Salon Life  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

NOCO Salon Transformed by BBC Interior Design Masters

We said no three times. Then we said yes. Here is what happened and why it was one of the best decisions we ever made.

BBC Japandi Bristol

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.

Colour Advice  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

What Hair Colour Will Actually Suit Me?

The answer starts with understanding your natural base and your eye colour. There is a framework for this and it changes everything.

Colour Blender Contrastor

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.

Brunette balayage  ·  Levels 4 to 6 warm

Blonde highlights  ·  Levels 7 to 9 cool

Copper balayage  ·  Levels 5 to 7 warm

Soft blend  ·  Levels 6 to 8 natural

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.

Hair Care  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

How Often Should I Get My Hair Cut?

There is no single answer. It depends on your length, texture and how much your hair goes through. Here is how to work it out for your hair specifically.

Haircuts Hair Health Timing

How often you should get your hair cut depends on your hair length, texture, how much heat or chemical processing it goes through, and what you are trying to achieve. For most people, somewhere between every six and twelve weeks is the right range, but the right answer for you sits within that depending on your specific situation.

The most important reason to keep up with regular cuts is not style. It is health. Split ends left unchecked travel up the hair shaft, causing frizz, breakage and dullness that no product can fully reverse.

Why haircut timing matters

Hair grows roughly half an inch a month. For short or layered styles, that growth quickly changes the shape and balance of the cut. For longer hair, the ends are the oldest and most vulnerable part of the hair shaft, and they accumulate damage over time from heat, styling and environmental exposure.

A regular cut removes that damage before it spreads. It also keeps your style looking intentional rather than grown out.

How often by hair type and length

Precision cuts maintained regularly always look intentional.

What about fringes?

Most people trim their fringe roughly every four weeks, or whenever it reaches a length that bothers them. Because the fringe sits directly in the line of sight, it is easier to spot when it needs attention than the ends of the rest of your hair. Many clients manage this themselves between appointments, which is perfectly fine with the right scissors and a steady hand.

What if you are growing your hair out?

Trimming while growing your hair is not counterproductive. It feels that way, but leaving split ends to travel up the shaft costs you more length than the trim does. Even when growing, having a small amount taken off every three months keeps the ends healthy and means the length you are growing is retained rather than breaking off.

Ask your stylist specifically to maintain the length while removing damage. A good stylist will take the minimum necessary to keep the ends healthy without sacrificing length unnecessarily.

A precise cut maintained regularly always looks intentional.

“The right cut frequency is the one that keeps your hair looking like it was meant to look. For most people that is closer than they think.”

Noel Halligan  ·  NOCO Hair Bristol

Hair Care  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

5 Hair Care Tips for Curls

Curly hair needs a different approach. These five things make the most consistent difference.

Curly Hair Frizz Moisture

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 NOCO Experience  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

The Benefits of a Head Massage

Every NOCO visit includes a scalp massage. Not just because it feels good. The science behind it is genuinely interesting.

Scalp Health Wellbeing Hair Growth

Every visit to NOCO includes a scalp massage as standard. We do it because it feels good, yes. But the reasons go deeper than that. Head massages have a genuine and well-documented effect on physical and mental wellbeing that most people do not fully appreciate.

The history of head massage runs through European cave paintings, ancient Chinese texts and traditional Indian medicine. People have always understood intuitively that this kind of touch does something. Modern science has spent the last few decades catching up and confirming why.

What a head massage actually does

The nervous system piece

Your nervous system has two branches. The sympathetic, which triggers the fight or flight response, and the parasympathetic, which controls rest and recovery. These two are designed to balance each other. The problem is they were built to handle short, resolvable threats, not the kind of low-level ongoing stress that most people carry every day.

When stress remains unresolved, the sympathetic system stays activated longer than it should. Stress hormones continue to circulate. This is linked to high blood pressure, reduced cognitive function and a range of other problems over time.

Massage is one of the most effective ways to manually switch this off. The touch activates the parasympathetic response and encourages the body to release the hormones it needs to recover.

Watch: why the salon experience matters

We worked with the Industry Squad on this short video exploring why a high quality salon experience goes far beyond the haircut itself.

Can you do it at home?

Yes, and it is worth doing. A simple self-massage using your fingertips in slow circular motions across the scalp for a few minutes a day can make a noticeable difference to scalp health over time. Some people use a few drops of oil to help with glide. Others use a silicone scalp brush or an electric massager.

The professional version will always go deeper because a trained pair of hands can feel tension and respond to it in real time. But a consistent home routine between visits compounds the benefits significantly.

Hair Health  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

Does What I Eat Actually Affect My Hair?

We are asked this in the salon more than you might think. The short answer is yes. Here is what actually matters.

Hair Growth Nutrition Hair Health

Does diet affect hair growth? Yes, it does. Hair condition is one of the first places your body shows a nutritional gap. Not dramatically, not overnight, but over time the quality, density and growth rate of your hair reflects what you are putting into your body.

We talk about this in the salon regularly. Someone comes in frustrated that their hair feels thinner, grows more slowly, or keeps breaking. They have tried products, changed their routine, and nothing seems to stick. Often the answer is not on the shelf. It is on the plate.

Why food matters for hair growth

Hair is not essential tissue. The body does not prioritise it the way it prioritises your heart or your organs. When your nutrition is depleted or unbalanced, hair is one of the first things to suffer because the body redirects resources to what matters most for survival.

This is why crash diets, restrictive eating and sudden changes in nutritional habits can trigger noticeable hair shedding within a few months. The hair you lose today often reflects what was happening in your body two to four months ago.

The nutrients that matter most

You do not need a complicated supplement regime. Most people simply need more of what is already available in a balanced diet. These are the nutrients we talk about most in the salon.

What tends to cause problems

Deficiency is one side of it. But we also see clients whose hair suffers because of what they are doing to their diet rather than what they are missing from it.

Yo-yo dieting puts the body under significant stress and hair is often the visible consequence. Cutting out entire food groups, particularly protein or fat, removes the building blocks the hair follicle needs. Juicing phases that replace full meals can look healthy on the outside while quietly depleting the nutrients your scalp depends on.

The body is not designed to process dramatic nutritional swings. Hair, being non-essential tissue, reflects those swings quite clearly.

What you can do

Start with the basics before reaching for supplements. A varied diet with enough protein, plenty of vegetables and adequate healthy fats covers most of what your hair needs. Specific deficiencies are worth investigating properly through a GP or nutritionist rather than guessing.

If your hair has been noticeably thinner, shedding more or growing more slowly over the past few months, a blood test checking iron, ferritin, vitamin D and thyroid function is a sensible starting point. These are the markers we most commonly see linked to hair changes in the salon.

And remember, the hair you are seeing today is a reflection of what was happening two to four months ago. If you have recently improved your diet, the results will come. They just take a little time to show up.

When diet is only part of the picture

Nutrition is one piece of it. But hair condition is also influenced by stress, hormonal changes, the products you use, heat styling, and the physical condition of your scalp. A proper consultation looks at all of these together rather than treating them as separate problems.

If your hair has been concerning you and a dietary change has not made a difference, it is worth coming in for a proper assessment. We can identify whether the issue is nutritional, structural, scalp related or a combination, and give you a clear plan from there.

Colour Advice  ·  Bristol  ·  NOCO Hair

Will Bleach Damage My Hair?

The honest answer is yes, to some degree. The better question is how much, and how to keep that to a minimum.

Bleach Blonde Hair Hair Condition

Bleach will always have some effect on hair structure. That is simply how the chemistry works. The question is not whether bleach causes damage at all, but how much, how it is managed, and whether the hair you have can handle what you are asking it to do.

Most problems with bleach happen either at home or when the condition of the hair is not properly assessed before the service begins. Both are avoidable with the right approach.

What bleach actually does to hair

Bleach works by opening the outer cuticle of the hair shaft and reacting with the melanin inside. This oxidises the pigment, effectively removing the colour. The melanin is not removed from the hair; it is rendered colourless.

Once the natural pigment is lifted, what remains is the underlying pigment of the hair. Darker bases reveal red tones first, then orange, then yellow as they lift higher. A pre-lightener lifts this underlying pigment out. A toner is then used to neutralise the remaining warmth and achieve the finished colour.

Breakage versus hair loss

Bleach does not typically cause hair loss from the follicle. What it causes is breakage, and the two are frequently confused. Hair loss means the follicle is shedding. Breakage means the hair shaft is snapping at some point along its length.

There are two types of structural damage to understand. Porous hair has damage to the cuticle, the outer layer. It feels dry and lacks moisture, usually caused by heat. Sensitised hair has damage to the internal structure, which changes the elasticity. Sensitised hair either snaps immediately when stretched or stretches too far and does not return, like chewing gum. Both need to be identified before any bleach service proceeds.

Going from dark to blonde

Moving from a dark base to a light blonde in a single session is not possible safely. Each bleach application lifts the hair a certain number of levels depending on the strength used, the development time and the starting condition of the hair. Attempting too much lift in one session risks over-processing, which in serious cases means the hair loses structural integrity entirely.

The right approach is to lift in stages with recovery time between sessions. After the first application, a toner is used to improve the result while the hair recovers. A minimum of two weeks is needed before assessing whether the hair is strong enough to go again. This process takes longer than clients sometimes want, but the alternative is compromised hair that cannot be repaired, only cut off.

Why home bleach is higher risk

Home bleach products are formulated for maximum lift because they are designed as a one-formula-fits-all solution. They cannot be adjusted for your specific hair condition, history or starting point. A professional mixes a bespoke formula based on your natural colour, previous colour history and current condition, then monitors the development in real time.

The other risk with home bleach is timing. The formula cannot tell you when to stop. Leaving bleach on too long causes accelerated damage and in extreme cases the hair structure can break down completely at the root and ends. At the salon this is prevented by ongoing visual and tactile assessment throughout the development process.

How to maintain bleached hair properly