Tracey West Hair Salon-led hair and beauty advice, straight from the chair

Tracey West Hair

Salon-led hair and beauty advice, straight from the chair

Latest Articles

The Colour Passport: What to Ask For Before You Leave the Salon
Salon Advice

The Colour Passport: What to Ask For Before You Leave the Salon

A photo can show the shade; it can't show the developer, the timing or the toner. Here's why every colour client should leave with a proper colour record — and how to ask for one without implying you don't trust your stylist.

The Hard Water Reality Check: What Shower Filters Can and Can't Fix
Hair Health

The Hard Water Reality Check: What Shower Filters Can and Can't Fix

Hard water is behind a lot of the dullness, crunch and colour drift we see in the salon — but a £30 shower filter isn't a magic wand. Here's what's actually happening, what chelating can do, and which claims are worth your money.

Stop Saying ‘Just a Bit of Texture’ — What to Ask For Instead
Hair Trends

Stop Saying ‘Just a Bit of Texture’ — What to Ask For Instead

‘Texture’ has become the most overworked word in the salon — and the fastest route to a cut you didn’t want. Here’s a stylist’s translation guide to the phrases clients use in 2026, with scripts that actually get results.

The Drizzle-Proof Blow-Dry: A Salon Sequence for Wet, Windy British Days
Salon Advice

The Drizzle-Proof Blow-Dry: A Salon Sequence for Wet, Windy British Days

A rainy forecast doesn’t have to mean a frizzy commute or a style that collapses by 10am. Here’s how stylists build a blow-dry for damp air, gusty streets and the walk to the Tube — plus the three-minute refresh that gets you through day two.

Curl Tax or Craft? What a Specialist Curly Cut Really Buys You
Salon Advice

Curl Tax or Craft? What a Specialist Curly Cut Really Buys You

Specialist curly cuts can cost £80 more than a standard cut in many UK salons—and the price gap makes people understandably suspicious. Here's what the premium should include, the red flags to watch for, and how to decide if it's worth it for your texture and budget.

The Postcode Effect: Why Your Blow-Dry Behaves Differently Across the UK
Hair Health

The Postcode Effect: Why Your Blow-Dry Behaves Differently Across the UK

Same shampoo, same brush, same hairdryer—and yet your hair can feel completely different after a move. Hard water is often the hidden variable. Here's how to check your local supply, tell chelating from clarifying, and decide what's worth booking in the salon.

The Second-Day Shampoo Audit: When £8 Does the Job and £80 Has to Earn It
Salon Advice

The Second-Day Shampoo Audit: When £8 Does the Job and £80 Has to Earn It

A shampoo can smell gorgeous in the shower and still let you down by day two. This is the salon checklist we use to judge budget versus premium bottles, with UK-friendly picks and zero brand snobbery.

Flakes Before Fringe: The Winter Scalp Reset Your Stylist Wishes You'd Book
Hair Health

Flakes Before Fringe: The Winter Scalp Reset Your Stylist Wishes You'd Book

Central heating, wool hats and cold snaps can turn a perfectly good hair appointment into a scalp conversation. Here is the stylist-led winter reset we actually recommend, from what flakes can reveal to the high street products worth trying.

The Festive Hair Diary: What to Book, and When, Before the Christmas Do
Salon Advice

The Festive Hair Diary: What to Book, and When, Before the Christmas Do

Every year the same phone call lands in the second week of December asking for a cancellation before the works do. Here is the six-week plan that means you never have to make it — colour timing, cut scheduling, treatment boosters and the at-home bits that hold it all together.

The Consultation Starts Before You Sit Down: Five Things Your Hair Tells a Stylist
Hair Health

The Consultation Starts Before You Sit Down: Five Things Your Hair Tells a Stylist

Before you have said a word about layers, a stylist has already noticed half a dozen things about your hair — and none of it is judgement. Here is what we spot in the chair, what it usually means, and how to use that information to get a better result.