‘Tis the season to be ensure one looks fierce under the mistletoe, and given my salon visits also come but once a year, my recent session at the golden fingertips of Nikita, Artistic Director at Jamie Stevens Hair couldn’t have come at a better time.
Located on possibly Clapham’s dreamiest Street in Abbeville village (neighbours The Ginger Pig and Gail’s tell you all you need to know) it’s the third outpost for Jamie Stevens, alongside a space in Kensington and one in Ripley, Surrey. Nominated no fewer than eight times for British Hairdresser of the Year (and being the youngest person ever to be nominated no less) Stevens has an enviable CV including working with some of the UK's biggest names in hairdressing, the X Factor and innumerable celebrities; safe to say if you're in the hands of a member of his team chances are you'll be in for a treat.
Brandishing a Pinterest board of dream hair and a slightly sun-frazzled mop in desperate need of a trim, a consultation and patch test ensued and I was booked in. I needn’t have worried about being in capable hands; last week Nikita was a finalist in the Colour Tech at the British Hairdressing Awards - this is one lady who knows her hair dye.
Given my natural colour (after 15 years of hitting the bottle) is a rather inoffensive mid brown, it was decided to stick to a semi permanent just one or two shades darker for a root base, while working some hand painted blonde balayage through the lengths to create a dragged effect.
We added in a dose of Ultim8, an in-salon treatment matrix bond repair treatment that helps repair hair from the inside by rebuilding the amino acid bonds that can easily be broken through overbleaching or too much heat styling; essentially it’s a lifeline for frazzled locks and its transformative powers are renowned far and wide.
Two hours in the chair felt like a quarter of that; unlike some colourists I’ve visited where making polite conversation is like getting blood out of a stone, Nikita not only worked magic with my hair but was a total delight to chat to. The result? A look she’s labelled Bailey’s Blonde, a darker vase with warm creamy blonde. It’s got a new lease of life for what was a tired barnet, just in time for party season and the aforementioned misteltoe...
Follow Nikita on Instagram @nikita_jane_hair. For more information, prices and to book visit
www.jamiestevenshair.com
