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Compare an extension color swatch

Compare a physical extension sample with your dry hair in daylight and indoor light before choosing a shade.

Step by step

  1. An adult holds a physical extension sample underneath dry mid-lengths beside a window.
    STEP 1 OF 3

    Compare the sample in daylight

    • Sit near a window with a fixed mirror. Lift a small layer of dry hair and hold the sample by its tab underneath your mid-lengths and ends.
    • Let your own hair fall over the sample. Look at the overlap: does the sample look lighter, darker, more golden or more reddish than your hair?
  2. A woman holds the same extension sample beneath her dry hair while checking it in a fixed mirror under indoor room lighting.
    STEP 2 OF 3

    Repeat in your usual indoor light

    • Take the sample to the room where you usually get ready or spend time. Use its normal lighting and a fixed mirror.
    • Hold the same sample beneath the same section, with your own hair over it. Check whether the difference you noticed in daylight becomes more or less obvious.
  3. An adult writes a comparison note with the removed sample resting on the table.
    STEP 3 OF 3

    Set it down and note the shade

    • Lift your own hair clear and ease the loose sample away. Set it on the table without dragging it through your hair.
    • Note the shade code and where it blended or looked different. For example: “Close in daylight, but too golden under my room light.”
    • If you are still unsure, ask the seller for matching help and follow its photo instructions. Use unfiltered photos to support your in-person check.

About 3–8 minutes for one shade in two kinds of light and a short note. Allow more time for several samples.

Editorial estimate, not measured. Moving between rooms or comparing several shades adds time.

You’re done when…

You have checked the same shade beneath your hair in daylight and room light, and know whether you want that shade, another sample or help comparing them.