I've used Koleston too and it's very goo. I'm using Indola now as their number 4.0 is a nice dark brown with less gold tones than the equivalent in the Koleston range. I mix it with 3% (10 vol) peroxide and leave it on the system and my own hair for 20 minutes. Usually the system hair takes another go to get it dark enough but I get the system in a lighter color than my own hair. My own hair is a mid brown but I find blending a darker color easier and I also prefer the look of darker hair.

this thread is really interesting

Yes this thread is really helpful. I have a 1B unit that doesn't exactly match my sides and I'm not sure what to do to make it blend. My hair is dark... lighter than 1B but darker than 2. Do you think that Koleston would be a good product to dye my own hair with in order to match my 1B piece?

So you need your growing hair to be `deepend`a little to match the slightly darker system hair? Well that`s easier than dyeing a system because you really have to keep it off the base at all costs, or it will permanently mark it. Koleston is a really good one-- I`ve tried others with mediocre results. Pick one of the dark-brown shades rather than black......you don`t need a huge amount of it either....use a glass dish if possible for mixing it with the peroxide [it`s easier to wash off than on ceramic materials] Squeeze out about an inch length or so of colour from the tube. Gently pour out an equal-length amount of peroxide right alongside it and mix the two together using an ordinary dinner-fork...make sure there are no `lumps` as far as possible [lumps are color material which has not been mixed in with the peroxide properly] --so you aim for a nice `paste`[ more peroxide gives a `weaker`color and vice versa.( If the color looks too deep when you`re finally finished, you can apply neat peroxide to the hair which will `bleach` the newly-applied color and lighten it again)...apply to your damp hair with a comb or with your hand with rubber gloves on...spread it through the hair evenly with a comb...AVOID your eyes..if it gets onto your skin [ears/neck etc] wipe it off with a damp cloth as it stains...it will wash off after a day or two anyway but try to wipe it off rather than leave it on the skin. I always combed it on /in in a front-to-back sweep so that when I got into the shower to rinse it out I could stand in front of the water-stream, then tilt the head backwards into the water so that it washed off in a backward wave i.e. AWAY from the eyes..... you apply the mix before it changes color ..in other words as soon as it`s properly mixed, you apply it. As it develops, it colors the hair. Just try a 5 minute application at first and see how it looks..... usually you can leave it on for 15-20 minutes or so on GROWING hair but if your color-difference isn`t too `bad`between system/growing hair, just try a shorter time first and see how it looks......some of these products can irritate skin in some people ...they are salon-grade /strong chemicals so please be careful with them ..avoid your eyes at all costs. Try a little dab on an inconspicuous area of scalp first to test for irritation.They should not be applied on broken skin. I sometimes felt a tingling/slight itch from them until they were rinsed out but noting more than that. Hope that`s of help. Paul.
p.s. I also used wax ear-plugs in my ears to avoid any of the mix getting into the inner ear..the trick with wax is to hold them in your closed fist for 5 mins. until they soften from the heat--then mould them into your ear tightly.....just my little tip!

Which one of these do you recommend for 1B color?

Dark Brown:

http://www.amazon.com/Wella-Koleston-Per...47&sr=8-10

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Darkest Brown:

http://www.amazon.com/Wella-Koleston-Per...53&sr=8-25

Intense Dark Brown:

http://www.amazon.com/Wella-Koleston-Per...82&sr=8-15

At a guess- [I always used black sparingly time-wise but that was on both system and growing] 1b is one step up from black..it shows the brown hue under strong natural lighting conditions..tends to look almost black under ordinary artificial light [flourescent can make any color look `odd`] as you are applying to your growing hair only, try the intense dark brown and leave it on for 5-10 minutes and see how it looks...these coloring products can be a bit like finding a tape or glue you can `work`with ..can be a case of try one and see how you go with it. You may find over time -when oxidation sets in on your system, that you`ll use it on that too,so getting `used`to using it now should stand you in good stead-- Paul.

Thanks Paul, you are such a huge help!!

You`re welcome egghead.... let me know how you get on... timing is the key....also I guess results can vary from one persons hair to another--- some hair will grab the color faster than others so it`s a matter of seeing what happens in your own case--just `go easy` at first....the longer you leave it in, the deeper the color as I said, but it`s hard to be precise due to `local`conditions..... I think the deeper brown will work best as the `1b` of your system is only one step up from black. I think if you applied black to your growing hair, it would be very noticeable.Cheers.