An apparatus for analyzing a sample hair mixture having a mixture of two hair colors and an overall spectrum representative of the two colors, comprising: a first color selector, configured to select a first spectrum representative of a first color in the hair mixture from a first group of at least one spectrum, and an iterative spectrum combiner, associated with the first color selector and configured to iteratively combine therewith a second spectrum representative of a second color in the hair mixture from a second group of spectra over the first spectrum, thereby to find an optimal combination of first and second spectrum which is a closest match to the overall spectrum.