Hair Color Mixing Ratio Calculator
Most permanent hair color mixes 1:1 with developer — 60 g of color to 60 g of developer. The exceptions are what ruin a service: L'Oréal Majirel and Alfaparf Evolution mix 1:1.5, Wella Color Touch and high-lift blondes mix 1:2, and Goldwell Colorance is written 2:1 lotion-first, which is 1:2 read color-first. Pick your line below for the exact ratio, developer and processing time.
Work out the developer
Wella Koleston Perfect mixes 1:1. For 60 g of color, use 60 g of developer — a total of 120 g.
Mix with Welloxon Perfect — 10 vol tone-on-tone, 20 vol gray or 1 level, 30–40 vol lift. Processing time 30–45 min.
Grams in, grams out. Every ratio here is stated by the manufacturer in parts, so the unit is whatever you weigh in — the arithmetic is the same for millilitres.
Mixing ratio by color line
Every ratio is written color-first: 1:2 means one part color to two parts developer.
| Line | Type | Ratio (color : developer) | Developer | Time |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wella Koleston Perfect | Permanent | 1:1 | Welloxon Perfect — 10 vol tone-on-tone, 20 vol gray or 1 level, 30–40 vol lift | 30–45 min |
| Wella Illumina Color | Permanent | 1:1 | Koleston or Color Touch developers | 30–35 min |
| Wella Color Touch | Demi-permanent | 1:2 | Color Touch Emulsion 6 vol (1.9%) or 13 vol (4%)A demi-permanent with its own oxidant, not a thinner Koleston. The ratio is fixed at 1:2; the emulsion strength is what you change. | 20 min |
| L'Oréal Professionnel Majirel | Permanent | 1:1.5 | Oxydant crème — 50 ml color to 75 ml developer | 35 min |
| L'Oréal Professionnel INOA | Permanent, ammonia-free | 1:1 | INOA Rich oxidant ONLYL'Oréal marks the INOA oxidant as not interchangeable. The simplest ratio on this list carries its hardest constraint. | 35 min |
| L'Oréal Professionnel Dia Light | Acidic demi | 1:1.5 | Dia activator 6 or 9 vol | 20 min |
| Redken Shades EQ Gloss | Acidic demi / gloss | 1:1 | Shades EQ Processing Solution (2%)Processing Solution is an acidic 2% solution that holds the system's pH and viscosity. It is part of the system, not a developer chosen for strength — a standard alkaline cream developer at the same volume is not a substitute. | 20 min · up to 40 min on gray |
| Schwarzkopf Igora Royal | Permanent | 1:1 | Igora developer — 3% darker, 6% tone-on-tone or coverage, 9% 1–2 levels, 12% 2–3 levelsThe ratio never changes. The developer percentage does, and Schwarzkopf maps it explicitly. | 30–45 min |
| Goldwell Topchic | Permanent | 1:1 | Topchic Lotion 3% / 6% / 9% / 12% | 30–45 min |
| Goldwell Colorance | Demi-permanent | 1:2 | Colorance LotionGoldwell writes this one lotion-first as 2:1 — two parts Colorance Lotion to one part color, or 40 ml lotion to 20 ml color. Read color-first it is 1:2. It is the only major line here that reverses the usual direction, and reading it the usual way inverts the mix. | 20–30 min |
| Matrix SoColor (Blended, Extra Coverage, DreamAge, Reflect) | Permanent | 1:1 | Matrix Cream Developer 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 vol | 30–45 min |
| Matrix SoColor 10 Minute | Permanent | 1:1 | 20 vol (6%) | 10 min |
| Matrix SoColor Sync | Demi-permanent | 1:1 | 10 vol (3%) only | 20 min |
| Matrix SoColor Ultra Blonde | High lift | 1:2 | 30 vol (9%) to neutralize · 40 vol (12%) for maximum liftNot intermixable with other SoColor shades. On-scalp application caps the developer at 30 vol. | 50 min |
| Alfaparf Milano Evolution of the Color | Permanent | 1:1.5 | Oxid'o 10 / 20 / 30 / 40 vol — 60 g color to 90 mlThe 1:1.5 belongs to this permanent, not to the brand — almost everything else Alfaparf makes mixes 1:2. | 35 min |
| Alfaparf Milano Platinum | High lift | 1:2 | Oxid'o 40 vol (12%) only | 50–55 min |
| Revlon Professional Revlonissimo Colorsmetique | Permanent | 1:1.5 | Revlon activatorConfirm against your regional instruction sheet — Revlon's stated ratio varies by market more than the other lines here. | 35 min |
How do you calculate a hair color mixing ratio?
Read the ratio color-first and multiply. At 1:1, 60 g of color takes 60 g of developer. At 1:1.5, the same 60 g takes 90 ml. At 1:2 it takes 120 g. The first number is always your color; the second is what you add to it. Total bowl weight is the two added together, which is what decides whether you have mixed enough for the head in front of you.
The ratio is a property of the line, not of the shade or the developer volume. Changing from 20 to 30 volume changes how much lift you get; it does not change how much developer goes in the bowl. The one thing that does change the ratio is switching product line — which is why the table above is organised by line rather than by brand.
How we sourced this
Every figure on this page is transcribed from the tables in our brand articles, which were compiled from manufacturer technical documentation and are dated in each article. Nothing here is inferred, interpolated or averaged: a line either has a ratio stated in a manufacturer document, or it is not on this page. Where a manufacturer's own wording disagrees with the convention used here — Goldwell Colorance being the notable case — both are given rather than one being chosen silently.
Color formulation is a chemical service performed by licensed professionals. Always confirm against the instruction sheet in the box you are holding: manufacturers revise formulations, and regional instruction sheets differ.