One word of warning, however. The formulas may be gentler now, but this goes several steps further than squeezing lemon your hair and hoping for the best. Some do, in fact, contain lemon, but many also contain hydrogen peroxide too: do note, then, it’s not a wash-out affair. And, like all dyes, it will damage your hair to some extent. However, they’re a great deal less expensive and time-consuming than getting highlights (which also cause damage) done at the hairdresser. These are the ones we rate.
Klorane
Blond Highlights Sun Lightening Spray, £22.50
If you’re feeling slightly trepidatious about spraying a lightener on your locks, then Klorane’s example is a great place to start. Containing no hydrogen peroxide, it comes in on the gentler side, instead giving your natural colour a little lift thanks to chamomile flower extract and honey. Paraben- and silicone-free, spray it onto towel-dried hair – even if it’s already got colour on it. (Do note; it is not advisable to use formulas that do contain peroxide on already lightened hair.) Buy it.
Hair By Sam McKnight
Sundaze Sea Spray, £26
Vegan, cruelty-free and fully recyclable, Sam McKnight’s Sundaze Sea Spray is designed for an easy-breezy sun-kissed beachy look. It works to create a soft texture while giving UV protection, plus it’s infused with pro vitamin B5 and hibiscus flower extract. Beach hair in a spritz, you can apply it to dry or wet locks in sections and then just leave to air-dry. Buy it.
Sun Bum
Blonde Formula Hair Lightener, £16.99
For a surfer-girl look, spray the cutely named Sun Bum onto wet hair and then head outside to let it dry in the sunshine, or simply select a few strands for an inexpensive take on highlights. Note that it does contain hydrogen peroxide, so don’t apply more than once between washes, and know that the changes will be permanent. Buy it.
John Frieda
Go Blonder Spray, £5.30
Lightening hair by up to two shades, this heat-activated spray achieves the maximum lightness it will go to in ten applications. Again, it contains hydrogen peroxide, so do use carefully and do not apply to already chemically coloured hair. Additionally, only use on dark blonde hair to lighten it up (it can lend a gingery note to brunettes). Buy it.
Sunbabe
Solar Hair Lightener, £30
There is a reason this heat-activated formula comes with a slightly higher price tag. Not only does it work to lighten all shades of hair, it is also non-drying, thanks to the fact that it contains no alcohol, sulphates, parabens, mineral oil, aluminum, ammonium or animal derivatives. Plus, it’s vegan and cruelty free – and, despite the higher price, is still a fraction of what one would pay at the hairdresser. Its tagline goes, ‘lighter, like the sun did it.’ And that is precisely how it feels. Buy it.
Sun In
Hair Lightener, £13.99
The product specifications on this new Sun In formula state that this is ‘not your mother’s old Sun In.’ And thank goodness for that. The 21st-century take on this sun-kissed effect in a bottle has replaced the harsher chemicals for added botanical extracts – including chamomile, marigold, flaxseed and aloe – as well as special illuminators to make hair shine. Plus, it works on light and dark hair, and not only delivers lighter tresses in a few spritzes, but also delivers a trip down memory lane for those of us who remember it first time round. Buy it.
By Nancy Alsop
July 2023
