How To Colour Match Mixed Brunettes

Mixed brunette clients are lovely clients to have. With a mix of chocolaty browns, warm hues and honey shades, a full set of mixed brown hair extensions can look stunning, however to achieve this it is key to nail the colour match so that the colours blend perfectly. Like mixed blondes, mixed browns can be quite a challenge in terms of finding the perfect mix of colours, especially to those starting in the industry. This needn’t be a concern – once you acquire the knowledge and know how to achieve this colour with hair extensions it is actually relatively easy.

Selecting Colours For Mixed Brunette Hair Extensions

SimplyHair Colour RingThe first thing you will need to do when colour matching mixed brunette is select their base colour, this will be the most dominant shade, which is most likely to be their natural colour or a very close shade to their natural colour. Once you have selected your base shade, slowly add in lighter shades of brown. You will find that whilst they appear brown when looked at on their own, some of the brown shades can actually appear quite light and ‘blonde like’ against the darker browns. One of the key pieces of information to remember when colour matching mixed brunettes is not to be tempted to look straight to the blonde section of your colour ring when picking out the highlights. This is a common mistake that is made when matching mixed brunettes, which can result in a very uneven and unnatural looking set of extensions, so step away from the blonde and head back towards the brunette end of your colour ring.

Mixed Shade Hair Extensions

At SimplyHair, we stock a range of beautiful mixed shade hair extensions which make matching mixed brunettes super easy. Whether your client has low light, highlights, or just a large variation of tone in their hair, you will be able to find a suitable shade to match using our colour ring. Unlike many other mixed shade hair extensions, ours have been created using a soft blend technique, which means the 2 colours which have been blended together do not look stripy but are fully intertwined with one another. This creates a far more natural look for the client, and makes colour matching even the most complicated clients a breeze.

Colour Matching Hair Extensions

Here we have a wonderful example of some beautifully blended SimplyHair extensions for a complex mixed brunette client, provided to us by one of our wonderfully talented customers. In this example, the client has a complex mix of brunette shades that would not be suited to a set of one shaded hair extensions, therefore it is essential to mix a few different colours to achieve this flawless finish.

Step 1

In order to colour match this client, we would first need to establish our base shade. This is most commonly the most dominate colour in the hair, and is usually the client's natural shade. As a starting point, colour match the roots of the hair, and then hold this against the lengths. For this example, our base shade would be a #6.

Step 2

Now that the base shade has been identified, you can use your colour ring to identify all of the other tones visible. Take your base shade (colour #6 in this example), and slowly working your way through your ring, comparing each shade as the colours get lighter e.g. #6/16, then #8, then 8/22, then #14 and so on.

Step 3

Once you have identified all of the colours visible in the hair, make a note of these and the amount of each you will need to purchase. Commonly you would purchase slightly more of the base colour, and then 1 or 2 bundles of each additional shade.

Step 4

Take a picture of the hair to refer back to when you are at home ordering the extensions for your client, in case you forget or for some extra reassurance. SimplyHair recommends 8 packs of hair for the average set of hair extensions, therefore as a guide for this particular client we would purchase:
  • 4 x #6 (base shade)
  • 2 x #6/16
  • 1 x #8
  • 1 x #14

Take Your Time When Colour Matching Hair Extensions

When colour matching you should always remember that this is not a race, and taking your time to really analyse the hair will result in a perfect colour match every time. Some clients will take longer than others, however with enough practice you will become a pro at matching hair colour in no time. Just follow these basic steps and you will achieve the natural looking set of hair extensions your mixed brunette client has dreamed of.

How Will I Know How Much Hair To Purchase In Each Colour?

This will come with experience, however if you have a particularly difficult client with a hair colour you just can’t make your mind up on, it is always better to purchase too much hair than to take a gamble and end up without enough. Although you will almost definitely have too much hair , you will not struggle with the colour match and can take your time with the client in the comfort that you have more than enough hair than you need. Hair you do not use can easily be transferred to a new client, saved behind for maintenance appointments, or if unopened returned to the supplier for a refund. Find out more the importance of maintenance for hair extensions.

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