Student Essentials at Alan Howard

For many, a new season often marks the start of an exciting journey for aspiring hairdressers. Starting hair college is the first step into the professional hair industry, where students will discover their passion for cutting, styling and learning signature colour techniques. If you’re a college starter or know anyone who’s about to make the jump, we’ve put together a list of our must-have student essentials, as well as some budget-friendly products, that will not only make your college experience smoother but also set you up for success in your future career.

Velva Pro

High performance technical products for hairdressers that demand only the best.

Alfaparf Milano

Discover Alfaparf Milano – Italy’s leading professional haircare brand, offering advanced colour, smoothing, and lightening solutions for salon-perfect results.

Sunless Tanning 101

Within the beauty industry, one of the most transformative trends in recent years is the shift towards sunless tanning, therefore we understand the importance of offering your clients the best solutions for a flawless, sun-kissed glow. Let’s dive into why sunless tanning is not just a trend, but a better, healthier, and more efficient alternative to traditional tanning methods.

Hair Colour Trends of 2025

The trending hair colours of 2025 are here, and we couldn’t be more excited to see these stunning, creative colours hit the salon floor. This year, we’re seeing a mix of creative colour combinations, with the increasingly popular lived-in, low-maintenance colours that add the sought-after richness to a client's look. While some shades are here to stay, 2025 will bring a fresh approach to the shades we saw take off last year. Let’s jump into the must-have, trending hair colours your clients will be lining up to try this year.

Essentials You Need In Your College Kit Bag

​Beginning your journey as a hair professional is an exciting time, with so much to learn in an ever-evolving industry. Whether you're passionate about creative colour techniques, styling, or simply transforming your clients’ looks, starting hair college is your first step towards mastering your passion. To help you hit the ground running, we’ve put together a list of student essentials that will not only make your college experience smoother but also set you up for success in your future career!

The Professional Beauty Trends of 2025

With a new year on the horizon, we’re rounding up the trends that are redefining the professional world of beauty, which introduced technology into skincare while creating sensory-driven results within appointments. Let’s dive into the top beauty trends that have shaped 2025 and how you can bring these to life in your salon with the latest professional products available at Alan Howard.

Alan Howard 2024 Favourites

It’s time to welcome the Alan Howard 2024 favourites brought to you by the professionals at Alan Howard themselves. From new product launches to this year's trending picks, we have the low down on all things hair & beauty that we have been loving. Let's dive into our 2024 favourites that you can take with you into the new year…

8 Volumising Hair Products You Need

As soon as your clients sit in your chair they trust you to give them the best advice and products for achieving their ideal hair look. So, when it comes to volume, the right products with the right hair type make all the difference. We’ve made note of our top volumising products that you can use in your salon, as well as your clients, to take away, so you achieve hair with body and bounce. Let’s dive in…

The Trending Hair Colour of 2025: Mocha Mousse

With 2024 coming to a close, Pantone has revealed its 2025 Colour of the Year, Mocha Mousse, and it’s already making its debut in the world of hair colour. This rich, neutral, yet cool-toned brunette is a sophisticated blend of beiges and chocolate browns, that create a refined, harmonious look. For clients looking to embrace a luxurious shade in 2025, Mocha Mousse is the ultimate choice. We’ve teamed up with our Alan Howard Educator, Sara Simspon, to discuss how colourists can create the trending Mocha Mousse with their clients using Quif Professional Let’s dive into the colour of 2025…

Winter Rituals For Your Salon with Sienna X

As winter sets in, your client’s skin faces a range of challenges — from dryness to irritation — but with the right products, they can maintain smooth, hydrated, and radiant skin throughout the season. Sienna X’s Collagen & Melanin Boosting Shower Cleanser, Exfoliator, and Body Lotion are must-have additions to your salon's winter offerings, ensuring your clients enjoy a pampering experience that keeps their skin nourished and glowing. Here’s why these bath & body essentials should be part of every winter self-care ritual.

The Ultimate Beauty Christmas Gift Guide for Salons

Where are our beauty lovers at? With clients flooding into the salons for their beauty appointments and pre-Christmas glow-ups, now is the perfect time to stock up on beauty gift sets that not only make gorgeous presents but also give your salon retailing sales a boost. If your clients are after some new skincare, a flawless tan, or want to invest in high-tech at-home treatments, we have the gifts that tick every box for every beauty lover. Here are our top beauty picks for the 2025 Christmas season…

Pedicure Essentials For Beauty Therapists

As a beauty therapist, delivering the ultimate pedicure combines professional care, long-lasting results, and client satisfaction. If you’re a beauty therapist who works in a salon or offers a mobile service, having the right tools and products can transform a simple pedicure into a luxury experience! Let’s dive into our four must-have product ranges that every beauty therapist should keep in their kit.

How To Maximise Salon Profits With These Speedy Salon Services

Let’s face it, we’re already prepping for the festive season, and with it comes jam-packed schedules and appointment bookings, last-minute walk-ins and clients being extremely eager to look their best for the party season. But with strict timings and an overflowing column, being efficient is everything. That’s where fast salon services come in. From express colour to speedy treatments, these quick turnaround options allow you to fit in more clients, maximise profits, and keep your guests looking and, of course, feeling incredible! Let’s dive into how to make every minute count this season with time-saving salon heroes your clients will love…

The Ultimate Party Season Salon Must-Haves

It’s finally time to equip your salon with the right tools to ensure your clients look their best this festive season, and we have just the essentials to make this possible. With clients going from Christmas parties to New Year's Eve celebrations, there’s no doubt that everyone wants to feel their absolute best. And as professionals, this is your time to elevate their experience, boost retail sales and make sure your salon is fully stocked with the industry's best! We’ve rounded up our top professional must-haves that will help you get your clients festive-ready…

Get To Know The Viral TikTok 'Curly Girl Method'

With millions of tutorials and product recommendations flooding TikTok’s ‘For You Page’, the viral 'Curly Girl Method' is everywhere, and for a good reason! But with so much information out there, it can be extremely overwhelming for clients to know what really works for their unique curls, coils or waves. That’s why it’s essential that your clients turn to their trusted hairdresser for credible, professional guidance on what will work for their specific hair type.

Hair Trend Predictions for 2025 with Brooke Evans & Georgia Bella

To discover what’s next to hit salons in the world of colour, we turned to Quif artists and industry-leading hair colourists, Brooke Evans and Georgia Bell, who shared their insights into upcoming trends, favourite colour techniques and what they’d love to see more of (and less of) in 2025, whilst discussing some lessons they’ve learnt on the way.

The Ultimate Christmas Gift Guide of 2024

Clients feeling uninspired this gift-giving season? Leave it to us! Our ultimate gift guide has everything from complete sets to stocking fillers to add fun and festivity to your salon while helping your clients solve their last-minute Christmas shopping dilemmas. Let’s dive into the perfect holiday gifts for hair enthusiasts!

The Brunette Edit 2025: Trending Brunette Hair Colours of 2025

In our last edit, we said that 2025 belonged to the blondes, but the brunettes were not far behind. This year, we saw rich, dimensional, and super glossy brunette shades, with soft, creamy mocha blends to warm, spice-infused hues. It’s safe to say, brunette has officially evolved beyond a single tone. This year especially, the trending brunette shades have centred around warmth, luxurious shine, and lots of dimension, making it perfect for clients wanting to switch up and customise their natural base. In our 2025 brunette edit, we’re breaking down the brunette shades that dominated the salons, so you can learn how to recreate them with your clients into the new year.

How To Get Your Clients Spray Tan Ready This Party Season

Party season is officially here! And with it, the need for glowing skin is key to matching any dazzling outfit. As a spray tan artist, your expertise can guide your clients on how to look their best for every festive occasion. But achieving the perfect spray tan isn’t just about the application, it’s also about pre-appointment prep, guiding clients through the process, and recommending the correct aftercare. Here’s how you can help your clients get the most out of their spray tans this party season.

Hair Trend Predictions for 2025

As we approach 2025, within the professional hair industry colourists are eager for fresh ideas, techniques and most importantly trends, that are going to set the creative scene within salons. We sat down with Education Team members, Sara Simpson and Adam Murphy, our hair colour experts who have an immense amount of knowledge on all things hair colour, to get their predictions and insights into what the hairdressing industry has to bring in 2025.

Sienna X

Sienna X are a well-respected and established business within the tanning industry. A pro-level beauty brand with advanced formulations combined with the highest quality of ingredients to provide products to both professionals and direct to consumer.

Schwarzkopf Professional

Schwarzkopf Professional stands for more than excellent hair products. Offering a holistic portfolio of hair colour, hair care, styling and form.