The technique prioritizes tone, shine, and hair health over dramatic contrast.

No-bleach brunette is a hair color technique focused on adding softness, shine, and subtle brightness to dark hair — without the high-contrast look of traditional highlights. Rather than dramatic lightening, the emphasis is on blended tone and healthy-looking color.

According to Nicole Cestaro, owner of Karma Hair Studio in Merrick, and author of Superhairo, the technique works best on hair that hasn’t been previously colored.

“If the hair was previously colored, there’s no way to lighten it with color alone,” Cestaro explains. “Bleach is usually used as the booster to break through the cuticle and lift the pigment.” On natural, uncolored brunettes, however, colorists can use high-lift color to subtly brighten the hair without fully stripping it. The process relies on cooler-toned light brown shades and higher levels of peroxide, allowing hair to lift and tone in one step while maintaining integrity.

“Even though we use a high-lift level of peroxide, it doesn’t have the chemical ability to strip the hair like bleach does,” says Cestaro. “It keeps the hair intact.”

The result isn’t dramatic contrast, but a softer, more blended effect. In many cases, colorists follow up with a glaze to fine-tune tone and counter warmth — especially when the goal is a cooler, teddy-bear brown finish.

For clients whose hair has already been lightened or colored darker, the approach changes. Cestaro notes that achieving lift becomes more challenging, often requiring an ammonia-free bleach alternative and more frequent toning to manage warmth. “When hair has been colored dark, it tends to go through that red stage, which is why glazing with opposing tones becomes necessary,” she says.

Ultimately, no-bleach brunette isn’t about making a drastic change. It’s best suited for brunettes who want subtle brightness, shine, and a healthier look without compromising the strength of their hair.

“It gives the illusion of that sun-kissed, end-of-summer highlight,” Cestaro says — “without the damage.”