How To Dye a Human Hair Wig Lighter? [Required Items & Procedure]
We love wigs for different reasons. For some, boosting confidence when dealing with hair loss is the reason they own and love wigs. For some others, the ability to switch hairstyles, and explore several styling options and looks while keeping their natural hair safe is a plus.
Whatever the case might be, human hair wigs seem to be winning the most hearts because they look and feel natural, last longer, and can be styled in more ways than their synthetic counterparts.
If you love exploring styles with your wig, then dyeing the wig must have crossed your mind. Although the norm is to dye a wig a darker color, people are beginning to explore lightening their human hair wigs.
This post will explain how to lighten your human hair wig in the safest and surest ways.
Can You Lighten a Human Hair Wig?
Indeed, human hair wigs can be lightened, but the procedures can be quite tricky. For instance, the most common way to lighten your human hair wig is to use a bleaching product on the wig.
Any dyeing method aimed to create a lighter color is not fruitful if you don’t first bleach the wig to remove the initial color. It is a little risky because bleach can cause major damage to your human hair wigs, especially if not done properly or carried out too frequently.
Hence, considering how costly human hair wigs are, you must look for the safest method.
The best and safest method to lighten your human hair wig is any method that doesn’t require bleach. However, many of such methods are not very effective and might not brighten the wig to your taste.
In this post, we’ll be looking at ways to lighten your human hair wig with or without bleach, as well as the processes involved.
How To Dye a Human Hair Wig Lighter?
Many people think it is only possible to dye a human hair wig darker, but you can lighten the wig color on your human hair wig regardless of its previous color.
Let’s go on to discover tried and true methods of getting a lighter color on your human hair wig.
Below listed are the 2 most effective methods to dye human hair wigs lighter.
- Using Loreal HiColor for Dark Hair
- Using Regular Permanent Hair Dye
1. Dye A Human Hair Wig Lighter Using Loreal Hicolor [Suitable for Dark Hair]
The Loreal HiColor is a sure way to lighten your human hair wig without needing to use bleach.
However, it is important to note that the color won’t be as light as when you use bleach. Regardless, it delivers a lightning effect that is noticeable enough and safe for your wig.
Required Items
- Loreal HiColor dye
- Bowls
- Applicator brush
- Foil wrapper
- 30 volume developer
- Gloves
- Leave-in conditioner (optional)
Procedure
- Pour the dye into a bowl (you might need two to three boxes of dye depending on the length and fullness of your wig)
- Pour the developer into the dye while following the directions on the dye box.
- Mix the developer and dye with the applicator brush until you achieve a medium consistency.
- Divide your wig into sections and apply the mixture section-by-section, while wrapping every completed section in foil paper and moving to the next.
- You can either apply from the root downwards or leave it a few inches away from the root if you want the roots to maintain their initial color.
- Leave the wig to sit in the foil for 45 minutes to 1 hour and then rinse it out.
- You can apply a leave-in conditioner after rinsing the wig for added moisture.
2. Dye a Human Hair Wig Lighter using Regular Permanent Hair Dye
Dyeing your human hair lighter is a simple process once you’re sure what color you want the wig to take on.
Purchase any good hair dye of your choice and follow the process described below, and you are good to go.
Required Items
Pre-procedure
- As a pre-procedure, ensure that you have bleached your human hair wig to a lighter color than the one you are trying to achieve.
- Use a 20-volume crème developer alongside bleach to avoid over-processing your wig. Mix both properly with a brush until they form a creamy consistency and apply to your wig.
- Alternatively, you can use the developer method stated earlier at the pre-procedure stage to exclude the use of bleach on your human hair wig.
Procedure
- Put on gloves and proceed to mix the color dye and developer in a bowl according to the instructions on the products. Add more developer if the mixture seems too thick or more dye if it is too light.
- Apply the mixture to your human hair wig beginning at the roots down to the tip. Ensure to cover every single area properly to avoid having different shades, unless that’s your aim.
- If you have a lace wig, it helps to keep the dye and developer mixture away from the roots to ensure that it doesn’t affect the lace.
- After applying the dye throughout the wig, leave it in the bowl and cover with foil. Alternatively, you can take it out of the bowl and wrap it completely in foil.
- Check the wig color every 10 minutes. The lightning process will often be completed in 30 minutes.
- Once the lighter color has been achieved on the wig, wash it with warm water, and shampoo, and condition your wig for moisture and protection.
How Can I Lighten a Wig Without Bleach?
Here are some natural ways to lighten your human hair wig without bleach.
1. Apple Cider Vinegar (ACV)
Apple Cider Vinegar can lighten your wig naturally when you mix it with water and soak your human hair wig in the mixture for 30 minutes or massage it into your human hair wig.
2. Baking Soda
Baking soda is a superb household item that can lighten your human hair wig by a few shades when added to water to make a paste and applied throughout the human hair wig.
3. Cinnamon
Cinnamon can lighten the color of your human hair wig and is also healthy for your human hair wig because it contains antioxidants and natural sunscreen that can protect your wig from harmful sun rays. Mixing cinnamon with your wig conditioner and applying it to the wig can do the trick.
4. Lemon Juice
Lemon juice is the most common natural ingredient used to lighten human hair wigs. It also helps that it smells good, so your wig will be left with a nice fragrance when you are done.
Pouring lemon juice into a spray bottle, spraying your wig with the liquid, and putting it under the sun is a sure way to get some lightness on your human hair wig strands.
5. Developer
A developer contains hydrogen peroxide and is often mixed with bleach when lightening a wig or hair dye when coloring it. Its function is to activate the hair color or bleach.
The developer alone can lighten human hair wigs because it contains hydrogen peroxide that’s responsible for raising the hair cuticles. However, the result will not be as great as when you mix it with bleach because its color lifting abilities are limited.
It is best to leave the developer in the wig for at least 5 hours or overnight.
Final Words:
Now you know how to achieve a lighter human hair wig using hair dye products. Bear in mind that you’ll need to first bleach your wig to remove the existing dark color before the dye will be effective.
To ensure that your wig does not get damaged during the wig lightening process, ensure to care for your wig properly, especially after the process. If you’re not sure you can get it done properly, have a professional handle the bleaching process before you go on to take up the dyeing.