From the salon
Honest, plain-English guides from the NU Beauty team in Haverhill and Kedington - what treatments actually involve, how to prepare and how to make them last.
Massage guide
6 min read
Sports massage is assessment-led, built around one specific niggle or sport. Deep tissue is a broader, full-body session for general tightness. One stubborn spot, book sports. Tight all over, book deep tissue.
Teen guide
11 min read
Makeup fails at prom for one reason: heat and sweat break down oil control faster than any product's marketing claims allow. No setting spray beats good skin prep, the right order, and a touch-up kit for later.
Men's guide
10 min read
Yes, if anything more than most: male skin produces up to four times the oil of female skin and carries roughly a quarter more collagen. A men's facial is not a different treatment, just the same one, read for that skin.
Pregnancy and hair colour
10 min read
Yes, generally, especially after the first trimester and with foils over full colour. Your scalp absorbs very little dye at a salon, but pregnancy changes skin reactions, so the patch test matters more than ever.
Lash guide
9 min read
Lash extensions look their fullest for about two to three weeks, then thin as your own lashes shed, and are fully grown out by around six. Book the infill before that point, not after it.
Hair extensions guide
9 min read
Hair extensions are lengths of hair clipped, taped, bonded or sewn onto your own. Salon-fitted methods need a revisit every six to eight weeks, but the hair itself lasts up to a year with the right method for your hair.
Skin & waxing guide
11 min read
An ingrown hair is a hair curled back into the skin instead of growing out. A warm compress and gentle exfoliation clear most within days, but only consistent technique, not a product, stops them coming back.
Skin and waxing
9 min read
Four different things get called strawberry legs, and they need four different answers. If yours are down to shaving, waxing genuinely helps. If they are keratosis pilaris, no hair removal will touch them.
Autumn lookbook
7 min read
If you save one autumn 2026 nail idea, make it espresso brown: the season's do-everything shade. Keep it short and glossy, add one accent if you like, and pick the finish that suits your own nails, not the photo.
Nails guide
8 min read
Taking acrylics off at home is mostly patience: file off the shine, soak in pure acetone and foil, then gently push, never pry. The soak is the easy part; rush it and you tear the top layers off your nail.
Brow guide
8 min read
The honest answer is patience: over-plucked or waxed brows usually show new hairs within two to six weeks and look full again within a few months, as long as you stop touching them and the follicle is still alive.
Skin guide
11 min read
Blackheads are trapped oil and dead skin, not dirt, so scrubbing will not shift them. A daily salicylic acid clears most over a few weeks. Never squeeze them; for stubborn ones, book a professional extraction facial.
Facials guide
8 min read
A HydraFacial is a non-invasive, multi-step facial that uses gentle vortex technology to cleanse, exfoliate, clear pores and infuse the skin with serums, leaving it instantly hydrated and glowing with no real downtime.
Massage guide
9 min read
An Indian head massage is a seated, clothed treatment working the upper back, shoulders, neck, scalp and face to release tension. Most people find it deeply relaxing, and it eases tight shoulders and tension headaches.
Nails guide
9 min read
Gel polish lasts around two to three weeks, and BIAB or builder gel three to five. What actually ends a set is your own nail growing out at the cuticle, roughly three millimetres a month, not the gel giving up.
Brow guide
10 min read
Brow lamination usually lasts four to six weeks, and up to about eight with careful aftercare. It does not wash off so much as grow out, softening gently as new brow hairs come through and the set relaxes.
Tanning guide
8 min read
Most people use a sunbed once or twice a week, leaving at least 24 hours between sessions (48 for fair skin) and no more than 60 a year. Honestly though, there is no safe UV tan, so with a sunbed, less is always better.
Facials guide
9 min read
Dermaplaning is a facial that uses a sterile blade to gently sweep away dead skin and fine peach fuzz, leaving skin smoother and brighter. It is exfoliation, not shaving, and your hair grows back exactly as it was.
Brow guide
10 min read
HD brows are a bespoke seven-step brow treatment: your stylist maps a shape to suit your face, then tints, waxes, threads and tweezes your own hair into a groomed, defined finish that lasts around four to six weeks.
Hair colour guide
9 min read
Balayage is painted on freehand for a soft, sun-kissed blend that grows out with no harsh line. Highlights are woven into foils for brighter, more uniform colour, and need a touch-up far more often as the roots show.
Lash guide
9 min read
A lash lift usually lasts four to six weeks, and up to around eight with a slow lash cycle and good aftercare. It does not wear off so much as grow out, softening gradually as your lashes shed and are replaced.
Nail guide
8 min read
BIAB stands for Builder in a Bottle: a soak-off gel overlay brushed straight onto your natural nails to strengthen them. A salon BIAB manicure usually lasts three to four weeks, growing out rather than chipping off.
Tanning guide
8 min read
A professional spray tan typically lasts five to ten days, fading gradually as your skin sheds. How long yours lasts depends on your skin, your prep and your aftercare, and good care can stretch it toward the longer end.
Waxing guide
8 min read
The difference is simple: a Brazilian wax leaves a small strip of hair at the front, while a Hollywood removes every hair, front to back. Comfort, upkeep and prep are otherwise much the same.
Choose your salon - Haverhill or Kedington - and book online in a few taps.