- Some women swear by home remedies that use simple household items such as lemon juice and hydrogen peroxide (the kind that comes in the plain brown bottle). These can be applied with cotton swabs or applicators.
- Bleaching kits, available in regular and mild formulas, generally run under $10. Popular brands include Jolen, Salli Hansen and Surgi. The bleach cream and activator come in separate tubes or vials. Mix them together and apply to clean, dry skin with the small spatula that comes with your kit.
Typically, the instructions call for bleach creams to be left on for five to eight minutes and then rinsed off. You may feel a slight tingling or burning sensation, but it shouldn't be painful. Your bleaching kit may include a pre- or post-treatment lotion to apply to the treated area. - If you've never used a cream bleach, test the product on a less visible part of your body in case you have an adverse reaction. Never use cream bleach around your eyes (or your genitals, for that matter). Closely follow the instructions: If you mix the wrong amounts of bleach cream and activator, your product might not work.
Your skin may be temporarily flushed after your bleach treatment, but this generally goes away in a couple of hours. Most kits advise against bleaching the same area of the face within 24 hours. If you missed a few hairs, play it safe and wait a day before treating the same area.
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