We’re so proud to share that NOCO Hair has been named Independent Newcomer of the Year at HJ’s British Hairdressing Business Awards 2019.
Based on Whiteladies Road in Clifton, our Bristol salon launched in 2018 with a simple mission: to create an inspiring space for both clients and stylists. Just one year later, we were honoured on a national stage for turning that vision into a reality.
The award celebrates entrepreneurs who have successfully launched a salon within the last two years, recognising excellence in business planning, client retention, and growth. Out of entries from all over the country, we were selected for our strong foundations, creative marketing, and team-first culture.
We were thrilled to receive the award live in London — and even more excited to be presented the trophy by Vernon Kayhimself!
“We’ve asked a lot of questions, listened, learned, and shaped something that really works for us — and most importantly, for our team,” said Corey. “This award is a celebration of them and everyone who’s supported us along the way.”
Jayne Lewis-Orr, Executive Director of the awards, shared:
“Corey and Noel have crafted an incredible business with individuality, strong structure, and real entrepreneurial spirit. They are fantastic ambassadors for the industry.”
We’re beyond grateful to be part of this vibrant industry, and this recognition only strengthens our commitment to raising standards and supporting others to grow — one great haircut at a time.
We’re beyond proud to share that NOCO Hair has been named a finalist for Educator of the Year at this year’s British Hairdressing Business Awards, hosted by HJ.
Out of salons from across the UK, we’re one of just six to make the shortlist in a category that celebrates real commitment to education, skill development, and inspiring the next generation of stylists.
This recognition means the world to us. Education has always been at the heart of everything we do – not just for our clients, but for our team too. We’ve spent years building a culture where learning never stops, support is part of the job, and every stylist is encouraged to become the best version of themselves.
“To be recognised on a national stage like this is huge for us,” said Noel Halligan, co-founder of NOCO Hair. “Our team works so hard to create an environment where people can truly grow, and this feels like a celebration of that vision.”
Backed by our training academy, partnerships with L’Oréal and GHD, and our internal development programme, we’re proud to have created a space where stylists thrive — whether they’re just starting out or stepping into leadership roles.
The British Hairdressing Business Awards are now in their 27th year, shining a spotlight on the people and teams pushing the industry forward through creativity, professionalism, and resilience. The winners will be announced on Monday 7th July at the Royal Lancaster in London — and we’ll be there in our best outfits, cheering on everyone in the room!
Thank you to our team, our clients, and our partners for being part of this journey. We’re just getting started.
Happy Halloween from NOCO Hair! 🎃 We had an incredible time celebrating with you all at the NOCO Nights Halloween Ball.
Thank you to everyone who came out in style—your costumes, energy, and Halloween spirit truly made the night unforgettable! Held at the salon, the evening was a perfect mix of fun and flair, with the ideal space to let our hair down together.
Watch our video for highlights from this special night, and keep an eye out for more events to come!
Here are some photos from a very spooky night…
As the leaves turn golden and the nights grow cooler, it’s the perfect time to refresh your look and embrace the cozy vibes of autumn! Whether you’re ready to dive into a new hair style, fancy trying out a new colour, or simply looking for ways to keep your locks healthy as the season changes, we’ve got you covered! Check out our top autumnal hair inspo and essential tips to keep your hair looking fabulous all season long!
AUTUMN HAIR COLOUR TRENDS
Copper Tones – The Pumpkin Spice Latte of Hair Colours
Fall is all about rich, warm hues and copper tones are taking center stage this season. Inspired by the vibrant colors of autumn leaves and your favorite pumpkin spice latte, copper shades offer a fiery, eye-catching look that’s perfect for the cooler months. Whether you opt for a full copper transformation or just add some copper highlights, this colour palette will add a warm glow to your appearance.
Autumn Hair For Brunettes
Copper Highlights: If you’re unsure of going full copper or red, why not add some warmth to your natural color with copper / red highlights that catch the light beautifully.
Autumnal Balayage: Not a fan of highlights? Why not try some subtle ribbons of colour through the mid lengths and ends of your hair. Or if you already have a balayage you can add pops of colour to add richness and an autumnal glow to your existing colour.
Full Head Colour: For a bold change, go for a full head colour! Root to tip of rich copper or auburn tones. Be sure to consult with your stylist to find the perfect shade for your skin tone, whether it’s a strawberry blonde, cowboy copper, or a cherry brown we can formulate a tone that’s right for you.
Autumn Hair For Blondes
Blondes aren’t left out of the autumn trend! This season, blondes can choose to embrace warmer tones or go super icy! Opting to tone down their bright summer hues with a seasonal refresh that’s right on trend. Here’s how to transition your blonde for autumn:
Low Lights & Lived In Looks: Add depth to your existing blonde and tone it down for autumn by adding lowlights through your hair. This is a great way to break up your bright summer blonde and introduce depth and richness. Add more depth at the root with a soft blend toner to blend seamlessly with your natural hair colour. Whether you prefer warmer or cooler tones, this is a great way to transition into an autumn/winter look.
Added Warmth: Change up the tone of your hair by trying out a warmer toner, whether it’s a soft buttery blonde or a hint of apricot, a toner can be a great way to add warmth to your existing blonde hair. This will give your blonde a warm, radiant glow that’s perfect for fall. Toners are also temporary and will fade away over time so this is a great way for blondes to try a hint of copper without the commitment!
Keep It Cool: Prefer a cooler look? Why not transition to an ash blonde for a chic, icy tone. This cool shade works well for a more muted autumnal look. Incorporate a hint of silver into your platinum blonde for a sleek, modern edge. This adds a subtle shimmer that still feels crisp and fresh.
AUTUMN HAIR CUT TRENDS
Bobs: Sleek, Textured & Everything in Between
The bob is a perennial favorite that continues to evolve, offering something for everyone. In 2024, expect to see these modern variations of the classic bob:
Classic Bob: The classic bob remains a staple with its clean, jaw-length cut. This style is perfect for a polished and timeless look. To give it a 2024 twist, consider incorporating subtle waves or volume with texturising products.
Textured Bob: For those who love a bit of edge, the textured bob is a standout choice. This cut features choppy layers and movement, adding a casual, effortless vibe. It’s ideal for creating a relaxed yet stylish appearance that works well with both straight and wavy hair.
Curly Bob: Embrace your natural curls with a curly bob, which highlights and enhances your natural texture. This playful cut can range from chin-length to shoulder-length and works beautifully with defined curls or soft waves.
Fringes: A Great Way To Change Up Your Style This Season
Fringes are making a major comeback in 2024, offering a range of styles to frame your face and add a touch of personality to your haircut. Here’s how to rock fringes this year:
Curtain Bangs: Curtain bangs continue to be a popular choice, offering a soft, face-framing effect. These long, parted bangs are versatile and can be styled to suit various hair lengths and textures.
Blunt Bangs: For a more striking appearance, blunt bangs are back in full force. Cut straight across the forehead, this style provides a bold contrast and adds a dramatic flair to your haircut. It pairs well with both sleek bobs and longer styles.
Wispy Bangs: Wispy bangs offer a lighter, more subtle option. These soft, feathered bangs blend seamlessly with your hair and can be styled to enhance both casual and formal looks. They’re great for adding a touch of femininity and playfulness.
AUTUMN HAIR CARE ESSESNTIALS
As the weather changes, so does the way we need to care for our hair. Keep your locks healthy and shiny with these autumnal hair care tips:
Moisturise Is Key: Cooler air and indoor heating can dry out your hair. Use a deep conditioning treatment once a week to maintain moisture. Our favourite products are Masquintense Riche from the Kerastase Nutritive range and Loreals Absolut Repair Masque. These are deep nourishing masks that help to put moisture back into the hair. Using serums and oils are also a great way to look after your hair, our favourites are Kerastase Elixir Ultime Oil, Nutri-Supplement Split End Serum and the 8 hour magic Night Serum to help keep your hair well hydrated this season.
Protect From The Elements: Wear a hat or scarf to shield your hair from the elements, which can prevent damage and split ends. We aware that windy weather can cause your hair to tangle, take care when brushing to avoid damage. Our top tip is to always work your way through tangles from the ends towards the root.
Adjust Your Products: Switch to a hydrating or anti frizz shampoo and conditioner to combat seasonal dryness and keep your hair smooth. Our most popular ranges this time of year are Kerastase Nutritive & Discipline ranges for nourishment anti frizz.
Seasonal Shedding: It’s also shedding season! Noticed more hair fall when you’re brushing or washing your hair? Don’t panic! Did you know we lose 80-100 strands every day? As the seasons change and the temperature shifts its can put stress on the scalp and hair follicles, leading to the strands falling out faster than usual. Kerastase Genesis range is a great way to combat this, designed to fight hair fall and protect the hair.
Trim Regularly: Regular trims will help keep your hair looking fresh and prevent split ends from getting worse over time.
Maintain Your Colour: Coppers and reds can fade quickly, so use color-safe shampoos and conditioners to keep your color vibrant – our favorites are the Kerastase Chroma Absolut range!
Embrace the season with these autumnal hair trends and tips. Whether you’re adding warm copper tones, updating your blonde, trying out a trendy bob or fringe, or simply focusing on fall hair care, these suggestions will ensure your hair looks stunning throughout the season. 🍁💇♀️
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.
Are you considering changing your hair colour but unsure which service to choose? We understand that choosing the right colour service can be a tough decision, which is why we’re here to help.
Here at NOCO, we offer a range of colour services including root touch ups, all over colours, white hair coverage and blending, balayage (top up, classic & transformation), highlights (partial, half, full & super full), scalp bleach, colour correction, creative colour, toners and our signature soft blend.
In this blog post, we’ll discuss the benefits of each service and provide tips for selecting the right one based on your hair type, lifestyle, and maintenance preferences. By the end of this post, you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision about a hair colour that suits you. Let’s get started!
Balayage
If you’re looking for a low-maintenance hair colour option, balayage might be the perfect choice for you. Balayage is a French word that means “to sweep,” and this hair colouring technique involves painting the hair with a sweeping motion to create a sun-kissed, subtle effect.
Balayage is a hair colouring technique that has gained popularity in recent years and for good reason. One of the main benefits of balayage is its versatility – it can be tailored to suit different hair types, lengths, and skin tones. Whether you’re looking for a subtle change or a more dramatic transformation, balayage can deliver the perfect result.
Another advantage of balayage is that it’s easy to care for. Unlike other colouring techniques like classic foils or all-over colour, balayage requires less frequent touch-ups. Balayage generally is blended up towards the root meaning it grows out more naturally, which means you can enjoy the results for longer without worrying about unsightly roots or harsh lines.
Balayage can also add dimension and depth to the hair without looking too over-the-top. It can be used to create a range of effects, from sun-kissed highlights to more dramatic, high-contrast looks. Balayage is also a great option for someone who wants to experiment with dyeing their hair without committing to a full head of colour.
We have 3 service options for balayage. Along with a classic balayage, we also offer a “Balayage Top Up” which is a 1-hour lightning session to concentrate on applying the ribbons of colour where you need them, often brightening around the face. As well as this, we offer a “Balayage Transformation” service which is an extended appointment for more dramatic changes to your colour.
Highlights
If you’re looking for a way to add dimension and brightness to your hair, or achieve a lighter look overall, highlights could be the perfect way to achieve your hair goals.
Highlights are a popular colouring technique that involves lightening certain sections of the hair to create contrast and depth or achieve maximum lightness. We offer 4 highlighting services: partial, half, full and super full.
Partial Highlights:
Partial highlights involve lightening only specific sections of the hair, typically around the face, along the parting, and at the crown.
This technique is great for someone who wants a subtle change, to add some face framing, to top up between full highlighting appointments, and for shorter hair where a scattering of highlights through the top will work better to complement their haircut. A partial highlight can also be distributed throughout the entire head to add minimal lightness throughout the hair.
Half Head of Highlights:
A half head of highlights is generally the top half of the head from ear to ear. This is a common service to top up colour in between full highlight appointments. It’s also a good option if you only want to see lightness through the top of your hair. As with a partial highlight, a “half head” can be distributed throughout the hair for a more balanced look.
Full Highlights:
Full highlights cover the whole head. This is best suited for someone who wants to achieve a lighter overall look.
Super Full Highlights:
A super full highlight still covers the whole head, but we put many more foils in to create maximum lightness and a more dramatic transformation.
One of the key benefits of highlights is that they can add dimension and brightness to the hair without requiring complete coverage. This makes them a great option for someone who wants a change but isn’t ready to commit to a major transformation. Plus, highlights can be customised to suit different hair types and skin tones, so they’re a versatile option for many people.
In addition, highlights can help to create the illusion of volume and thickness in the hair. This is especially true for fine or thinning hair, as highlights can add texture and depth.
With all highlighting services, we have the option to add colour in between the foils. This is great if you want to change your natural hair colour in between the highlights, cover or camouflage greys, blend away harsh demarcation lines from exiting colour, or add depth back into your hair.
Highlights for Grey Hair
Highlights for grey hair are a specialised colouring technique that involves adding highlights to grey hair to create a blended, effect that helps to mask the appearance of grey hair.
One of the key benefits of highlights for grey hair is that they can help to blend grey hair with natural hair colour, creating a more even, cohesive look. By adding highlights, the grey hair can be seamlessly blended with the natural hair colour for a more flattering look. It can also help to create a softer transition if you are looking to embrace your natural colour as it becomes greyer.
Another benefit of highlights for grey hair is that they can be a low-maintenance way to manage grey hair. Rather than having to touch up your roots every few weeks, highlights can be strategically placed to help mask the appearance of grey hair and create a more natural look.
At NOCO Hair we have a range of colour products. Our most popular for grey hair blending is Dialight which is an acidic colour so that we can add depth back into your hair where needed without affecting your natural hair colour. This is a great option if your natural hair is more “salt & pepper” as we can blend the darker areas of your hair between the highlights.
This technique can deliver a glamorous look that will leave you feeling confident and refreshed.
