With over 70 major beauty awards, Color Wow is certainly no slouch when it comes to creating outstanding hair products that are much sought after by salon owners. To find out just what makes Color Wow so successful, we spoke to Dom Seeley, celebrity hairstylist and Color Wow’s Creative Director.

Hey Dom! Please give us an introduction to yourself and a bit about your background

Hi, my name’s Dom Seeley, or @domseeley 

I am a celebrity hairstylist and Color Wow’s International Creative Director. I’ve been in the hairdressing industry since I was 13 and qualified with my NVQ Level 2 at the age of 16 (I was the youngest person to achieve this qualification!). I then went on to pass my NVQ Level 3 at 17.

Following that, I went on to open my own salon at 18 and closed it at 23 to pursue my career in freelance and celebrity hair. 

Hair wasn’t my first career choice to be honest, I have no clue what I wanted to do, but now when I look back I can’t think of my life being different.

How did you get your start in the hair industry? 

Social media had a big part to play in helping me to get into the industry. I know that’s what the majority of hairdressers might say, but as generic and as typical as it sounds, social media really did help me out and still does to this day. 

I’m not massively active on social media, but it helped me get the start I so desperately craved.

The fact that I never chased success though, is key to this. Hard work, sacrifice and determination are what got me to where I am today. I personally don’t even measure success as it means so many different things to everyone. Just stick to doing you, find your niche and run with it. That’s how you will stand out and get noticed.

Back in 2015/16, I applied to a Fashion Week call for Milan Fashion Week (at the time with the Creative Director for GHD, Kenna Kenna). I paid for the entire trip, as that’s what you do when you first start out in the industry. I was hungry and that drove me to achieve my goals. 

From then on, I made connections and contacts and did more assisting. I did all the Fashion Week shows in London, Paris and Milan for two to three seasons. It was then that I started to be noticed by brands.

One thing led on to the next and I met an incredible woman called Jen Atkin and it was her who really put me on the map and gave me a career. Without Jen and her team at Mane Addicts and the incredible opportunities she gave me, I wouldn’t be where I am today.

She changed my life and I will forever be grateful to her for trusting and believing in me and my skills.

Please give us an overview of Color Wow

Color Wow is a product like no other. I love Color Wow as they really care about the ingredients and your scalp and hair health. 

They are a non gimmicky problem solving brand that comes with real solutions to so many peoples hair and scalp problems. The range is a capsule collection of essential products to cater for all hair types and textures and a streamlined brand that has one product, for one purpose – and that’s all you need.

What motivated you to become the International Creative Director of Color Wow? 

I had been working with Color Wow as a freelance hairstylist for about two to three years before I took this role. I would say I’ve been with the brand for a total of five years now and I just fell in love with the products from the start.

As a hairstylist what I take in my kit and use on my clients is super important and I previously always struggled as I would carry three to four different brands/products because I couldn’t rely on one particular product.

Color Wow delivers. Their products are more often than not multi-use so I can achieve so many things from one product. I love that the brand is family owned and the whole team really does feel like family to me. 

Color Wow CEO and founder, Gail Federici, founded John Freida before starting Color Wow and you know that she’s not in this just to make a buck. She knows products and haircare. 

All of that spoke to me, as I wanted to be a part of something incredible as Color Wow is the first brand I’ve ever signed to. Trust me, I had offers yearly from different brands, but Color Wow really just outshined them all. They’re not a group of suits in an office wanting to exploit the industry and mass produce.

It’s an exciting and incredible brand to be a part of and I’m humbled and honoured that they chose me to lead their UK and International team. It’s something to live up to and I will always be so grateful to Gail Federici and her team for believing in me.

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In your opinion, what makes Color Wow stand out from other professional products on the market? 

Color Wow stands out on the market mainly because they only create products that they can make better or create a product that really solves a problem in terms of scalp and hair needs.

Their products always deliver; the technology is so ingenious and gives you a hair quality that is really hard to achieve otherwise. They have banned over 60 ingredients from their product line that can be harmful and detrimental to scalp and hair. You will always get incredible results every time you use them. 

Simple straightforward haircare with true scientific ingredients and modern technologies that give you expensive, rich looking incredible-quality hair. 

If you had to choose, what are your favourite Color Wow products to use and why?

This is a hard one as, honestly, I can’t decide which is my favourite as they are all created for different reasons as I mentioned earlier. 

If I did have to pick some favourites, I’d have to say the cocktails. They are a leave-in supplement you apply to freshly washed hair, and blowdry in. They are super powerful and protect from heat, but also each one has its own benefit, whether it be strength, hydration or thickness. They are lightweight and just melt into hair on contact – so they’re a great blowdry aid. 

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I love Cult Favourite Hairspray as it’s truly a multitasker. You can use it for all types of hairdressing. With hot tools, to create updos, to create ponytails, to set the look, to protect from UV rays, to remove frizz or to add shine. It does everything!

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Color Wow Dream Coat in one word is INCREDIBLE. It has changed my work for the better. It creates incredible hair and gives even the worst conditioned hair a quality that you cannot replicate with anything else. 

It blocks humidity, protects from heat, smooths and transforms any hair texture and hair type. It is as light as water with no fragrance, last two to three shampoos, plus it’s not greasy or heavy, so won’t lose volume.

It’s just an incredible product that everyone needs in their haircare regime.

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Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer has recently launched. Again, brand new and incredible bit of tech in a product. It’s the first of its kind in the world. It’s a volumiser and thickening foam, again as light as water in your hair. It really feels as if your hair doesn’t have any product in it.

It’s also a great heat protectant, gives long-lasting volume, bounce and body and imparts insane shine. It’s never stiff, sticky, or dry as there’s no alcohol, salts or drying resins and it’s made up of a bamboo polymer so it will always stay flexible.

Honestly, it’s my new favourite product as you can never be heavy handed or apply too much. It truly is a game changer. Your hair won’t feel dry or parched as it doesn’t dehydrate your hair to create volume like the majority of the products on the market do in order to create the volume effect.

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What would you say has been the biggest challenge in your career? And, how did you overcome it? 

I think the biggest challenge in my career so far has been the loneliness and missing out on so many life events and milestones. 

This job is incredible and there are so many experiences I’ve had and been blessed to be a part of, but no one ever tells you about the travelling, being on call practically 24/7, working from paycheck to paycheck, and being responsible for your own skill and talent. 

I put my personal life on hold (and for some that wouldn’t happen), but it’s a sacrifice I made to get where I am.

Another challenge is also accepting that out of every 10 jobs you get asked to do, you’ll probably only book two or three. Being prepared for rejection is important. There is enough opportunity for everyone, so learning that early on really allows you to stay focused on your own lane of success. 

Comparing yourself with others on social media can also have a negative side, where you doubt yourself and over analyse your work. 

What are some of your highlight moments in your career so far? 

I’ve had so many and have been blessed to be able to travel the world and do what I love. It’s crazy when I look back to what I have done and achieved in my career so far. 

Some top moments for me are:

  • Getting Kendall Jenner ready for some of her events in London on many occasions. 
  • Flying to Paris to work with Jessica Alba.
  • Meeting and getting to work with Huda and the HudaBeauty team.
  • Joining Color Wow as International Creative Director.
  • Meeting Jen Atkin and working for Mane Addicts.
  • Meeting and working with Olivia Culpo and Bella Hadid.
  • Working at huge events like the Brit Awards and the British Fashion Awards.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about starting a career in the professional hair industry?

Stay true to who you are, don’t compare yourself to others (as hard as that may be). I would always say focus on what you are good at in the hairdressing industry. We all can’t be amazing or super talented at everything, so if you know you excel in hair colour then follow that path, or if you like cutting then follow that one. 

A great piece of advice would be to make a professional social media account and keep it work-related, as nowadays that account will be your portfolio. It’s what makes you stand out to your audience and it really can help catch the right people’s attention. 

Be polite, attentive, and be a nice person. The industry may seem large, which it is, but the circle is small. Everyone is well connected so how you are and how you show up speaks volumes and can make or break you. People only want to work with great people.

On social media, don’t post non-work related things. Yes, people follow you as a person – so a small glimpse into your life is great – but showing your partying lifestyle isn’t the best way to showcase yourself. 

My last piece of advice is always be prepared, always be willing to learn, be a sponge and take as much as you can – but also give back. 

What are the essential tools, products and equipment that you can’t work without? 

My essential tools would have to be: 

My Dyson Supersonic and Corrale Flat Iron. I’ve loved them since day one and cannot use anything else. 

Ibiza Brushes are always in my kit. I love the entire range. It’s incredible – from blowout brushes to detailers, combs and brushes that help smooth the finest of hairline details. They are ergonomic, anti-microbial and perfectly balanced.

Color Wow Color Security Shampoo & Conditioner, plus Dream Coat and Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer are all staples in my kit that I cannot go without. The shampoo and conditioner really help clean the hair and get it to a state where I know I can build any hairstyle.

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Dream Coat blocks out all humidity, protects from heat and magically transforms any hair type and texture. So, it gives me an incredible quality of hair and reassures me that my clients will look incredible from all angles. 

And, finally, my new favourite Xtra Large Bombshell Volumizer. I have never used anything like it; the volume it gives is like no other, but your hair feels super soft. The shine is incredible and it doesn’t dehydrate your hair, so it is such an incredible product.

Do you have any tips for people who want to improve their hair skills and techniques?

Always learn. In a sense, you need to be a ‘sponge’. Absorb as much as you can. In this industry you never stop learning as there is always something new to learn. 

It’s a huge industry, so take as many courses as you can. Try to push your own limits and boundaries and stretch yourself in areas where you may not be comfortable. YouTube and the internet in general is a great way to learn as there are hairdressers and non hairdressers with incredible content showing you how to do pretty much anything. 

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Where do you find your creative inspiration? 

To be real I always love the throwback to the early 2000s, to the 90s and eras before. 

I love trying to interpret looks from eras and try to make them modern with a spin or twist to make it my own.

I love classic hair and techniques, but I also draw inspiration from people in the industry or my mentors. Fashion Week is great if you want to see what’s current and what you can take from it, but then you can equally be inspired by art of nature. 

I think inspo can be hard to pinpoint, as even memories or a vacation can inspire you.

A lot of it is collaborative. I create mood boards etc but when you are working with a celeb it’s a collaboration with the whole team to create the final look.

How important has social media been to your career?

Social media is so important, but I am truly not the most present or active. I don’t share half of the shoots and work I do or even my life as I feel it becomes so saturated. 

Social media for me is my work portfolio and platform. It shows my work to the right people and gets me work, so I will always be grateful to it, but it doesn’t consume me. It’s marmite truthfully to me. I have times where I love it and get inspired to share more of me and my personal life and work. It is hard to maintain and it is a job in itself. 

So, if you can find a good balance between life and social media, then you’re on to a great start.

What does the rest of 2021 look like for you? Are there any big plans that you’d like to share? 

2021 has already been so good to me after being in Dubai for 6 months (Jan-June) for HudaBeauty. Just getting to work and feel normal after the year of Covid lockdowns was great and I was blessed to be able to have done that. 


But currently, as I am writing this, I have so much work in August. I am currently writing this piece on location in Milos, Greece for a swimwear brand. I have so much work with Color Wow in the UK, Stockholm, Ireland, Athens and a shoot in September for another brand in a green list country.

I’m then slotting Dubai with HudaBeauty in between all of that work and those trips. I have a mini Color Wow UK tour coming up – it’s always great to be with the Color Wow team. I also have some cool stuff happening with Beautyworks and a few shoots and trips coming up before the end of the year.

To be honest, this year has already passed so quickly and I am honestly just grateful to be able to do the work I do. I love to travel and represent and work with brands that I truly do love. 

The job is fast paced and never boring and I love that! I am just a normal regular lad from Yorkshire who gets to do this as their job. I turned 30 this year, so I am excited to see where this next decade takes me in my career and what successes and people it brings my way. 

Shop the Color Wow range at Salons Direct today

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