’s instructions are as follows:
- Squeeze the juice from a lemon, or more than one lemon, into a spray bottle.
- Add water so that there are two parts water to one part lemon juice.
- Wet your hair with water first, then spray – or “spritz” – the lemon juice mixture over the sections of hair you want to lighten.
- Sit in the sun for 1-2 hours to “activate” the lemon juice.
- Wash the lemon juice mixture out of your hair.
- Finally, restore your hair’s natural shine and moisture, and repair any damage done, by deep conditioning your hair.
Lemon juice provides other benefits, too. It can reduce scalp itchiness and dryness; help treat seborrheic dermatitis (a cause of dandruff); and temper excessive oil secretion.
Ingesting lemons, either by eating foods containing juice/zest or drinking fresh lemonade, also has many benefits. This is partly because lemons contain so much vitamin C.
Lemon juice is gentler than hair bleach, but it’s still acidic
Despite its relative gentleness, and the potential benefits of applying lemon juice to your hair, you still have to be careful. Lemon juice’s acidity means it can dry out your hair and scalp. This can cause hair breakage and scalp irritation – Dr Max is correct there.
The most important thing is to use this method only sparingly. Take a few weeks between each application. Be aware of the risks of prolonged sun exposure. And be sure to rinse the lemon juice out thoroughly afterward. This will avoid extending the contact period longer than intended.
Several people have commented on Dr Max’s video, saying they used to do this when they were younger.
Byrdie’s detailed writeup on the method notes that those who grew up in the early 2000s likely experience a “wave of nostalgia” when thinking about using lemon juice to lighten their hair. So it’s hardly a recent discovery. Just one that newcomers should approach with an appropriate degree of caution.
Dr Mahyar ‘Max’ Maddahali is a medical practitioner with a degree in medical science from Marmara University in Istanbul. He provides information and educational videos on TikTok.
