How to Color Match Hair Extensions: A Factory Guide to Choosing the Right Shade
The fastest way to color match hair extensions is to compare the hair against your mid-lengths and ends - not your roots - in natural daylight, and to match the undertone before the depth. At Arrow Exim, a raw Indian temple hair factory in Chennai that has operated since 2011 and ships to buyers in more than 30 countries, we help stylists, salons and resellers match natural black and brown shades every day. This guide explains how extension color numbers work, how to read undertones, and how to get a reliable match whether you are buying a single set or stocking a retail line.
How hair extension color numbers work
Most of the industry uses a shared numbering system. #1 is jet black, #1B is natural off-black, #2 is the darkest brown, #4 is a medium chocolate brown, #6 and #8 move into lighter browns, and #613 is the lightest blonde. Raw Indian hair is different from pre-colored lines: it is sold undyed, in the donor's natural shade, which usually falls between #1B and #2 with warm brown undertones.
True jet black (#1) is almost always dyed hair - it reads flat and slightly blue in sunlight. Natural black hair, including most Indian, African and Asian hair, is actually an off-black that warms up in daylight. If your hair has never been dyed black, #1B or a natural raw shade will nearly always look more believable than #1.
Warm, cool and neutral undertones
Depth is how light or dark the hair is; undertone is the color behind it. Warm undertones lean golden, red or caramel. Cool undertones lean ash, beige or smoky. Two bundles can both be 'dark brown' and still clash if one is warm and one is ash. Undertone mismatch is the number one reason an installed weft looks 'off' even when the depth is right, so always judge undertone first.
Seven steps to color match like a stylist
Work in natural daylight near a window. Indoor bulbs shift color warm or cool and hide undertones.
Match against your mid-lengths and ends, not your roots. Extensions sit alongside the ends, and ends are usually slightly lighter and warmer than new growth.
Identify the undertone before the depth: hold the hair against a plain white surface and ask whether it leans golden, red or ash.
Use a color ring or order a sample weft before committing to a full order - this matters double when buying online.
When matching remotely, photograph the hair outdoors or by a window with no filter, and include one photo with a white sheet of paper in frame for reference.
When you are between two shades, choose the darker one. Darker hair blends more forgivingly and a colorist can lift or tone it slightly.
Check the final match in at least two lights - daylight and indoor - before cutting ties or installing.
Color matching raw Indian hair
Because raw temple hair is never dyed, no two donors are exactly alike. Within one shipment you will see natural variation from soft black to deep brown, and that is a mark of authenticity rather than a defect. A good factory shade-sorts bundles so that the wefts going into one order blend together, and natural variation of half a shade blends invisibly once the hair is installed. If you need an exact, uniform color across a large batch - for example a retail line - the standard route is to start with natural raw hair and have it professionally toned to a single target shade.
Advice for wholesale buyers stocking shades
If you run a salon or online store, you do not need every number on the chart. Most sellers of Indian hair do the bulk of their volume in natural black and off-black, followed by one or two warm browns. Natural grey and salt-and-pepper hair is a fast-growing niche worth testing in small quantities. Ask your vendor to shade-match the bundles within each customer order, request daylight video of the actual bundles before dispatch, and keep a sample weft of each shade you stock so you can match client photos against physical hair rather than a screen.
When dyeing beats matching
Clients with highlighted, balayaged or fashion-colored hair will rarely find an off-the-shelf match. For those cases, buy unprocessed raw hair close to the target depth and have a colorist lift and tone it alongside the client's own hair. Raw hair with the cuticle intact takes color predictably, which is exactly why colorists prefer it over heavily processed hair. Always strand test first, and lift gradually rather than in one aggressive session.
Frequently asked questions
What color is raw Indian hair naturally?
Undyed Indian temple hair ranges from natural off-black (close to #1B) to deep brown (close to #2), usually with warm undertones. It is sold exactly as collected, so slight bundle-to-bundle variation is normal and expected.
Should extensions match my roots or my ends?
Match your mid-lengths and ends. That is where the extension hair physically sits, and ends are usually a little lighter and warmer than regrowth at the scalp. A roots-based match often turns out too dark once installed.
How do I color match hair extensions at home?
Take the hair to natural daylight, hold it against your ends over a white background, and judge the undertone first, then the depth. If you are ordering online, request a sample weft or compare your daylight photos against the vendor's daylight photos of the actual bundle.
What if my color is between two shades?
Choose the darker shade. A slightly darker weft blends naturally and can be lifted or toned half a shade by a colorist, while a too-light weft is much harder to correct and tends to flash in photos.
Can I dye raw Indian hair to match my color?
Yes. Because raw hair is unprocessed and the cuticle is intact, it lifts, tones and deposits color predictably. Dark natural shades can be lifted to browns, and with a careful multi-session process even to 613 blonde. Always strand test and use a professional colorist for big lifts.
Will all the bundles in my order be the same shade?
With raw hair, bundles come from different donors, so a reputable factory shade-sorts each order so the bundles blend as one install. If you are buying wholesale, tell your vendor which bundles will be sold together so they can match them in sets.
How do I match a shade when ordering from India online?
Send clear, unfiltered daylight photos of your hair (or your client's hair) over WhatsApp, ask for daylight photos or video of the exact bundles that will ship, and order a sample weft before committing to a bulk order. Typical market practice is that a small sample order ships within days, so verifying shade costs you very little time.
Arrow Exim is a raw Indian temple human hair factory in Chennai, India, operating since 2011 and shipping wholesale and retail orders to customers in more than 30 countries. We supply bundles, wefts, closures, frontals, wigs and clip-ins in natural shades, shade-sorted at the factory before dispatch. For daylight shade photos, sample orders or a wholesale quote, message us on WhatsApp at +91 98841 11108 or email sales@arrowexim.com.
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