Nicola’s six tips to get it right . . .

WHO’S YOUR BLONDE IDOL?

THERE is a blonde for everyone, but your idea and mine could be very different. I welcome women bringing in pictures of actresses or models. A shot of Kate Moss or Gwyneth Paltrow tells me exactly the shade you’re hoping for and I can discuss how it might work.

CHECK YOUR WRISTS FIRST

CHOOSING your perfect blonde is more about skin tone than anything else. To work out whether your skin is warm or cool toned, look at the veins on your wrist.

If they’re mostly blue and purple, you have a cool undertone. If mostly green, you have a warm undertone. If they’re a mix, you have a neutral undertone — and therefore more choice.

Cool skin tones suit softer lighter blondes, like ash, beige or lighter blonde. Warm or olive skins tend to suit golden or honey hues: think butter and caramel.

FLASH THOSE PEEPERS!

CONSIDER your eye colour. Soft, multi-tonal shades complement lighter green, grey and blue eyes, whereas deeper, richer blondes flatter a darker eye, such as dark green, hazel and brown.

ADJUST AS YOU AGE

EVEN if you’ve always been blonde, in your 40s and 50s, your colour will need rethinking. Skin tone often fades as it ages and hair texture can become more prone to breaking, so be careful about applying too much bleach.

The shade may need toning down, and some contrast added, with lighter hair round the face.

START SMALL AND BUILD

BEGIN with a few highlights, lighter streaks around the face and a shimmer of colour. Build up from there. You can always add more, it’s harder to take it away.

TOP BLONDE PRODUCTS

YOUR colour will only ever be as good as your hair condition. Color Wow Shampoo (from £16.50, colorwowhair.com/uk), helps seal colour and gives great shine. The Root Cover Up (£28.50,

colorwowhair.com/uk) can extend time between salon visits. Try Philip Kingsley Elasticizer (£31, lookfantastic.com) for smoothing hair and increasing strength and shine. New range Iles Formula is great for hair repair (Iles Formula Discovery Pack, £23.50, harveynichols.com).

COLOUR with Nicola and her team starts from £60, johnfriedasalons.com