A new study has ranked the City of Bristol as the second worst place in the UK to keep your hair healthy, with a risk score of 73.5 out of 100. North Somerset topped the list as the single worst local authority in the country. Bath and North East Somerset also made the top five worst areas. That is three locations in our region in the bottom five nationally.
We are not surprised. At NOCO Hair on Whiteladies Road, we have been seeing more clients coming in with hair loss, thinning and scalp concerns than ever before. Now we know part of the reason why.
What is actually causing it?
The study looked at three key environmental factors: water quality, air quality and UV levels. Bristol scored a perfect 10 out of 10 for poor water quality. That means the water coming out of your taps is one of the most damaging in the country for hair and scalp health.
Hard water contains high levels of minerals including calcium and magnesium. Over time these build up on the hair shaft and scalp, making hair feel rough, dry and brittle. They also interfere with how well shampoo and conditioner work, meaning your products are less effective than they should be.
The South West also ties for the highest UV levels in the UK alongside the South East. UV exposure damages the outer layer of the hair shaft and can accelerate pigment loss, meaning hair can go grey earlier than it otherwise would.
What you can do about it
You cannot change the water or the weather. But you can change how you manage your hair in response to the environment you live in. These are the things that make the most consistent difference.
The NOCO Hair Score gives you a number, a band and a clear next step. If you live in Bristol or the South West, this is worth doing.
Take the Free Hair ScoreWhen it is worth coming in
If you have been noticing more hair in the shower, thinning at the crown or temples, a drier or itchier scalp than usual, or hair that just does not feel the way it used to — it is worth having it properly assessed rather than guessing.
At NOCO Hair we use the Kerastase K-Scan consultation, which gives us a detailed clinical picture of your scalp and hair health before we recommend anything. It removes the guesswork and gives you a clear starting point. From there we can design a plan that actually addresses what your hair needs — not just a product recommendation off the shelf.
And if all else fails — you could always move to Scotland.
Hairdressing is as much about how you make someone feel as how they look. That has been true from day one at NOCO and it shapes every decision we make — about how we consult, how we train, how we give back, and what kind of place we want to be for the people of Bristol.
We opened NOCO Hair in 2018 with a clear idea of what we wanted to build. Not just a great salon. A place where people could step out of their hectic lives, leave their worries at the door and feel genuinely looked after. Hair, body and soul.
The relationships are the work
People sometimes ask what makes NOCO different. The honest answer is the relationships. The consultation is not a formality we go through before the real work starts. It is the real work. Understanding who someone is, what their hair has been through and what they actually want their life to look like — that is where everything begins.
We have had clients sit in the chair going through something enormous. A diagnosis. A bereavement. A life change they were not ready for. The haircut is almost beside the point in those moments. What matters is that they felt heard, looked after and, when they left, a little more like themselves.
The wash. One of the most underrated moments in a salon visit.
Where it comes from
The Care with Hair campaign grew from a single moment that made everything clear. Years ago, I was invited to give a final haircut to one of my oldest clients, Megan, in hospice care. That visit changed how I think about what we do. A haircut is not just about how someone looks. It is about being present with another person. Seeing them. Caring for them at a moment that matters.
That one act became the foundation for everything Care with Hair has grown into — over £15,000 raised for Bristol charities, 300 free haircuts given to people who needed them most, and a team that genuinely believes business should do good, not just do well.
What the salon looks like now
The salon you walk into today on Whiteladies Road is the result of everything that has happened since 2018. The award within our first year. The lockdown that nearly ended it. The BBC Interior Design Masters transformation that gave the space its Japandi identity. And the team that has been built around a shared belief in doing this properly.
Corey Taylor at work. Co-founder, Managing Director and L’Oréal Colour Specialist.
Every detail in the salon is intentional. The drinks menu. The plants. The relaxation zone with its floor-to-ceiling bamboo mural. The massage chairs. The burnt orange, navy and yellow that run through the space. All of it exists to serve one idea: that when you are here, you should feel somewhere better than where you started.
How long it takes for hair to grow back depends on why it changed in the first place. After hair loss, breakage, a big cut, or a fringe you have grown out of, the question is almost always the same: will it come back, and how long will it take?
Most people asking this question are going to get a positive answer. Hair is remarkably resilient. Understanding how it grows helps you understand what to expect and why patience is almost always the right approach.
How hair actually grows
Each hair on your head goes through its own growth cycle. The active growth phase, called the anagen phase, lasts anywhere from two to seven years depending on your genetics. During this time the hair grows roughly half an inch a month, or around six inches a year.
If your growth phase runs closer to seven years, your hair has the potential to grow very long before it naturally sheds and regrows. A shorter growth phase of around two years means your hair may reach a natural stopping point, often around the jawline or shoulders, even when it is perfectly healthy. Neither is better or worse. It is simply how your hair is built.
Why it feels slow at first
Hair grows from the root, not the ends. This means in the early weeks of regrowth you will not see much visible change, even though growth is happening. New hair has to travel a certain distance before it becomes noticeable at the surface.
People with fringes often notice hair growing back faster because it reaches their eyes. Length growth is harder to perceive because there is no equivalent reference point. The hair is growing. You simply cannot see it yet.
What affects how quickly hair grows back
The speed and quality of regrowth depends largely on what caused the change in the first place.
What helps while hair is growing back
You cannot dramatically speed up hair growth. What you can do is create the best possible conditions for the growth that is already happening.
When hair may not grow back fully
For most people, hair does recover well. There are some situations where the picture is more complex. Genetic thinning, certain hormonal conditions and some longer-term health issues can affect follicle activity over time. Even in these cases, early assessment and the right support can slow the process significantly and improve the quality of what remains.
The most important thing in any case is understanding what is actually happening rather than guessing. A professional can usually identify whether you are dealing with temporary shedding, breakage or something that needs a more structured approach.
Is my hair thinning? It is one of the most common questions we hear in the salon. And one of the most anxious. The good news is that most people asking it are catching something early, which means there is almost always something practical to do about it.
As a stylist I see clients every week who are convinced they are losing their hair, when in reality they are dealing with breakage, seasonal shedding or a change in texture. Understanding the signs properly is the first step to feeling in control again.
Signs your hair may be thinning
You can usually spot thinning by noticing a combination of visual changes and differences in how your hair behaves day to day.
Why is my hair thinning?
There are several common causes. Understanding the reason behind what you are seeing helps you take the right next step rather than guessing.
Is it thinning or am I overthinking it?
Many people confuse thinning with breakage, seasonal shedding, postpartum regrowth, new baby hairs, or dryness and frizz. There are two quick ways to begin telling the difference yourself.
Look at the pattern. Thinning tends to follow a consistent pattern such as a wider parting or a weaker crown area. Breakage is more random and tends to affect different lengths and sections.
Look at the root end of shed hairs. Natural shedding produces hairs with a small white bulb at the root end. Breakage produces hairs of varying lengths with no bulb. A professional can usually tell the difference within seconds of looking.
Can thinning hair grow back?
Often yes, depending on the cause. Stress-related thinning is usually temporary and recovers once the trigger passes. Postpartum thinning almost always resolves on its own. Breakage is fully fixable with improved condition and the right haircut. Hormonal or genetic thinning is more complex but very manageable, particularly when addressed early.
Hair responds best to consistency rather than drastic changes. Gentle products, reduced heat, scalp care and regular trims all contribute more than any single treatment.
What actually helps
There is a lot of misinformation online about hair thinning. These are the changes that genuinely make a practical difference.
When should I get it checked?
If you are unsure whether your hair is thinning, a professional assessment is the quickest way to get clarity. A stylist can identify whether it is thinning, breakage or temporary shedding and help you build a realistic plan from there.
From a medical perspective, if shedding has been ongoing for more than three to four months, or is accompanied by fatigue, changes in skin or nails, or shifts in weight, a GP appointment and a simple blood test to check iron, ferritin, vitamin D and thyroid function is a sensible next step.
We get asked this more than you might think. Not just by older clients, but by anyone who has ever felt that a particular salon was not quite for them. Too trendy. Too young. Too intimidating. The honest answer is no, you are not too old. And the question itself tells us something important about what salons have often got wrong.
NOCO is a consultation-led salon. That means before we do anything, we sit down and understand your hair, your life and what you actually want. The result is always personal to you, not to what is trending on Instagram this week.
What age has to do with hair
Hair changes as we get older. It gets finer. It loses density. Grey comes in. The texture shifts. These are real changes and they affect what works and what does not. But none of them mean you should stop caring about your hair or stop coming to a salon. They just mean the conversation needs to be more informed.
A good stylist understands how ageing affects hair and works with it rather than against it. The right cut for finer hair is different from the right cut for thick hair. The right colour approach for someone with a lot of grey is different from someone with a dark base. None of this is complicated once you understand the principles.
What we actually do for clients as hair changes
Who comes to NOCO
Our clients range from students to grandparents. We have people in their twenties coming in for their first proper colour consultation and people in their seventies coming in for a cut they have never quite been able to get right anywhere else. The common thread is not age. It is that they want to understand their hair and leave feeling better than when they arrived.
A selection of results from across our client base at NOCO Hair Bristol.
The question behind the question
When someone asks if they are too old for our salon, what they are usually really asking is: will I feel welcome here? Will someone take my hair seriously? Will I leave feeling like myself, or will I leave with something that does not suit me?
The answer to all of those is yes, yes and no. We take every client seriously regardless of age. The consultation is the same whether you are twenty-five or seventy-five. We diagnose before we design. We listen before we cut. And we do not hand you a style that works for someone else and hope for the best.
We always say clients arrive in a taxi and leave in a limo. That idea — of taking someone somewhere better than where they started — has been at the heart of NOCO from the beginning. So when BBC’s Interior Design Masters came calling and asked to transform our salon on Whiteladies Road, eventually saying yes felt right. Getting to that yes was the harder part.
The road to yes
We opened NOCO Hair in 2018. Within ten months, we won Best New Independent Salon in the UK at the British Hairdressing Business Awards. Ten months. It felt like the beginning of something significant.
Three months later, lockdown hit. What followed was one of the hardest periods of our business life. No revenue, an uncertain future, and a team we were determined to protect. We came through it, but it took everything we had.
The designer
Being part of the semi-final meant the standard was high. We found out we were working with Jack Kinsey, a Fine Art graduate who had produced some of the most memorable spaces in the series — a stunning 1930s beach hut for the NHS, a maximalist Scottish hotel room. We were in good hands.
Noel and Corey with Jack Kinsey at the start of the process.
The brief — and what Jack did with it
The conversation Jack had with us at the start was not dissimilar to the conversation we have with every client. He sat down and asked what we wanted the experience to feel like. What was the client journey? What did we want people to feel when they walked in?
We had one word: Scandi. That was genuinely all I knew about interior design. We wanted something clean, calm, natural. Something that felt Zen inside a bustling salon.
Jack took that brief and went somewhere more interesting. He combined the Scandinavian influence with a Japanese aesthetic and called it Japandi. Not what we were expecting. Completely right.
The result
Over two days, Jack and a team of builders and decorators transformed every part of the salon, with particular focus on the Welcome Area and the Relaxation Zone. The tradespeople were exceptional. They stayed behind for four additional days after filming to make the salon client-ready before it was TV-ready.
What they left us with: yellows, navy and burnt orange introduced throughout. Live plants bringing the space to life. Rattan lamps and a sunset-coloured mural in the welcome area. An abstract mountain effect at the entrance. And in the Relaxation Zone — a ceiling-to-wall bamboo and tree mural that transforms the wash area into something genuinely meditative.
The salon after the Japandi transformation. Left: the new colour palette throughout. Right: the welcome area with the sunset mural.
The reception and the Relaxation Zone. The bamboo ceiling mural is genuinely something to experience in person.
The judges and the reaction
The judges were Michelle Ogundehin and Mary Portas. Mary awarded Jack first place in the grand finale for a design she called upmarket and chic. The social response when the episode aired was immediate.
With Alan Carr during filming. Not a bad day at the office.
What it means now
The episode was delayed three months by the Qatar World Cup. We took a punt, sat on it, and waited. When it aired, it was everything. The salon today is essentially the same as Jack left it. We have made some small adjustments, but the core of what he created is still there every day.
More than the design, what the experience gave us was a clearer sense of what NOCO stands for. The brief Jack responded to was the same brief we give every client: tell me what you want it to feel like. He heard Scandi and made Japandi. We hear one thing and design something better. That is the job.
Choosing a hair colour that actually suits you is not about following trends. It is about understanding two things: your natural base colour and your eye colour. Once you know those, the right direction becomes much clearer and the wrong ones are easy to avoid.
We use a simple framework at NOCO to have this conversation with clients. It cuts through the noise and gets us to the right answer quickly. Are you a blender or a contrastor?
Blenders and contrastors
These are the two natural colour types we work with. Understanding which one you are is the starting point for every colour conversation.
Why eye colour matters more than people think
Eye colour is one of the most reliable indicators of what will work on your hair. Light eyes create natural contrast against darker features. That contrast gives the face a lift and means the hair can carry lighter tones without looking flat or washed out.
I went grey at around fifteen years old. Dark natural base, light eyes. For years I coloured my hair. But when I eventually had more salt than pepper, something clicked. The light eyes balanced the lighter hair. It worked because the contrast was natural, not forced. That is exactly what we are looking for when we sit down with a client.
Natural balayage at NOCO Hair Bristol. Colour placed to work with, not against, the client’s natural base.
What happens when you push too far
When a blender, someone with dark hair and dark eyes, goes dramatically lighter, the result tends to look disconnected. The hair and the face stop speaking to each other. The colour draws attention to itself rather than enhancing the person wearing it.
The way around this, if a client with a darker base wants lighter tones, is to keep some depth around the hairline and face. Darker pieces framing the face maintain the natural connection between the hair colour and the person’s features. Lighter pieces can then come through the lengths and ends without the whole result looking wrong.
The hair colour level scale
Hair colour is measured on a scale of 1 to 10. Level 1 is the deepest black. Level 10 is the lightest blonde. Understanding where you naturally sit on this scale, and how far a colour direction moves from that point, is the foundation of every colour decision we make.
Real colour results at NOCO
Every result below started with understanding the client’s natural base and eye colour first. The colour was designed to work with their colouring, not against it.
What we look at in a consultation
Before we recommend any colour direction, we assess your natural base shade, your eye colour, your skin tone and your colour history. We look at what your hair can safely achieve and what would actually suit you rather than just what is popular right now.
The consultation is where colour goes right. Skipping it is where colour goes wrong. A colour that suits someone else’s colouring is not automatically right for yours. The diagnosis has to come before the design.
Curly hair is not difficult to look after. It is just different. The routines and products that work perfectly on straight hair can actively damage curly hair. Once you understand why, getting consistently good results becomes a lot more straightforward.
Every curl type behaves slightly differently, so some trial and error is part of the process. But these five principles apply across the board.
1. Get into a washing routine that suits curls
Natural oils produced by the scalp are essential for healthy, hydrated hair. The problem is that curly and textured hair makes it much harder for these oils to travel down the hair shaft due to its shape. This means curly hair dries out faster and is more sensitive to over-washing than straight hair.
Washing once a week or even less is the general recommendation for curly hair. When you do shampoo, focus on the scalp rather than working the shampoo through the lengths. The ends will get cleaned when you rinse. Shampooing the full length too frequently strips the moisture that curly hair needs most.
Healthy curl definition comes from consistent moisture, not product volume.
2. Moisturise consistently
Whatever type of curl you have, whether wavy, loose, tight or coiled, curly hair is naturally prone to dryness, frizz and breakage. The solution is not more product. It is the right product used consistently.
Nutrition also plays a role. Protein, iron and vitamins that support hair growth and condition come from what you eat as much as what you apply. Read more in our guide on how diet affects hair health.
3. Choose the right products
The curly hair product market is overwhelming. Most of it is not worth the price. A few simple rules cut through the noise.
4. Style correctly
Short curly hair styled correctly at NOCO Hair Bristol.
5. Protect your curls overnight and day to day
The days become longer and brighter, which can only mean one thing: summer is here! Although summer means beach days and holidays, it’s important to know the dangers of those UV rays.
You wouldn’t step out into the summer sun without lathering up in sun cream, so why forget about those luscious locks?
Just like your skin, the sun will damage your hair too. Between sun, sea, and sand, your hair goes through a lot in those summer months. Without the correct hair care steps, the damage can really take a toll on your tresses. Read on to learn how to maintain healthy hair in the summer.
How sun can damage your hair
Those hot days and UV rays can be very damaging to your hair. It is crucial to understand those effects and the importance of protecting your hair from the sun.
- Cuticle damage – The cuticle is the outer layer of hair protecting the inside of the hair shaft from damage. The UV rays can break this down, causing your hair to dry out, your hair will then attract humidity and humidity means … FRIZZ!
- Inner damage – The sun weakens the internal structure of your hair and makes it prone to breakage and split ends.
- Colour damage – Coloured hair is even more prone to sun damage. Colour treatments can already leave your hair dehydrated, and too much sun can leave it even more vulnerable to damage. Not to mention – the UV rays perform as a bleach which will slowly but surely fade any colour. Some more colour treatment tips to come…
- Water damage - There is nothing like a dip in the pool or a splash around in the sea during those hot summer months! However, sometimes the things we love hurt us the most…
While you’re splashing about in the pool, chlorine is stripping natural oils from your hair, making your hair dry and weak. This can lead to breakages.
Salt water can have very similar effects to chlorine water, minus the chemicals. Salt water strips the hair of moisture, making it dry and more susceptible to breakages and split ends.
How to know if your hair is sun damaged
Exposure to sun for a longer period of time will make changes to your hair more noticeable. Signs of damaged hair are:
Split ends – the heat stripping your hair of moisture will make it more prone to split ends and breakages.
Texture – being in the sun or the pool will strip your hair of its natural oils, causing it to become much more dryer and brittle. So, say goodbye to your silky-smooth hair.
Discolouration– UV rays react with the melanin in your hair, causing pigment changes. The chemicals in chlorine can also react with your hair – especially if it’s dyed! – altering the colour.
Tips and tricks you need to know to keep your hair healthy in that summer heat
Start with a summer trim
It is important to give your hair a head start for summer. Visiting your salon and getting rid of those split ends will keep your hair healthy and easy to maintain in those hot summer months.
Mask the Mane
One of the obvious and simple answers to protect your hair from the sun is wearing a hat or a scarf. Wearing a hat or a scarf act as a physical barrier to protect from those harsh UV rays!
UV protection
The first thing you do if you know you are going to be spending a day in the sun is lather up your sun cream so why not use the same protection for your hair. UV hair protectants come in all shapes and sizes, from gel to powder. Research the best product to protect your locks!
Hydration
This is a tip you really shouldn’t ignore. You could be doing everything right to keep your tresses intact but, without correct hydration, your hair will start to show signs of stress. Drinking water will not only provide hydration for your body but to your hair strands too!
Keep away from heat styling tools
With the sun already scorching your strands, using straighteners, curling irons or hair dryers will add to the heat damage. Try using more natural methods of styling your hair in the summertime. Air drying and braids will be your best friend.
Washing your hair
It is likely that you will be washing your hair more frequently to help combat the dirt and sweat.
However, beware of the fact that overly washing and shampooing your hair will strip any natural oils, therefore further drying your hair out!
Try washing your hair 2-3 times a week and switching out your shampoo and conditioner routine for a more moisturising option. This will help with locking in any moisture in these drying months.
A pro tip from us this summer is to rinse your hair with cold water after you wash your hair for maximum shine. This is because it will close the hair cuticle and allow the hair to reflect more light.
Treatments
Hair masks and leave-in conditioners will help you with adding that extra bit of moisture. Using moisturising treatments will add an extra layer of protection from those UV rays, making it harder for the sun to damage your hair.
This tip is key if you are in and out of the water! Fully saturating your hair before diving into the pool will lock in that moisture it needs after sun exposure. Note that already wet hair won’t absorb as much saltwater or chlorine chemicals.
Fight the frizz
In the heat and humidity, frizzy hair will be your worst enemy. Keeping your hair healthy and well maintained will help keep your frizz to a minimum. Keep your eye out for shampoos and conditioners with two ingredients: amino-silicones, and cationic surfactants, these two ingredients will help neutralise your hair and prevent the humidity from winning this round!
If the frizz is getting the best of you this summer, here at NOCO we offer Phrizzy-o-therapy treatment to help combat the humidity.
Colour care
Coloured hair is already tricky to maintain, let alone adding those summer elements into the mix. If you have coloured hair, exposure to the sun can have many negative effects on your tresses.
Chlorine chemicals can strip out the colour your hair is dyed and often turn the dye brassy or faded. Ensure you are using colour preserving hair care products during the hot summer months.
Dyed hair is a lot more prone to dryness as the strands are already stripped of natural oils more than undyed hair. Using hydrating products is your only answer at this time of year; don’t let your hair damage ruin your time in the sun.
There you have it …
Understanding the importance of hair care is vital during these summer months! Stick to our useful haircare tips for summer and help protect your hair.
Here at NOCO, we are here to help you with any hair care needs, whether you are wanting your start of summer trim or a deep conditioning treatment to help bring back your shine.
Contact us today to book this summer!
This winter, NOCO Hair is offering 100 free haircuts to people in need across Bristol. Between 1 January and 28 February 2026, our team at Whiteladies Road will open our doors to local people through a network of ten Bristol charities, each receiving ten vouchers to use however they see fit.
Each charity can gift their vouchers to someone they support, raffle them to raise funds, or use them to recognise an outstanding volunteer. It is our way of giving something back to the city that has supported us since the beginning.
Where it started
The Care with Hair campaign grew from a single moment that changed how we think about what we do.
Years ago, I was invited to give a final haircut to one of my clients, Megan, in hospice care. That visit stayed with me. It revealed something that is easy to forget in the day-to-day of running a salon: that a haircut is not just about how someone looks. It is about how they feel. Seen. Cared for. Present.
That one act of compassion became the foundation for everything Care with Hair has grown into. What started as a personal response to a profound moment has become an annual commitment to the people of Bristol who need it most.
What Care with Hair is for
The campaign exists to help people feel confident, cared for and seen, particularly during difficult times. Recipients have included people going through cancer treatment and hair loss, people in recovery, and volunteers who spend their lives putting others first.
The NOCO team. Care with Hair is a team effort, every year.
Want to get involved?
If you are a local charity or organisation in Bristol and would like to take part in a future Care with Hair campaign, we would love to hear from you.
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