Nicola Welsh Hair

Brightness, placed with purpose.

With pre-existing highlights already running through the hair, every section needed to be considered.

I wanted to introduce more brightness while respecting the previously lightened hair and protecting its condition. The placement was controlled, keeping enough depth through the hair to create softness, dimension and balance.

The result is a brighter blonde that still feels soft, elegant and lived-in. Polished, but never overworked.

Because beautiful blonde isn’t only about where you add light. It’s knowing where to leave depth, how to work with what’s already there and making the right decisions for the hair in front of you.

This kind of considered placement and decision-making is a big part of what I teach in my in-person blonde education.

My January blonde class is now open for bookings.
If you’d like to learn with me in person, you’ll find all the details through the link in my bio.

My first in-person education date for 2027 is now live 🤍

I genuinely love these days. Getting a room full of stylists together, sharing how I work, talking through the decisions I make and answering all the questions that come up along the way.

We’ll spend the day focused on creating beautiful, timeless blondes, from bright and dimensional to softer, lived-in results. I’ll be working live on a model and breaking down my approach from consultation and colour planning through to placement, formulation, toning and finishing.

My aim is for you to leave understanding more of the why behind the work, with more confidence in the choices you make behind the chair and techniques you can take back to your own clients.

Sunday 31st January 2027
Tickets link in bio

My previous in-person education dates have sold out, so if you’ve been waiting for the next one, all the details and tickets are now live through the link in my bio 🤍

DIMENSIONAL BLONDE IS ALL ABOUT WHAT YOU LEAVE BEHIND.

This stormy blonde is all about dimension, where the depth left in is just as considered as the lighter pieces.

This is the kind of dimensional blonde where the depth left in is just as considered as the lighter pieces.

For me, placement isn’t only about where I want to create lightness. It’s also knowing where to leave depth, where to create contrast and where the hair needs softness, so everything connects and feels balanced.

Through the process, I’m always looking at the natural hair and reading the canvas. Section size, placement, saturation and level of lift all matter, while continually thinking about how each decision will affect the finished results.

At the basin, I’m working with what the hair has actually given me. The underlying warmth, the different levels of lift and the depth that has deliberately been left all influence the final formulation.

The result is softer and more dimensional rather than an overall bright blonde, with lighter areas sitting against the deeper tones to give the colour shape and movement.

Placement and detail, all coming together to create this dimensional lived-in blonde look. 🤍

Natural classic blonde, but considered in every detail.

Swipe to see the formula

A blonde like this isn’t about pushing the tone in one direction. It’s about creating balance and depth.

The level of lift, the warmth naturally present in the hair, the client’s natural base, the placement and the final formulation all have to work together.

Glossing isn’t about changing a blonde into something it isn’t. It’s about refining what’s already there.

For this result, I wanted the blonde to feel natural, soft and beautifully balanced. Bright enough to feel fresh, but with enough tonal variation and softness to keep the overall finish chic, classic and elegant.

That final formulation for me is such an important part of the result. It can completely change how the blonde reads, even when the placement underneath stays the same.

It’s also why I don’t look at a formula in isolation. I’m always considering what I’m starting with, what the hair is giving me and what I want the finished blonde to feel like.

That way of thinking about colour is a big part of my Formula Handbook, where I’ve brought together 76 of my go-to Redken Shades EQ formulas for blondes, brondes and brunettes, along with the formulations I reach for behind the chair.

Comment BOOK and I’ll send you the link.

CLEAN BLONDE IS BUILT IN THE DETAILS.

A blonde this light can look beautifully simple when it’s finished, but there’s a lot behind the result.

Fine sections, controlled placement and clean saturation all matter when working towards this level of brightness.

But so does the starting point.

This was achieved on a naturally lighter base. It wasn’t a first-session transformation, and the hair was healthy and strong enough to support the lightening process.

All of those things matter.

For me, blonding isn’t simply about how light I can make the hair. It’s about understanding the canvas I’m working with, maintaining the condition and knowing what the hair can realistically give me.

Healthy hair first. Beautiful blonde follows.

For all booking my client link is open for a short time, all booking via the website link in bio.

BUTTERCREAM BLONDE

Soft, creamy and bright with just the right amount of warmth.

For me, a beautiful blonde is about getting the balance of light and dark and the final tone just right. Keeping enough warmth to make the blonde feel soft, expensive and flattering, while still maintaining that beautiful brightness.

This buttercream blonde has a blend of creamy beige and soft golden tones, with brightness around the face and subtle depth through the root to keep everything beautifully blended.

It’s the tone that makes the blonde.

If formulation is something you love, my Formula Handbook brings together 76 of my favourite Redken Shades EQ formulas, alongside the knowledge and information I use when working with Shades EQ and creating blondes, brondes and brunettes.

A resource to come back to when you’re formulating behind the chair.

Comment BOOK and I’ll send you the link. 🤍

HairEducation

CREAMY BLONDE, WITHOUT LOSING SOFTNESS

There’s a fine balance between creating a blonde that feels bright and keeping enough softness for it to still look expensive.

Here, the brightness around the face is softened into the natural root, while the creamy tone keeps the overall finish light without feeling overly cool or flat.

It’s that balance of brightness, softness and tone that gives a blonde its polished finish. This is one of my all time favourite blonde tones.

Bright, but never harsh.

Next hair education class 18th Oct link in bio

KINDA CHIC
SOFT LIVED-IN BRONDE

Soft brunette depth with brighter tones running through the lengths.

For this lived-in bronde, I wanted to work with her natural depth while bringing in enough brightness to give the hair contrast and movement.

Keeping that depth through the root and interior allows the lighter pieces to stand out, opening up softly around the face, while everything still feels soft and connected.

It’s that balance between the deeper brunette tones through the top and the lighter bronde through the lengths that gives the colour its dimension, while keeping the overall finish soft and lived-in.

Swipe through for a closer look at the process and finished colour.

In person education class
18th October last ticket available
Link bio

BlondeSpecialis

Shaded Blonde

I’d keep SHADED BLONDE because the soft root shading is part of what makes the brighter blonde feel seamless, but write it around brightness + connection:

SHADED BLONDE

This one is all about brightness, with just enough softness at the root to keep everything beautifully connected.

The highlights create that clean, bright blonde through the lengths, while the subtle root shade helps marry the natural root into the lighter pieces rather than creating obvious depth.

Finished with a gloss to refine the tone and bring everything together.

Bright blonde, but with a softer transition at the root. Clean, polished and seamless.

Sometimes the smallest amount of shade is all a bright blonde needs.

BRIGHT BLONDE, WITHOUT LOSING THE DEPTH

Creating a bright blonde isn’t simply about making every section lighter.

It’s about finding the right balance of brightness, depth and tone, while working with the natural hair rather than against it.

The depth that’s left behind gives the lighter pieces something to sit against, creating contrast, movement and dimension.

Tone is another part of that decision. The finished blonde needs to complement the natural base and work with the client’s skin tone, so the overall result feels considered and balanced rather than simply blonde.

Swipe through to see the starting point, the blonding process and the finished result.

These are the kinds of decisions we break down in more detail during my in-person blonde education classes.

Next class: 18th October | Bolton
Small, intimate class with just 2 tickets remaining.
Full details via the link in bio.