Hair Extension Colours & Colour Code Guide
Hair colour is a language. Depth is the base. Reflection is the emotion. Transition is the signature. This guide explains how Sach & Vogue Hair reads colour codes, custom balayage formulas, ombre transitions, highlights and professional hair extension colour combinations.
COLOUR LANGUAGE
Hair colour is not only a shade. It is a formula.
A natural-looking hair extension colour depends on root depth, undertone, reflection, transition level, end tone and how the final result should blend with the client’s own hair.
DEPTH
The number before the dot
The first number explains how dark or light the colour is. The smaller the number, the darker the colour. 1 is black; 10 is light blonde.
REFLECTION
The numbers after the dot
The numbers after the dot describe the reflection: ash, violet, golden, copper, mahogany or red. The first reflection is dominant; the second is softer.
TRANSITION
The formula from root to end
A custom colour may use several codes. One code can represent the root, another the body, another the transition and another the final visible end tone.
DEPTH SCALE
Professional hair colour depth scale.
The number before the dot describes the colour depth. Smaller numbers are darker; higher numbers are lighter.
REFLECTION CODES
How undertones are written after the dot.
In professional colour reading, the dot separates the depth from the reflection. The first number after the dot is the dominant reflection.
.1 Ash / Cool
Used to reduce warmth and create a cooler, softer, more muted colour direction.
.2 Iridescent / Violet
Violet reflection helps soften yellow warmth and supports pearl or cool blonde effects.
.3 Doré / Golden
A warm golden reflection used for honey, caramel, beach blonde and sunlit tones.
.4 Copper
Used for copper, ginger, Irish copper and warm red-copper colour directions.
.5 Mahogany / Bordeaux
Creates a darker red, mahogany or plum-bordeaux reflection.
.6 Intense Red
Pure intense red reflection without copper, brown or bordeaux character.
Example: 6.31 means depth 6 dark kumral, with dominant .3 doré warmth and a softer .1 ash reflection. 6.66 means intense red at depth 6. If a 0 appears before a reflection number, it indicates a stronger and more dominant reflection.
How to read a Sach & Vogue Hair colour formula
A multi-code hair extension formula explains how the final colour is built from root to end. This is especially important for balayage, ombre, highlight and 1/3 shadow-root formulas.
Root #6.44
Overall base or root direction. Deep copper warmth at dark kumral depth.
Body #6.44
Main body tone that keeps the result connected to the root.
Transition #8
Soft toffee transition used to open the colour without harsh contrast.
End Tone #130
Visible dark copper reflection through the ends and brighter pieces.
Placement 1/3
Some lighter pieces start 15–20 cm below the root for a grown-out shadow effect.
Example: #6.44 – #6.44 – #8 – #130 / 1/3 Maple Velvet Ombre & Balayage describes a deeper copper root, copper body, toffee transition and dark copper end tone. The 1/3 notation means some brighter sections begin lower down the hair, creating a more natural, asymmetric, grown-out root effect.
MARKET SHADES
Why #60, #61 and #613 are not the same blonde.
Some hair extension colour numbers have been used internationally for many years. We keep these familiar market references, but we also explain their real tonal behaviour.
#60 / #61
Vanilla Blonde and Icy Ash Blonde
#60 is a very light vanilla blonde direction. At Sach & Vogue Hair, #61 is used as a cooler icy ash interpretation of this light blonde family.
Many clients ask for very pale #60 blonde, but not every donor hair can safely lift to this level without quality risk.
#613
Beach Blonde
#613 is an international blonde shade with a warmer doré reflection. In many cases, it represents hair lifted to its maximum safe lightening level without being pushed further into colder platinum.
When #60 is not safely available, #613 can sometimes be softened with violet pigment to reduce warmth; this cool effect may fade after washing, but it is often better than over-processing the hair.
Very pale, near-white platinum blonde is difficult because the client wants the hair very bright, but also soft and healthy. The best result usually comes from naturally lighter donor hair that can lift easily. This hair is rare, which is why very pale platinum, ice blonde and near-white blonde extensions are often more expensive.
CORE LIBRARY
Sach & Vogue Hair colour families.
The library is organised by colour behaviour: natural bases, neutral tones, ash and cool shades, blondes, copper-red colours, creative colours and technical blend categories.
NATURAL BASE COLOURS
Black, espresso, brown and warm base tones.
Used to define the client’s natural depth and main brunette direction. These colours are the foundation for full colour, brunette, balayage and ombre orders.
#1 Jet Black
Intense, sharp, glossy black.
#1B Natural Black
Softer natural black, less harsh than jet black.
#2 Dark Espresso
Deep espresso brown for very dark brunette clients.
#3 Espresso
Hair extension colour code; deep espresso brunette tone.
#4 Chocolate Brown
Rich chocolate brunette with natural warmth.
#6 Chestnut Brown
Chestnut brunette with soft wearable warmth.
#7 Almond Auburn
Warm almond-auburn brown direction.
#8 Toffee
Toffee-toned warm light brown / dark blonde transition.
#10 Brown Sugar
Soft brown sugar warmth for caramel blends.
#12 Golden Brown
Golden brunette with sunlit warmth.
#16 Strawberry Blonde
Warm strawberry blonde-copper direction.
#532 Almond Brown
Almond brown for soft brunette ombre and blends.
NEUTRAL COLOURS
Balanced tones for clean blending.
Neutral colours are used when the result should not look too warm or too ash. They work well as bridge colours in balayage, ombre and natural root formulas.
#4N Brown
Neutral brown base for natural brunette blending.
#5N Light Brown
Neutral light brown for softer root transitions.
#6N Dark Blonde
Neutral dark blonde / brown-blonde bridge tone.
#7N Medium Blonde
Neutral medium blonde for natural colour movement.
#8N Light Blonde
Natural light blonde used in soft blonde blends.
ASH & COOL COLOURS
Cool brunette, ash blonde and Slavic ash tones.
Ash colours reduce warmth and create a cooler, softer, more muted finish. They are essential for ash brown, ash blonde, beige blonde and Scandinavian-inspired blends.
#4.1 Dark Ash Brown
Dark brunette with cool ash reflection.
#5.1 Light Ash Brown
Cool light brown; ideal for muted brunette blends.
#6.1 Dark Ash Blonde
Cool dark blonde / ash kumral direction.
#7.1 Medium Ash Blonde
Medium blonde-brown with ash reflection.
#8.1 Light Ash Blonde
Cool light blonde for soft ash blonde blends.
#14 Dark Ash Blonde
Deeper ash blonde root or transition colour.
#5A Slavic Ash Dark Brown
Slavic ash brunette depth.
#6A Slavic Ash Light Brown
Soft ash brown often used in ash ombre formulas.
#7A Slavic Ash Brown
Cool brown-blonde direction for ash blends.
#8A Slavic Ash Blonde
Ash blonde transition for cool balayage and highlights.
BLONDE, PLATINUM & SILVER
Vanilla, beach, ice, pearl and silver tones.
This family includes the most requested blonde shades: #60, #61, #613, #101, #1013, #9010 and #7001. These colours require careful quality control because very light blonde hair can be more fragile.
#60 Vanilla Creme Blonde
Very light vanilla blonde / pale platinum direction.
#61 Icy Ash Blonde
Cooler icy ash interpretation of the light blonde family.
#613 Beach Blonde
Warm doré blonde; often the maximum safe lift level.
#101 Swiss Butter Cream
Soft pearl-cream blonde for luxury blonde blends.
#1013 Oyster White
Oyster-white blonde with pearl brightness.
#103N Golden Platinum Blonde
Light platinum blonde with golden warmth.
#9010 Siberian Blonde
Extra light cool blonde / pale ice direction.
#7001 Silver Grey
Cool silver-grey tone for pale grey matching.
#4008 Silver Lilac
Silver-lilac fashion blonde effect.
#Silver
Clean silver tone for grey and creative blends.
COPPER, AUBURN & RED
Ginger, copper, fiery red and plum shades.
Copper and red colours require strong tonal harmony. They are used for warm copper blends, auburn depth, fiery red effects and custom editorial colour formulas.
#30 Ginger Caramel
Warm ginger-caramel tone.
#33 Dark Auburn
Deep auburn brown-red direction.
#99J Dark Plum
Dark plum / bordeaux red tone.
#130 Dark Copper
Market-established dark copper shade.
#350 Dark Red Copper
Deep red-copper shade.
#6.44 Irish Deep Copper
Deep copper at dark kumral depth.
#7.44 Irish Ginger
Medium ginger-copper warmth.
#8.44 Irish Copper
Lighter Irish copper reflection.
#6.66 Dark Fiery Red
Intense red at depth 6.
#7.66 Medium Fiery Red
Intense medium red direction.
#8.66 Light Fiery Red
Bright intense red at lighter depth.
#6.46 Scotty Dark Red
Dark copper-red direction.
FASHION & CREATIVE COLOURS
Editorial colour work.
Creative colours are used for fashion, editorial, contrast and special order work. These shades should be separated from natural hair colour families in the catalogue.
#Red
Creative red tone.
#Orange
Bright creative orange.
#Yellow
Creative yellow accent colour.
#Green
Editorial green colour direction.
#Blue
Creative blue tone.
#Lila Purple
Purple-lilac creative colour.
#Light Lilac
Soft pastel lilac tone.
#Light Pink
Soft pastel pink tone.
#Light Turquoise
Light turquoise creative shade.
#Dark Turquoise
Deep turquoise creative shade.
TECHNICAL COLOUR CATEGORIES
Balayage, highlight and ombre are classified by placement and contrast.
The same colour codes can create different results depending on where the colour starts, how much root depth is used and whether the lighter tones are soft or high-contrast.
BALAYAGE
Soft tonal blending
Balayage is used when the colour transition is soft and natural. Mid-depth shades such as #5, #6, #7 and #8 create a gentle salon blend without strong contrast.
HIGHLIGHT
Visible brightness
When a dark or medium base is combined with ultra-light tones such as #60, #61, #101, #613, #7001 or #9010, the result is classified as highlight because the contrast is stronger.
OMBRE
Darker root, lighter ends
Ombre creates a more visible shift from the root to the ends. It is ideal for deeper root softness with brighter or warmer length.
FORMULA EXAMPLES
Selected Sach & Vogue Hair custom colour formulas.
These examples show how the catalogue separates balayage, highlight, ombre, ombre & balayage, ombre & highlight and 1/3 shadow-root formulas.
Balayage
#1B - #6 - #8N Caramel Mocha Balayage
Dark natural root with brown and light blonde warmth for a soft caramel mocha result.
Balayage
#1B - #7N - #8N Mocha Balayage
Natural black base softened with neutral blonde-brown and light blonde tones.
Balayage
#4N - #7N Cuba Balayage
Neutral brown root with medium blonde movement for soft brunette dimension.
Highlight
#101 - #60 London Bleach Highlight
Light pearl and vanilla blonde contrast for a bright highlighted blonde result.
Highlight
#14 - #60 Paris Blonde Highlight
Highlight process starting from the roots with #14 and #60 blended brightness.
Highlight
#7A - #60 Harper Blonde Highlight
Cool ash brown base with visible pale blonde contrast.
Ombre
#1B - #4 Hot Espresso Ombre
Natural black root moving into chocolate brown espresso length.
Ombre
#1B - #613 Polynesian Pearls Ombre
Deep natural root with warm beach blonde ends.
Ombre
#6 - #60 Vanilla Bean Blend Ombre
Chestnut brown / dark blonde root fading into very light vanilla blonde.
Ombre & Balayage
#1B - #4 - #7N Havana Brown
Deep root, chocolate body and neutral blonde-brown movement.
Ombre & Balayage
#5N - #7N - #8N Tuscan Latte
Neutral light brown into medium and light blonde for soft latte dimension.
Ombre & Highlight
#4 - #7A - #60 Champagne Silk
Brown root with ash brown transition and bright pale blonde highlight effect.
Ombre & Highlight
#14 - #60 Paris Blonde Ombre & Highlight
#14 ombre root with #14 and #60 highlighted lengths and ends. This is separate from Paris Blonde Highlight.
1/3 Shadow Root
#5.1 - #7A - #101 - #60 Beverly Hills Blonde
Cool brown root, ash transition and bright blonde pieces with a deeper 1/3 grown-out root effect.
1/3 Shadow Root
#801 - #60 - #60 Moscow Beauty
Sandy blonde base with pale blonde movement starting lower on selected sections.
Copper Formula
#6.44 - #6.44 - #8 - #130 Maple Velvet
Deep copper base, toffee transition and dark copper end tone for warm luxury copper blending.
Important catalogue rule: the same number does not always mean the same record. For example, #3 Espresso is a hair extension colour code, while #3 Dark Brown can refer to a Syript Italian keratin roll colour. Product type, technique, root structure and operational meaning must be checked before merging records.
PROFESSIONAL ORDER LANGUAGE
A single colour is not always enough.
Many natural-looking results are not created with one colour. They are built with a base, a root direction, a transition, a visible end tone and sometimes a 1/3 shadow-root structure.
For clients
Describe the final look
You can send your desired direction: dark root, soft balayage, ash blonde, ice blonde, beach blonde, warm copper, silver grey or natural brunette.
For salons
Send the formula
Professionals can send the root depth, transition level, end tone, gram amount, method and formula such as #6.44 - #6.44 - #8 - #130 / 1/3.
For production
Check the operational meaning
Before production, we review whether the record is a hair colour, keratin roll colour, balayage, highlight, ombre or ombre & highlight variation.
A perfect colour match is not only about choosing a shade. It is about understanding depth, reflection, transition and how the hair will move in real life.
Why photos can change hair colour
Hair colour can look different under ring light, daylight, salon lighting, warm indoor light, shadow, phone camera processing and direct sun. Wet hair can also look darker than dry hair.
This is why professional colour matching should not depend on one photo alone. For custom hair extension orders, we review the natural root colour, mid-length colour, end tone, desired result and whether the final look should be natural, balayage, ombre, highlighted, rooted blonde, copper, silver or platinum.
How do I choose the right hair extension colour?
Start with your natural root colour, then identify the mid-length and end tone. If your hair has balayage, ombre or highlights, a multi-code formula is usually more accurate than a single colour code.
What is the difference between ash blonde and beige blonde?
Ash blonde is cooler and helps reduce yellow warmth. Beige blonde is softer and more neutral, creating a creamy luxury blonde effect without becoming too cold.
Is #60 the same as #613?
No. #60 is a very light vanilla blonde direction, while #613 Beach Blonde has a warmer doré reflection. #613 is often the maximum safe lift level before risking hair quality.
Why is very pale platinum blonde more expensive?
Very pale platinum and near-white blonde hair usually requires naturally lighter donor hair that can lift safely. This type of donor hair is rare, and maintaining both brightness and quality is difficult.
What does 1/3 mean in a colour formula?
1/3 means some lighter sections begin approximately 15–20 cm below the root instead of starting near the top. This creates a deeper, more natural grown-out root effect.
Can I send my own colour formula?
Yes. You can send a formula such as #6.44 - #6.44 - #8 - #130 / 1/3, or describe the result with photos. Our team will review the colour logic before production.
Not sure which colour belongs to your hair?
Send your natural hair photo, desired result, length, gram amount and colour direction. Our team will review the most suitable colour match before production.