I had my first appointment at this salon earlier today. First impression: the salon was very nice and spacious, and my stylist (Keisha) was very nice considering I was running rather late. When originally making the appointment, I asked for both a consultation and to definitely get my hair styled same day based off of what was decided during the consultation. However, this (I guess) was misunderstood by the receptionist as Keisha only had me booked for a consultation. So my FIRST TIP would be to explicitly state that you want your hair styled same day if this is what you desire. Thank goodness Keisha had time to slip me in before her next appointment because my hair was looking a hot mess. I'd booked this appointment one month in advance and not having my hair done would have been heart breaking.
Anyways..
Keisha was very nice and knowledgable. She asked me about my hair history, current routine etc. She literally took notes. Then she went over what she would be doing to my hair (basically said getting rid of random ends and splits). As she styled me hair she told me about each product and answered the dozens of questions my mom and I had. She put the scissors to my hair a total of three times. 1) get rid of the bad ends on dry hair 2) then shaping right after on the dry hair 3) post-wash after products had been placed in the hair to ensure the shape was correct.
Honestly, she did make my curls look very nice.
Two complaints though:
1) I told her that I didn't like added volume (because I already have enough) and that typically I use a heavier gel to weigh my hair down. However she still had me shake out my curls post styling (which adds volume) AND she proceeded to make it poofier and poofier after I finished under the drier by pulling locks of the curls outwards with her fingers
2) I feel like so much hair was taken off. She called it the "big chop" however I already did the big chop last January at another salon who butchered my hair. Keisha was aware of this experience I had previous. Literally, all of the new growth retained since last January AND some was taken off. I left with less hair on my head then I had when I did the big chop one year ago.... not sure how that makes any sense. I just feel like it should have been made clear from the start that 4 inches would have been taken off so I could mentally prepare
Anyways, overall I'm going to try and give Keisha and the salon a chance. I really do like the curls that she brought out in my hair. Her customer service was also on point.
3 stars only because I'm very apprehensive and have trust issues with hair salons - I'm only in the early stages of trying to build trust with this one. I'm optimistic though. Would have been four starts if it weren't for complaint #1