Color is where most first-time buyers hesitate — and that is understandable. Choose too dark and the system looks heavy; too light and it will not blend with your own hair. The good news: there is a straightforward system behind it, and grey is part of the plan, not a problem.
How color codes work
Most hair systems use a standard numbering scale. At one end is #1 (jet black) and #1B (off-black — which is what most naturally black hair actually is). As the numbers rise, the shades step through dark brown, medium brown, and into lighter browns and blondes. The exact shade can vary slightly between products, which is why matching tools exist.
Grey is built in, not an afterthought
Most stock systems let you choose a grey percentage: the share of grey hair blended into your base color, often anywhere from 5% up to 80% or more. This matters because grey rarely spreads evenly — many people are greyer at the temples than on top. Matching your grey percentage to what is actually happening in your own hair is one of the biggest factors in a system reading as your hair rather than as something added. If you are between two percentages, the lower one is usually the safer pick: a touch less grey reads subtler than a touch too much.
Using a color ring or chart
A color ring is a set of numbered hair swatches you can hold directly against your own hair. It is the most reliable way to match because it removes screen guesswork — phone and monitor photos shift colors. Hold the swatches against your hair at the sides and back, since that is what the system has to blend with, in daylight near a window rather than under bathroom lighting. Our color ring covers 55 shades and is the same reference our product colors use, so the code you pick is the code you get.
If you do not have a ring
Work from the hair you have. Match to your side and back hair, not the hair on top that the system will cover. Take a photo of your hair from the side in natural light and compare it with product photos. And when you are truly between two shades, choose the one closer to your own hair's current tone.
A simple shade strategy
On your first order: base color first, grey percentage second. Get those two right and you are most of the way there. Keep a note of the code that worked for you — reordering the same shade later is then a ten-second decision.
You will find the color options listed on every system in our Men's Stock Hair Systems collection.