Without bleach, you can only deposit color, not lift it. There are exceptions, of course (many temporary hair dye sprays, for example, are designed to work well on almost any hair color), but on the whole, bleach is a must if you're angling for a light hue like copper or honey blonde.
You can color hair without bleaching, but if you are aiming for the very fair, very light or pale colors, you will need to bleach or lighten it.
Traditional hair dyes, even if there is no bleach, may damage existing hair follicles and may cause the treated hair to become compromised so that it is more prone to breakage, mid length rips and splits or shredding along the ends. The good news?
The two most un-damaging ways to dye would be henna + indigo, or semi-permanent (deposit only) dye.
For best results, use ammonia-free hair color range and lower the chances of hair damage. Additionally, several hair colors are formulated using nourishing oils and other enriching ingredients. These nourishing hair colors help retain the moisture of your hair and maintain its shine and smoothness.
If your hair is brown, you may need to bleach it more than once before you apply the grey dye. It's important you get your hair as light as possible before you attempt to turn it grey – this will help ensure a more even tone and vibrant, all-over colour.
METHOD #3: THE DYE STRIP TECHNIQUE
I only heard about the dye strip technique recently, and it's a great solution for women who want to go gray without a demarcation line, do not want to cut their hair short, and do not want to risk potential damage to their hair from salon transition treatments (such as bleaching).
Whilst no one can say your hair won't fall out if you bleach it, it's not very likely. Bleached hair will only fall out if it's been overprocessed to the max or the bleach is left on for far too long, which shouldn't happen with a trained professional. What's more likely to happen is breakage.
As a general rule of thumb, darker colors tend to stay on the hair for longer. So, if you're adding lowlights, a root shadow or all-over depth, the shade will offer more mileage than, for example, light blondes, light browns or light reds. The same goes for pastel colors versus rainbow colors.
Box dyes often contain strong chemicals that can over-processed hair, making it dry and brittle. These chemicals can react unpredictably with other hair treatments, causing damage.
Over time, and with repeated colouring sessions, these changes in the structure of your hair will leave it weaker and more prone to breakage. The more hair is dye damaged, the less the colour holds. That's why it's so important to prioritise repair if you colour your hair.
Tinting, also known as hair dyeing, can be a viable option for lightening virgin hair without using bleach. Tinting hair is the application of hair dye that can achieve subtle lightness on its own. The result is a new hair colour that's lighter than your natural shade.
Opt for hair dyes made with natural colorants like henna, indigo, cassia, beetroot, coffee, and other plant-derived ingredients. These natural hair dye options allow you to color your hair without harsh chemicals like ammonia, PPD, resorcinol, and peroxide commonly found in conventional dyes.
The easiest way to lighten hair is to use a clarifying shampoo or a mixture of baking soda and lemon juice. These methods are gentle and can gradually lighten the hair over a few washes. For more immediate results, a professional toner or hair lightener can be used.
As long as the hair follicle is preserved, the hair will regrow in most cases. Bleached hair will regrow at the same rate as other forms of damaged hair, which in a healthy growth cycle is typically between 6-12 months.
Ultimately, every time you colour your hair, there is an increased risk of hair loss. Whilst hair dye does not slow or prevent growth, the damage it causes can lead to hair loss and damage, particularly to new hair growth. Dyeing can also be bad for hair that is already thinning, as it is already in a weakened state.
Fortunately, you don't have to commit to bleaching your hair—there are plenty of hair dyes for dark hair that add color without requiring you to lighten (and damage) your mane. Even better: With these bleach-free formulas, you can easily dye your hair at home without the need to shell out on a pricey salon visit.
Is it better to go lighter or darker to cover grey hair? As for your permanent colour kit choice, for the best grey coverage, Josh recommends choosing a shade close to your natural root colour (that's the colour between the greys.) "Make sure to never stray more than two shades away from this,” says Josh.
Gray hair dyes have a bleaching function so that, if you use a gray hair dye on a mixture of partially gray and partially black hair, it will dye all hair the same color. Think of it as dyeing hair that has been bleached first to match the grays.
The best hair dye for grey hair if you're brunette
You won't be surprised to hear that you should be covering the grey with brown dye, but the best hair dye for grey hair here is a medium-light shade, even if you are naturally very dark, as this will complement your naturally paling skin.
Blonde blends better with grey
Grey hair in blonde hair or grey roots in blonde hair blends better than with darker hair. So blonde is a good choice if you want to make your grey hair or grey roots less noticeable.
To avoid it going ginger or red then you must check what shade you are using. For example if the colour says golden, chocolate, mahogany, red, warm brown etc, these will all look 'ginger'. To achieve a rich colour, a basic shade must be added to create the depth (how dark it is).