Start with single-donor raw virgin human hair, then make the color and style your own. Natural Color is the original, uncolored base you can professionally lighten to very light blonde, tone, color and heat style.
Prefer a lighter start? Our #60, #1001 and #1001A shades are made from that same raw virgin base and professionally pre-lightened for you. Each gives your colorist a specific starting shade for the next step.
Plan the finish before choosing a formula
Give your colorist a reference for the depth, tone and style you want. A warm brunette, a cool blonde and a vivid shade can call for different starting points. Color deposited over a light base can also behave differently from color applied to Natural Color.
Natural Color can be professionally lightened to a very light blonde base, then toned for a platinum-style finish or customized with color. Bring #60, #1001 or #1001A as your target reference. Your colorist can use a strand test to plan the lift, toner and processing approach, then check the dried result before coloring the full set.
Use a small section to preview the result
- Use the actual hair. Take a small test section from the extensions you intend to color. Match the exact starting shade; do not use #60 as a stand-in for #1001A or test a different bundle and assume it will respond identically.
- Record the starting point. Look at the color in consistent light. Note any earlier color or heat styling so your colorist can account for it.
- Test the intended approach. Have your colorist use the planned product and follow its mixing, processing and handling instructions. Protect the weft edge, tips and other attachments during the service.
- Check color and condition. Rinse, care for and dry the section before judging the finished color. Check how it combs and feels, as well as whether the tone is right.
- Build the full service from that result. Use what the section shows to refine the plan. Record the formula and result for future reference instead of relying on a filtered photo or a universal recipe.
Work with a pre-lightened base thoughtfully
Our blonde shades are made from single-donor raw virgin hair and professionally pre-lightened, so the finished blonde has already been color-processed. A professional can tone or recolor the actual shade for your custom finish. If the plan includes further lightening, strand-test that hair before taking the next step.
The test is useful for darker color too. Lightened hair can pick up pigment differently along its length, so a small section can help you see how the ends and the rest of the hair accept the formula.
Style the lengths and protect the attachments
For a sleek finish or a heat-created wave, start with dry hair, use a heat protectant and choose the lowest effective tool setting. Work in sections and keep direct heat away from the weft seam, beads and pre-bonded tips.
For a layered cut or a new shape, plan the blend with the hair installed as intended. Color, cutting and styling work together; the same extensions can read differently with a new part or finish.
Keep strength and lasting wear in the plan
We select for premium strength, natural movement and long-lasting wear with proper care. Color and styling should work with that hair: plan color work with your stylist and condition the lengths between services.
Detangle gently, care for the attachment and protect the lengths from unnecessary heat. The finish you create and the routine you keep work together over time.
Keep the test useful
A hair strand test previews color and condition. It does not replace the color product maker’s allergy-test instructions for products used on a person. Follow those directions separately.
Choose your starting shade, bring a clear reference and give the test section time to show the dried result. That turns a broad idea into a color and styling plan for your own look.
Further reading: Wella: what a strand test checks