Hair Lightener Guide: Sprays, Bleach Kits and the Repair That Follows

Hair Lightener Guide: Sprays, Bleach Kits and the Repair That Follows

A hair lightener can mean a gentle spray or a full bleach kit, and the two behave very differently. Here is how I tell them apart, plus the purple shampoos and bond builders that keep lightened hair looking bright and feeling strong.

For more than three decades, the Los Angeles Times wrote in 2003, Sun-In promised to "bring out natural highlights just like the sun, only faster," and the spray-pump bottle was a fixture in teen beach bags. That basic idea is still the gentle end of the hair lightener world, and the modern versions are a lot more polished.

The first thing I do is sort them into two camps. The sprays lighten gradually and are the low-drama option. Sun Bum Blonde Hair Lightener is the lead of the group, a 4 oz lightener in the same spirit as that old spray. Oribe Bright Blonde Sun Lightening Hair Mist is described as a mist that gradually lightens and brightens color-treated or highlighted blonde hair while adding lightweight hydration, and it is sulfate free. John Frieda Go Blonder Lightening Spray is the other lightening spray, and it sits firmly in the gentle camp with the mist.

The bleach kits are a different animal. L'Oreal Paris Feria Hyper Platinum, Dark and Lovely Uplift in Bleach Blonde, Bleach London Total Bleach Kit, Manic Panic Flash Lightening 30 Volume and Arctic Fox Bleach Please Complete Lightening Kit are all true lightening kits, and they are for people ready to commit to a bigger change.

Plain safety line: do a strand test and a patch test first, follow the box directions exactly, and see a colorist for any big change. I will not promise how many levels any of these will lift, because it depends on your starting color and hair history.

Big numbers collage for Hair Lightener: six products from Sun Bum, Oribe, John Frieda, dae, L'Oreal Paris and Olaplex, each set beside a large numeral
Hair Lightener

Hair lighteners and lightening sprays

Keeping blonde bright between salon visits

Once hair is lightened, the job becomes keeping it from going brassy. Purple shampoo is the answer, and the differences are in how it treats the hair underneath.

dae Violet Hour is a tone-correcting purple shampoo with cactus flower extract and quinoa protein, and it is vegan. Moroccanoil Blonde Perfecting Purple Shampoo is sulfate free and made for blonde, lightened brunette and gray hair. Olaplex No.4P brightens and neutralizes yellow tones while caring for everyday damage. K18 TripleBright is a foam that removes brass-inducing metals and minerals and, per the brand, will not stain or overtone. Pureology Strength Cure Blonde is a rich lather that the brand says is concentrated enough for 75 plus shampoos in a bottle.

amika Bust Your Brass has bond-fortifying technology and is aimed at cool blonde. Kérastase Blond Absolu adds hyaluronic acid to an ultra-violet formula for bleached, lightened or gray hair. The Moroccanoil Treatment Purple Hair Oil is the gentle option, since it neutralizes brassiness over time while adding shine and heat protection.

Pairing tip: use a purple shampoo once a week at first and leave it on for a couple of minutes, then see how your blonde responds before going more often.

What I would skip: a purple shampoo on hair you have just lightened with a spray, every single wash. Start light, because too much violet can leave a dull tint.

Purple shampoos and toners

Repair for hair that has been lightened

Bleach and peroxide both take something from the hair, so a repair step after lightening is not optional in my routine. This is where bond builders come in. Dean and Darcy Christal founded Olaplex in 2014, according to Business Insider, and it was the first of the bond builders, so the whole category grew from that idea.

Olaplex No.0 Intensive Bond Building Treatment is the primer meant to be used before No.3, and the brand says it is for deep repair and strengthening. Olaplex No.3PLUS is a three-minute pre-shampoo mask. OUAI Bond Repair Balm cares for hair damaged by heat, color and breakage, and is silicone free. Oribe Hair Alchemy is a leave-in that the brand says reduces breakage by 71.4 percent in testing. L'Oreal Professionnel Absolut Repair Molecular is a peptide mask that also detangles.

Briogeo Don't Despair, Repair Miracle Mist is a bonding leave-in made for heat and bleach damage. BondiBoost Rapid Repair is a silicone-free mask, and JVN Revive Bond Gloss is an in-shower treatment for shine that takes about 60 seconds.

How to use them: rinse, apply, wait the time on the label, and keep the heavy masks to once a week so hair does not feel weighed down.

What I would skip: layering three bond builders on the same wash day. Pick one mask and one leave-in.

Bond builders and masks for lightened hair

Choosing your lightening route

The right route depends on how far you want to go. If you want a soft, sunny brightening, a spray like Oribe Bright Blonde or John Frieda Go Blonder is where I would start. If you want a full change, a bleach kit is one option, but a colorist is the safer call for anything big. Either way, run a strand test and a patch test, follow the box directions, and let hair rest between sessions.

Then protect what you have done. A purple shampoo once a week keeps tone even, and a bond builder after every lightening session helps hair feel strong again. Lightened hair looks best when it is treated like a fine fabric: washed gently and handled with care.