Wella Professionals announced hair colorist and social media star Patricia Nikole, @paintedhair, as new Brand Ambassador.  Known for her impeccable balayage technique and as a pioneer in hair painting trends, Nikole brings her beautiful craftsmanship to work with the Wella Professionals team. In her new role, she will exclusively collaborate with Wella Professionals across areas including content creation, digital transformation, creative collaboration, product co-creation, color techniques, education innovation and influencer marketing. She will also create inspirational looks and serve as spokesperson for the brand.

"My career has been nothing short of a dream since those early years and now partnering with Wella Professionals marks my biggest professional achievement to date," Nikole says. “I am a strong believer in ‘paying it forward’ and I will use this opportunity to collaborate with Wella Professionals in the coming years to give back to this beloved industry of ours.”

 A prominent hair artist on social media, a medium that has brought transformative power to the hairdressing scene in recent years, she's grown an impressive 912K+ devoted follower fan base on Instagram.  Carole Protat, Wella senior director of education said, “Patricia’s personal and professional accomplishments are nothing short of exceptional. We’re very proud to attract new talent of her caliber. She perfectly exemplifies the future of our industry and her story is a true inspiration for an upcoming generation of hairdressers.”

Q and A

MODERN SALON: You’re in California and most counties are now open.  If you’re back with your clients, can you please share some of your experiences of being back?  

PATRICIA NIKOLE: I will say that being quarantined for so long really helped me mentally prepare for what work would be like once we reopened. Those months away also gave me the time to gather all of the necessary PPE such as masks, hand sanitizer, contactless thermometers etc. With that being said, I believe that now is the time (more than ever!) to maintain positivity and to take it one day at a time in the salon; to just focus on creating rather than worrying. Proper preparation with PPE and establishing protocols will ensure the safety of your business as well as provide a foundation for your business to operate in these new times.

MS: What are some fast fixes to make clients feel like themselves again when salons reopen? What are some of your favorite Wella Glosses and how do you use them?

PN:  Over time, hair can fade and go back to being one dimensional so I suggest adding those highs and lows, plus an allover gloss, to make them feel refreshed.

I especially like the Wella Professionals Blondor Permanent Liquid Toners to help neutralize any unwanted warmth in the hair. I’m loving Wella Professionals Color Touch for glossing as well! You can also use Wella Professionals Color Touch plus melted into Wella Professionals Color Touch to accomplish gray blending with a beautiful tone between the mids and ends.

MS: What are some products you like to encourage your clients to use to help maintain hair health in between salon appointments?

PM:  One of my favorite recommendations for clients to use in between salon appointments is Wella Professionals INVIGO Brilliance Color Protection Shampoo. It is a pH-optimized nourishing shampoo perfect for locking in color/maintaining color retention. Also, using Wella Professionals EIMI Thermal Image Heat Protection Spray is ideal to protect your client’s hair when styling with hot tools.

MS: What are you most excited about with this Wella partnership?

PN: The content creation aspect of it. I love the idea of creative collaboration and working with all the other elite artists. It will be a gamechanger in my career.