Hair Extensions, Salon Memo, SHE, Tools, Tutorial
Color Matching Your SHE Hair Extensions
Oct
October is a month of many colors, with clients changing their hair color as much as the leaves change color for the fall. With these changes comes the need to find just the right hair extension colors for your clients. Color matching isn’t as simple as looking at a flat photograph or holding a color sample up to your client’s hair, as that can potentially lead to mismatched undertones or to your client’s extensions standing out for the wrong reasons. Here we’ll break down some of the important steps to finding the perfect match for your clients.
DETERMINE YOUR CLIENT’S NATURAL SHADE
In order to determine your client’s natural shade, it’s important to view their hair in the proper light. Interior lighting may mute the hair’s natural undertones and some of the subtleties in the color. A shade of brown may contain slight auburn hints under sunlight that might not be apparent in the lighting of the salon.
Some tips to determine just the right tone include:
-Examining hair in natural daylight as well as inside
-Holding a section of hair against a neutral gray background
-Examining the roots for subtle changes from roots to ends, especially if your client’s hair has been dyed
MIND THE UNDERTONES
Paying close attention to undertones in both hair and skin tone is important to finding the proper color match. Undertones impact how a client’s hair appears under different types of light and if their extensions are mismatched, they’ll stand out in certain lighting conditions. For a seamless blend with your client’s natural hair and skin tone it’s important to identify their undertones.
Some tips for finding your client’s hair and skin undertones include:
-Examine jewelry on your client; if gold is more flattering then they have warm undertones, while if silver looks better then they have cooler undertones
-Use a white sheet of paper; if their skin appears pinkish or lighter then they have cooler undertones, while if it appears more yellow then they have warmer undertones
A STEP-BY-STEP BREAKDOWN
To achieve consistent and accurate results with every client, here is a step-by-step breakdown of how to find the perfect color match:
-Take clear, quality photos of your client’s hair in natural daylight from several angles
-Use a neutral background to avoid distortion of colors
-Compare color swatches to different hair sections
-Narrow down the choices that don’t match the undertones or appear too light or dark
-Test the final swatch against your client’s hair in both indoor and outdoor light
