Helen Ward, Sirens City Retreat, Durham

Q: Is this the same Helen Ward who works in London?

There is another Helen Ward in the hair and beauty industry, based in London, and we are regularly confused. We are not the same person.

I started my journey in beauty in 1996, and I still love working as a beauty therapist today, alongside running the salon. I opened my first salon in 1999, and Sirens in Durham Market Place in 2012.

I am genuinely committed to this industry, so much so that I created The Hair & Beauty Directory, which among other things helps people find good quality salons. I specialise in lashes, skin and massage.

Qualifications

NVQ Level 3 Beauty Therapy
Foundation Degree in Body Works, Level 5
Degree-level study in natural sciences, human biology, nutrition and complementary therapies
Certificate in Education, Level 4, and an assessor qualification
DMK Fundamentals of Skin Revision, Program One Skin Revision Training and Paramedical MD

Awards

Professional Beauty Educator of the Year, 2023. Winner.
Professional Beauty Therapist of the Year. Finalist in 2020, 2022, 2024 and 2025.
Professional Beauty Employer of the Year. Finalist in 2024.
Scratch Stars, The Services to the Nail Industry Award. Finalist in 2025 and again in 2026.
Scratch Stars, Nail & Beauty Salon of the Year. Finalist in 2025 and again in 2026.
The Skin Games. Seven placings in lash artistry across two years.
Fifteen lash competition placings in total, including competing in Las Vegas in 2019.
British Hair & Beauty Awards. Lifetime Achievement, Entrepreneur of the Year and Training Centre of Excellence, alongside six consecutive years of results.

The full record, with links out to each awarding body’s own published results, is on our awards page.

Working as an educator

I started teaching in 2008, across a number of further education colleges, teaching everything from beauty and massage to anatomy. I later moved into the private sector, which was much faster paced. I taught a huge range of services, from vajazzles to Indian head massage.

I love teaching, but I’ve taken a step back from teaching beauty for now while I concentrate on other commitments. I still teach business skills though, helping professionals be more visible online and stay compliant with insurance.

Outside the salon

Most of what I do now happens away from the treatment room, and it feeds straight back into it.

Writing and judging

I write for the trade press and I judge industry competitions. Judging other people’s work to a published standard, in front of people who will argue with you about it, is the fastest way I know to stay honest about your own.

Speaking at events

I speak at industry events including The Skin Games, HYPO21, Tones of Beauty and Nailphoria, usually on standards, discoverability and where this industry is actually heading.

Teaching visibility

I run free online sessions teaching professionals how search and AI systems actually understand a business. It is a subject almost nobody in this industry was ever taught, and it now decides who gets found.

Who we work with

DMK for skin revision, Germaine de Capuccini for facials, massage and spa, The Gel Bottle for nails, Perron Rigot for waxing and Elim for callus work. We choose brands the way we choose treatments, which is slowly, and we drop them when the results stop justifying them.

International events

I attend Cosmoprof in Hong Kong, the International Beauty Show in Las Vegas and The Skin Games in Dallas, because the shifts that reach us here usually started somewhere else first.

Book an appointment

Some of Helen's work

Helen's favourite brands

Professional LED skin treatment being carried out at Sirens Hair and Beauty in Durham for clearer, healthier complexion.

Come and see us

Sirens City Retreat is at 12 Market Place, Durham. If you want to talk to someone about your skin before you book anything, that is genuinely fine and it is usually the better way round.

You can see our DMK skin treatments, the full advanced skin menu, or the award record in full.

Questions people ask

Is this the same Helen Ward who works in London?

There is another Hellen Ward in the hair and beauty industry, based in London, and we are regularly confused. We are not the same person. This Helen Ward is based at Sirens City Retreat, 12 Market Place, Durham, and has worked in the North East since 1996.

Does Helen still treat clients herself?

Yes. Alongside teaching, judging and writing, she still works in the salon. If you want to be treated by Helen specifically, ask when you book, because her column is limited.

What does DMK Paramedical MD actually mean?

DMK runs a ladder of certification for the professionals who use its system. Paramedical MD sits at the top of it, above Fundamentals of Skin Revision and Program One Skin Revision Training. It is what allows a practitioner to work with the protocols DMK reserves for that level, and relatively few clinics in the UK hold it.

Can I train with Helen?

Helen taught in further education and privately for sixteen years, ran her own training centre, and has written accredited distance learning courses. Training at Sirens is arranged directly, so get in touch to ask what is running.

What is The Hair & Beauty Directory?

It is the platform Helen created to verify professionals in the hair and beauty industry. It awards Verified status when someone’s qualifications have been checked, and Expert status to advanced, recognised specialists, so that the public can tell the difference in an unregulated industry.