For a preview of spring and summer hair colour, cutting and styling trends, Salon travelled to Los Angeles on February 23, 2026, to attend the House of Wella S/S 2026 Trend Experience.
Hosted at Wella Studio LA in Calabasas, Calif., the evening event featured inspiration and education led by global colour ambassador Nikki Lee, North American brand ambassador Daniel Mora and Sebastian Professional creative ambassador Marylle Koken.
Guillaume Cantelou, senior vice-president of Wella USA’s professional hair division, welcomed attendees, which included more than 200 local hairstylists and Wella’s Passionistas—a curated influencer community of hairstylists, colourists and brand enthusiasts.
“As a company, Wella has been around for more than 140 years,” he says. “We’ve been thinking about what’s going to be the new era for Wella as a company, and we re-established our vision to become the number one professional salon business worldwide.”
Cantelou also shared the company’s R.I.S.E. initiative, which includes four key pillars: Relationship, Inspiration, Science and Education. “Relationships because we know that throughout your career—whether you’re just starting as a hairstylist or building your own business—we want to be by your side, providing the tools you want and need to grow your business or career,” he says. “Inspiration is about creating moments like tonight—creating shows and events so you can get inspired by new trends and new techniques that you can bring back to your businesses. Science is about bringing the best of the innovation and technology out there in the market, and Education is something we’re very proud of at Wella and we want to make sure we’re providing you the best experience you can get in any different format.”
As one of the only professional beauty manufacturers with academies in North America, including Wella Studio Toronto, the company continues to reaffirm its commitment to in-person education through its live global and national events and classes.
North American brand ambassador Daniel Mora started the evening with a model presentation to showcase Wella’s latest innovation, SmoothFiller, a demi-permanent smoothing treatment for all hair types. He was joined by signature artist and educator Carrera Alvarez, who helped demonstrate the new treatment on three different hair types, including chemically damaged hair and curly texture.
“What it’s really focused on is frizz control,” says Alvarez. “We know that it’s not a [traditional] keratin treatment—it’s not something that’s going overly straighten the hair. It’s going to maintain the natural beauty of the hair without over-straightening it but still allowing it to have frizz control. It’s fast and easy for you as a stylist, but also super convenient for your guests because there’s zero downtime. You can do their colour in the same day. She can go and work out the same day and put her hair back in a ponytail and not have any challenges.”
“I love that it helps cut down the blow-dry time with my clients,” adds Mora. “You’re able to use less heat [on the hair] because it’s already smooth and it makes everything so much shinier and easier to style again. It doesn’t make the hair heavy, so you’re still able to add waves and everything and they will last a lot longer, too.”
Next up was Nikki Lee, who was joined by Alvarez to showcase blonde hair colour trends, including Surreal Blonde, which is inspired by AI; LA Blonde, which is ideal for lightening brunettes; and Pastel Pink, a playful tone that’s perfect for spring. The trends were demonstrated with Wella’s new BlondorPlex 9 lightener, which features Metal Purifier technology for a cleaner lift.
“The truth is, with AI, it’s not going anywhere—it’s here to stay,” says Lee. “We’re just adapting to it and being able to decode it in a way that we speak to our clients. Letting them know that it’s AI and pulling inspo from it. You don’t want to make them feel bad or uncomfortable if they’re inspired by it. We’re kind of helping to decode that and making it realistic for the client.”
With cool and neutral blonde tones trending with the Pantone Color of the Year, Cloud Dancer, Lee says she’s still working with warm and golden tones for her celebrity clients, including her recent blonde transformation for actress Emma Roberts.
“Emma is getting married this year, so it was important to me to start the transition of her hair so that we had plenty of time to get it right,” says Lee. “What you all saw on Instagram was round one, which we’re proud of. We got her to a golden blonde from a copper, which, as a stylist, most know that can be difficult. I think people are still leaning into warmer tones, which I think looks really lovely on the skin.”
To celebrate the relaunch of Sebastian Professional, Los Angeles creative ambassador Marylle Koken took the stage with a haircutting and styling demo, showcasing edgy looks inspired by the 1970s and 1990s, such as the modern mullet and micro fringes.
“It’s just showcasing the cool vibe of our brand, Sebastian,” says Koken. “I love to express my creativity, and I love haircutting. I like to always come up with something new and something very vibey. Something that’s happening today, that excites other hairdressers to do and is also ready to wear—something they can do right away in the salon.”
Koken, who has worked with the brand for nearly 30 years, says she’s excited about introducing the brand to the younger generation.
“It’s not only about products anymore—it’s about the excitement about a brand,” says Koken. “It’s the power of hairdresser and the community that we have. The education we give. We have some cool visuals, but it’s more than that. It’s attracting young talent, so people want to come and learn. The products are the tools that we need to create the looks that we want. Why we stand out is because our products are made from hairdressers, for hairdressers.”
Following the event, attendees had an opportunity to mix and mingle with the artists and explore on-site activations for a deeper dive into the product innovations and techniques.
Browse a gallery of photos from the event.
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