I'm always envious of celebs' hair - particularly their perfectly placed highlights. However, those highlights are the result of a team of stylists and a hair-care routine that most of us just have the time for! I think we all know that coloring your hair is a damaging process, so wouldn't it be great if there was a natural alternative? I've been hearing some buzz about the lightening effects of honey so lets take a closer look to see if this a beauty fact or myth.
How can honey lighten hair?
Honey contains a low level of peroxide. More accurately, it contains an enzyme (glucose oxidase) that can produce peroxide. Peroxide is an effective way to lighten hair, but keep in mind that peroxide is only an effective bleaching agent at the right concentration and at the right pH.
So, what does this mean for my hair?
Well, to fully bleach hair it takes a solution of peroxide at a concentration of 6%, though levels as low as 3% can be used over time to gradually lighten hair (remember Sun-In?). Glucose oxidase in honey can react to release peroxide under the right conditions (though only raw honey contains this active enzyme). When honey is diluted with water, the enzyme can produce about 1 milimole of peroxide per liter which is about 1,000 times less than the 3% solution required to bleach hair. In simpler terms, this is far too little to have a significant effect on your hair.
Okay, but just for the sake of argument let's say that you used a LOT of honey on your hair. Would it work then? Only if the pH was right. Peroxide solutions must be "activated" by increasing the pH because peroxide is not very reactive at a pH below 4. Typically, peroxide is mixed with ammonia because it has a very high pH (this is how hair-coloring kits work). The pH of honey is between 3.2 and 4.5 which is far below the range required for effective hair bleaching.
Bottom Line
IF you use the right kind of honey and IF the enzyme is still active and IF you dilute it properly and IF get it to the right pH and IF you get it on your hair before it's used up by reaction with the rest of the organic stuff in the mixture. then you'll STILL have only about 1/1000 of the amount you need to lighten your hair. Sorry ladies - looks like honey lightening is a beauty myth. I guess you'll have to stick to using honey with your tea!
For more science based beauty tips check out the Beauty Brains! More from SELF:
Simple Fixes for All Your Hair Color Problems
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