AFTER a tough spell, Kate is showing she still can light up a room.
The Princess of Wales debuted a subtle new hair colour as she and Prince William celebrated their 14th wedding anniversary on the Isle of Mull on Tuesday.
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Her usual brunette locks had been highlighted to a softer, honey brown tone.
Lighter hair is linked to perceptions of health, youthfulness and being a good parent, according to a study by Texas A&M University.
You needn’t shell out at a salon if you want to get the same lightened effect – but do be careful, warns celebrity hairdresser Nicky Clarke.
He says: “There’s a lot at play when it comes to lifting colour – especially subtly so, like Kate.
“This is why often we leave tinting to the professionals… because we know what we are doing.
“If you have deep brunette hair like Kate, or black hair, the likelihood is your hair will lift orange with at-home techniques.”
From lemon to salt spray, Nicky gives his verdict on 12 DIY lightening treatments – and highlights the ones to avoid at all costs.
Lemon juice
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A TIME-OLD way of lightening your hair is using lemon juice – but does it really work?
They say mix one part lemon juice with two parts water and then spray on to your locks.
Sit in the sun for 20 to 30 minutes and the citric acid in the lemon should act as a bleaching agent.
This works by reducing the melanin, but only by a small amount.
Due to its weak effect, it will really only work on hair which is already naturally blonde or mousy.
Herbal tea
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CHAMOMILE tea – known for its relaxing effects – is also a great way to gently lighten your tresses.
Once your tea has cooled, soak your hair in the mixture, rinse and then blow dry or let your locks air dry in the sun to activate lightening.
You might want to repeat this process until you notice a difference.
Chamomile tea’s main ingredient is a yellow pigment called apigenin.
This bonds to each hair cuticle and the mild acidity lifts the colour gently when you have light-coloured hair.
Honey and oil
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USING honey to lighten hair dates back to the Roman Empire – it is not something I’ve ever heard of myself.
They used to mix equal parts honey with oil to keep hair nourished, and add it to the areas they wanted to dye.
There is a theory knocking about that honey contains an enzyme called glucose oxidase, which can lighten your barnet.
Whether this is true, I have no idea.
The olive oil in the mixture apparently stops your locks from drying out too much.
When it comes to hair condition, this technique might be one to leave to the history books.
Lager
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YES, it’s known for giving your hair more body – but it can also affect the colour, according to some old wives’ tales.
If you want to have a bash, it is quite easy to do at home.
All you need is a can of beer, which you should pour all over your hair, then sit in the sun while it dries.
Does it lift your colour? I don’t think so.
It will most likely give your barnet body, and it doesn’t smell once it is dry – I even once considered making a beer-based product for this very reason.
But a lager hair dye? No.
Rhubarb
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OFTEN mistaken for a fruit, this root vegetable contains natural dye which can act as a lightener.
If you want to give it a whirl, I would recommend boiling
rhubarb in hot water, letting it cool, then straining the water.
Use the cooled liquid as a rinse for your hair – hopefully for good results on light locks.
Rhubarb contains natural dyes called anthraquinone pigments, which bond with the protein in your hair.
The worst that can happen is it doesn’t work . . . I think.
Salt
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THERE’S a reason why surfer babes have perfect, beachy blonde hair.
It is the mix of salty sea water and sunshine, which adds beautiful, natural highlights.
To get the same effect at home (without the extreme sports), mix a teaspoon of salt into a cup of warmish (not too hot!) water and mix with a drop of conditioner.
Spray the mixture on to your locks and sit in the sun while they dry.
The alkaline in the sea salt loosens the hair cuticle, while the sun works to reduce the pigment.
Sadly, though, beach babes often have dry hair, too – so if you can live with the damage, this one is for you.
Henna
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IN the Seventies, the trend was to add a reddish tone to dark locks.
But many people who used henna in a bid to achieve this look ended up crying at the salon as their greys turned pink.
The henna plant contains a natural dye called lawsone, which attaches to the keratin in your hair.
The intensity of the red hue depends on your natural hair colour.
People like the idea of henna because it sounds natural, but really chemical products can better control what colour your hair will turn out, and can be much gentler.
Apple cider vinegar
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APPLE cider vinegar can give a subtle lift to mousy hair.
Mix one part vinegar with four parts water and rinse your hair with the concoction for a few minutes.
Now, some say this lightens your hair, but you would need to do this regularly to notice the difference.
One way I can see this having an effect on light coloured hair is that apple cider vinegar can act as a clarifier.
Removing build up and oil from the hair may create a brightening effect.
The sun
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NO, not this newspaper. Is there anything wrong with sitting in the sunshine and letting nature bring out your highlights?
UV rays from the sun break down the melanin – or colour – of your hair, making it lighter.
That’s why you often come back from holiday with new highlights.
But the darker your hair, the more orange it goes.
And remember, sunlight can cause dryness and split ends as it breaks down the outer layer and weakens the protein structure.
Vitimin C
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VITAMIN C is great for curing colds, but can it dye your hair?
Otherwise known as ascorbic acid, it is good at breaking down pigment compounds. It is an acid, after all.
To be honest, I’m not sure how much this will lighten virgin hair.
But it may help break down permanent dye you’ve used at home.
Some suggest grinding vitamin C tablets into a paste with water and using this on your tresses.
I just can’t see it working at all. Sorry.
Sun In
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MOST Nineties teens experimented with Sun In, expecting Pamela Anderson’s blonde mane.
But most were left with orange streaks.
In 2021, the spray, which uses a weak solution of hydrogen peroxide to lift and therefore lighten the natural pigment, was relaunched and now claims to offer subtler results.
But using hydrogen peroxide outside of a salon is likely to damage your hair and make it brittle.
Bicarbonate of soda
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A HAIR lightener could already be lurking somewhere in your kitchen cupboard and you haven’t realised it.
Emphasis on the “could”.
Bicarbonate of soda, when used with hydrogen peroxide, can lighten your hair effectively.
Some suggest mixing the powders together with water to create a paste.
Leave this on your hair for 20 minutes and you will see results – whether you like them or not.
This isn’t a tip I’d recommend.
Anything to do with stuff in the kitchen, you never get great results.