How To Lighten Hair Extensions – A Complete Guide

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If you find your current dark extensions boring, it is time to transform your appearance by following this complete guide on how to lighten hair extensions.


Hair plays an important role in determining our look. Long and thick hair is a dream of most people, and that is why various types of extensions appear. When using hair extensions, people also try to refresh their hair, including lightening it.

We need to be careful when lightening hair extensions since they do not receive nutrients anymore and therefore easily be damaged when responding to bleaching chemicals. This complete guide of hair experts from 2V Hair Factory provides you with helpful solutions on how to lighten hair extensions and figure out some important things to make the process go smoothly.

Things you should know before lightening hair extensions

Transforming your hair extensions to be brighter is a complex process that requires you to be well-prepared. There are important things you need to keep in mind.

Why should you know how to lighten hair extensions?

Although hair extensions are durable, lightening them is not something well-known. Many people think that how to lighten extensions naturally is quite simple. However, if you do not follow the correct procedure and forecast the risks, there will be a lot of problems with your hair.

  • To have the precise color: Knowing how to lighten hair extensions will help you raise the color tone properly and evenly. Since lightening is a difficult technique, the color easily turns to be messy and uneven, especially if you want to raise your hair to bright colors like blonde. In some cases, if you do not add enough bleaching powder, the color after lightening compared to the original hair color is the same.
  • To avoid damage: Hair extensions are no longer able to receive nutrients from our body despite being made from human hair, so they have a high risk of damage when being lightened. Once they are damaged, it is difficult to restore them. You need to be careful in every step or you might have to completely throw them away.
  • To save money, time and effort: It is possible to minimize your time, money and effort if you learn in advance how to lighten hair extensions. Being well-prepared helps you prevent the risks and solve most possible problems. Asking for advice from hair professionals might be more reliable than finding information on the Internet.
Reasons why we need to know how to lighten extensions
Reasons why we need to know how to lighten extensions

Different types of hair extensions

If our natural hair has various textures such as straight, curly, fluffy, etc. and we have to apply different methods when changing our hairstyle, the same goes for extensions. The lightening process will definitely damage your hair less or more, so you need to remember some important notes for each hair type.

  • Synthetic hair: It is nearly impossible to transform synthetic hair to a brighter color because plastic is unable to respond to bleaching chemicals. You can apply the burn test to check if your hair is human or synthetic hair.
  • Clip-in/Tape-in extensions: Avoid the tape and clips because the chemicals could damage the attachment of both of them. You should think about what if the attachment is more than a shade or two lighter than the hair, it will be a lot less discreet and might be visible.
  • Weave extensions: How to lighten extensions of this hair type seems to be easiest, but remember if you tint over the top part of your weave extensions, any glue holding the stitches together could be broken down and the hair might shed.
  • Weft extensions: Weft extensions are also the easiest types to color, but if you’re dying hand-tied wefts, be careful not to get tint on the knotted area. Hand-tied wefts are a lot more delicate than machine wefts, and will almost certainly be ruined if you tint over the knots.
  • Bonds/rings: Be well informed of how to lighten extensions to make sure that you do not get tint on the bonded area – it will break the keratin down and cause shedding. This is especially important for tailor-made hair extensions – the bonds are a lot less durable for the first 4 weeks or so after fitting.
Pay attention to some important notes before lightening extensions
Pay attention to some important notes before lightening extensions

See more:

Tips on how to dye hair extensions at home

Buying high-quality hair extensions

The quality of your hair extensions is an important factor that determines the success of the lightening process. Your hair, if it is made from premium materials like human hair, will face fewer risks of damage and be raised to the brightest color. You can even buy high-quality bleached extensions instead of lightening them.

Among diverse hair suppliers, 2V Hair Factory emerges as the leading wholesale hair vendor in the hair industry. It commits to providing customers with good products made from 100% Vietnamese raw human hair, along with great services and reasonable prices. With extensions at 2V Hair Factory, you will not need to wonder about how to lighten hair extensions without damaging them.

2V Hair Factory - a reputable hair vendor
2V Hair Factory – a reputable hair vendor

How to lighten hair extensions

We provide you both bleaching and non-bleaching methods to lighten your extensions. Remember to put the hair in a clean and tidy state before getting started.

How to lighten extensions by hair bleach

The process of how to bleach hair extensions at home requires meticulousness to achieve the desired results. For preparation, hair bleach powder and developer are two most important materials. Do not forget to wear a mask and gloves as the powder can harm your respiratory system.

  • Step 1- Mix the liquid: Combine bleach powder and developer in a 2:1 ratio, or you can follow the instructions. Give the powder mixture a quick rest for one or two minutes after thoroughly stirring to prevent lumps.
  • Step 2 – Section your hair: You should divide your hair into small curls and hold them with clips. Avoid making your hair wet before bleaching, it is better to keep it dry or humid.
  • Step 3 – Apply the mixture: Apply bleach to each section of hair. Try to spread the mixture evenly so the hair can be raised to the proper colors. This stage requires the most meticulousness so be patient and careful.
  • Step 4 – Rest time: Use a plastic hat or a warm towel to cover the hair. Let it rest for at least 30 minutes. These two products will help increase the heat of your hair, so it will also level up faster.
  • Step 5 – Rinse off the bleach: After the rest time, gently put off your hat/towel. Wash your hair with purple shampoo to remove yellow. You can buy purple shampoo with rich nutrition to make your hair softer.
  • Step 6 – Moisturize your hair: Use coconut oil or some kind of hair mask specifically for bleached hair to moisturize your hair after bleaching to minimize hair damage.
How to bleach hair extensions at home step by step
How to bleach hair extensions at home step by step

How to lighten hair extensions without bleach

There are various solutions for how to lighten hair extensions without bleach. Remember that applying such methods will not tone your extensions like bleach. It will only help your dark tone hair turn brighter, like from black to golden brown.

Hydrogen peroxide and baking soda

The combination can lighten your hair by 1-2 color shades. Mix a few baking soda with 2-3 teaspoons of hydrogen peroxide, then apply the mixture evenly on the strands you want to lighten. Leave it for no longer than 45 minutes and rinse it off with cold water.

Purple shampoo

It is used to remove yellowing, so it is suitable for inherently blonde hair. Section your hair into pieces, then dunk every single one into the mixture of warm water and purple shampoo. Wait for no longer than 20 seconds per piece to avoid being overtone, then rinse the extensions with clean water.

Lemon juice

It is the easiest way how to lighten hair extensions without bleach. Mix lemon juice and water in 1:1 proportion and do the same process with purple shampoo. The hair is better when being dried under the sun since the heat can cause the acid on lemon to raise hair tone.

Apple cider vinegar

Mix 1 cup of warm water with 1 and a quarter cup of apple cider vinegar. Repeat the process with purple shampoo. You might have to do it a few times to get the right color.

CONCLUSION: Can we address the problem: How to lighten extensions?

The answer is yes. The process of all methods, whether bleaching or non-bleaching, is not complex. All you need is to be careful to avoid being directly exposed to chemicals or uneven color on your hair. You also need to be patient and gentle with your extensions, as well as follow the instructions for each method. Buying high-quality hair extensions from prestigious suppliers like 2V Hair Factory is also a recommendation. The result will never disappoint you.

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