NXT Colourist of the Year 2025

NXT gave an opportunity to all professional colourists in the UK to enter their Colourist of the Year – Create with Colour competition. The competition gave all who entered a fantastic chance to highlight their skills and gain recognition.

In the ever-evolving world of hairdressing, staying ahead of the curve is essential. For hairdressers, continuous development and improvement of skills are not just beneficial—they’re crucial. One of the most effective ways to challenge yourself and elevate your craft is by entering competitions. Competitions provide a platform to display your talent, gain recognition, and open new opportunities for career progression.

This years NXT competition gave entrants the chance to shine, with one standout entry winning £250 in cash, £250 in NXT products and an all expenses paid invitation to the NXT 2025 photoshoot! The 4 runners up will each receive £100 of NXT products.

Thanks to all our customers who entered in the competition.

The top 4 finalists were:

However, one entry really stood out. Her stunning work clearly demonstrated an amazing transformation through skilled colour artistry, with stunning results!

Congratulations to Aimee Barnet from Barnets by Aimee: NXT Colourist of the Year 2025!

Aimee’s hairdressing journey started in 2021, where she began experimenting with vibrant colours and edgy styles on friends in college whilst doing her apprenticeship. It was during this time Aimee discovered her love for bold, alterative looks. Truly passionate about empowering individuals to express themselves through their hair, and the excitement of bringing their ideas to life!

The colour creation that grabbed the spotlight and made Aimee the winner of NXT Colourist of the Year 2025 was inspired by NXT’s stunning copper range. By creating a custom formula to achieve the final look, Aimee wanted to keep it soft yet striking, so began by lightening the mid-lengths and cherry-picking darker spots with NXT Pro-Tech lightener, whilst feathering up the lightener preserving half an inch of root. Afterwards, Aimee applied NXT Permanent 7-4 and 9-3 with 20vol/6% on the roots and then Permanent 8-4 and Demi-Permanent 9-03 with 10vol/3% to the mid-lengths and ends.

"I’m passionate about empowering individuals to express themselves through their hair and the excitement of bringing their ideas to life."

We congratulate you Aimee on your stunning work and look forward to seeing more of your amazing colour artistry in 2026!

A special thank you to this year’s judges:

• Jayne Lewis-Orr – Executive Director of the Professional Beauty Group, bringing over 30 years of experience in the hair and beauty industry.
• Gary Hooker and Michael Young – Co-founders of the multi-award-winning Hooker & Young Salon Group. They are among the most successful names in British hairdressing.
• Holly Bullock – NXT Brand Ambassador, renowned hairstylist, and salon owner. Celebrated for her expertise in colour theory and passion for hair science.

Let’s hear it for Aimee and all the incredible finalists who made this year unforgettable. Each of you brought something extraordinary to this year’s competition, showcasing skills that truly set the bar high. Your artistry and passion inspire us all and we can’t wait to see where your journey takes you next!

Keep shining, keep creating and stay tuned for more exciting things from NXT!