How To Colour Match Mixed Blondes

When it comes to colour matching, one of the biggest challenges faced by even the most experienced hair extension technicians is clients with multiple shades of colour in their hair- in particular, mixed blondes. A variety of techniques can be used to achieve blonde hair and as a result of this, there are endless combinations of shades that ultimately will make up the colour of your clients hair. With so many factors coming into play, including the clients natural colour, it is no wonder that this client is considered the most difficult to match. If you have encountered this type of client and were unsure of how to colour match, or if you are yet to come across this type of client, this article will talk you through the best practices to ensure you achieve a flawless colour match for your client. Unlike most colours, mixed blonde requires a far more detailed colour assessment.

Preparing Your Hair Extension Client For A Colour Match

Before you meet with your client for a colour match, we would recommend that you ask them to send across a picture of the front, back and sides of their hair. This will give you some time ahead of your consultation not to match the colour (as this is not possible through pictures, find out why here) but to assess the colour distribution. You will be able to take your time looking at the images to assess whether they have a fairly even mix of blondes, whether they have darker elements e.g. those that only have a half head of highlights, and whether they have any unusual colour patterns. This is good practice as it will enable you to have an idea of which parts of the colour you will need to pay particular attention to during your consultation. You must also ask that your client presents you with freshly washed, dry, clean hair that has been straightened. This will ensure you can get a good look at the overall colour, as if the hair is wavy or filled with product this can affect the appearance of the colour.

A Colour Ring Is Essential For Accurate Hair Extension Colour Matching

Although having an image of your clients hair ahead of the consultation can be helpful, in order to achieve an accurate colour match you will need to be using a colour ring. When it comes to matching mixed blondes, our beautiful Remy hair extensions make colour matching a breeze as they offer lots of natural soft variation in tone, resulting in naturally blended hair extensions.

Colour Matching Mixed Blonde Hair Extensions

Unlike other colours, matching mixed blonde is a much more intricate process as you need to look past the overall colour and break the hair down into sections. Here is our step by step guide.

Step 1

When matching mixed blondes, you first need to identify the base shade. The is the most dominant, dark shade, and typically is the same as the clients root colour. Use your colour ring to match the roots, and check that this also matches colours within the lengths.

Step 2

Starting from your selected base shade, slowly work your way through your colour rings, holding up each shade one by one, keeping hold of those which make a nice match.

Step 3

For a well blended set of hair extensions, we would recommend a minium of 3 shades, your base shade, plus to others in order for the finsihed look to be natural and not at all stripy.

Step 4

Take a picture of your clients hair during the consultation so that you can easily refer back to it if you have any concerns when ordering the hair. Top tip: In order to create a beautiful blend, we would recommend using some mixed tone hair extensions, as these will offer even greater depth to your colour matching. Image provided by Flawless Hair Extensions with thanks.

How Many Of Each Hair Extension Colour Should I Order?

This will depend on your individual client, however we would recommend a 8 packs of hair for a full head. For the above example, a breakdown of the following colours would be suggested:
  • 3 x #8 (base shade)
  • 2 x #16
  • 2 x #6/16
  • 1 x #8/22
If you are unsure about the amount of each colour to purchase, we would advise to purchase more than you think you will need. As long as the hair is kept in its original bands, it can easily be returned for a refund/exchange, or you can keep it behind for your client's maintenance appointment. This way you will not have to worry about running out of a certain colour, and can be confident that you will create a beautiful finished result.

Preparation Is Key When Colour Matching Mixed Blondes

You can never be too prepared with mixed blonde hair. Always take your time, always check every aspect of the hair, and always buy more hair than you require. As a technician you will easily be able to transfer remaining hair to another client, and it is far less stressful than running out of a colour mid-application, or realising you have misjudged the tone of your clients hair.[

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