Hey guys, so I began my Hair system journey a little over a month ago, and one of my biggest challenges starting out has been finding a good salon. I know this is such a crucial and vital part of hair systems for beginners.
Being new, and not knowing what to really look for, I chose a place that was the only one i could find that would work with hair systems not supplied by them, meaning that I could order my own and they would cut it in and do maintenance etc. This 'order my own' scenario is the most affordable for me as I'm not wealthy and on a budget.
This salon charges $150 for cut-ins and installs, and $85 for maintenance appointments. All appointments include dying bio hair and unit if needed, and cutting bio hair.
This salon primarily caters to cutting and styling women's hair, but also has a separate area where they do the hair replacement side of things
I did 2 consultations with the woman, and she answered all my questions, was very nice and professional and seemed to be a good choice.
Now, honestly, I'm just not real sure.
It's not that she does bad work, I actually thinks it looks pretty good/decent, but she offers very little information regarding the process, and gives very little information and tips on how to live with and maintain the system.
She basically puts me in a room, leaves to go do her thing with the system (cleans it, fits it, etc) then comes back and puts it on. She seems rushed and not willing to invest much time in the process or in helping to educate me.
She told me in consultation that she would give me complimentary items, (like leave in Conditioner, shampoo, glue etc everything I needed.) after my first cut-in. Then at cut in she proceeded to SELL me leave in conditioner and glue, totalling about $50-$55, and gave me ZERO complimentary items! And what's worse, when she told her assistant to go downstairs to prepare these items "I heard the assistant ask her "do I get a 'Go Bag' too?" The stylist replied "no".
So I'm assuming the "go bag" was the free items she promised, and now she was withholding them.
I didnt inquire about or question her on this, although looking back I should have.
So then right at the beginning I washed hair and it began knotting. When I went for maintenance appointment, after getting knots out and washing unit, she informed me that these issues were due to "the hair being of low quality", which kind of made me question her expertise. It's a Lavivid unit, and idk, I just have a hard time believing that the quality is so low that it would be something super rare that she has never seen before.
So then I asked her if she could re -dye my bio hair bc I was having grey again, and my unit is a solid 1 B with no grey. She was like "i think we probably shouldn't dye it this time and wait until next time, and a little grey is good bc that's natural."
LOL there's no grey in the unit so grey in bio hair obviously creates mismatch, how is that "natural"?
I could see that obviously she just didnt wana bother doing it, which was extra disappointing bc I had already told her she didnt have to cut bio hair at all this time bc I wanted to grow it a little longer, so to me this just showed she was being lazy or trying to save herself some time at my expense.
I ended up dying my own bio hair at home using my organic beard dye, which actually worked extremely well!
So then I made my next appointment for my next maintenance appointment which was 3 weeks away. I made it at the front desk and the girl just had me pick a day and time. When I got home I got an email confirmation and I notice the appointment is with some guy. It was never discussed that I would ever be worked on by anyone other than the stylist herself. I dont know if this dude has experience, skills, knowledge or anything.
So at this point I'm feeling kind of played, and a bit frustrated.
I dont wana sound salty, or like a little whiny complainer...but I just feel like when you discuss terms of service and prices, you should receive what you pay for and not be blind sided by things that were never discussed.
It also feels a bit like, actually very much like, I am not a priority to this stylist bc I opt to purchase my own unit- as opposed to buying their package- they charge $1,000 for a Hairskeen thin skin unit which I believe includes 1 cut in, possibly a maintenance. So obviously this is how they make the bulk of their revenue on the hair system side of their business. For someone who is not spending near as much $$$ with them, stylist seems less willing to invest much time and effort.
As far as the result of her work, it looks decent with unexposed hairline, if I comb it forward and/or to the side and cover the hairline. But the way she has cut it in and the base at the hairline, I could NEVER put it up or expose the hairline bc it looks super fake. Not at all like photos I've seen of guys on this forum or even on YouTube.
So bottom line, my first salon experience has been a bit of a disappointment. I honestly dont think my expectations are super high or unreasonable. Just want a place that treats the client nicely and respectfully/honestly, and provides information on the process and how to maintain...thats it.
I am going to go to my next maintenance appointment which is scheduled with some unknown guy whom I've never met and never even been told about, and hope that he can at least just clean unit and get it back on my head LOL. After that I'm going to try a new place that is substantially further from my home and hopefully itll be better.
Does anyone have any tips on finding a good salon or what to look for, questions to ask?
So far Google has led me to about 6 places within a 65 mile radius of my home, only 2 of which are willing to work with systems ordered personally by the client. And I do live just outside a major city.
Maybe there are smaller stylists not listed who do this kind of thing. Has anyone tried other ways of finding stylists? Maybe contacting hair transplant doctors and asking them for recommendations?
Anyway, any tips and feedback would be helpful.
Are my instincts correct regarding my current salon? Am I off base?
I know a big answer is that I need to learn to do this stuff on my own from home, at least maintenance.
Sorry for rant, LOL, but thanks for reading. I really appreciate this community and honestly it is the most valuable resource I have on this hair system journey.
So much support and info here. Thanks guys, much Love!
Being new, and not knowing what to really look for, I chose a place that was the only one i could find that would work with hair systems not supplied by them, meaning that I could order my own and they would cut it in and do maintenance etc. This 'order my own' scenario is the most affordable for me as I'm not wealthy and on a budget.
This salon charges $150 for cut-ins and installs, and $85 for maintenance appointments. All appointments include dying bio hair and unit if needed, and cutting bio hair.
This salon primarily caters to cutting and styling women's hair, but also has a separate area where they do the hair replacement side of things
I did 2 consultations with the woman, and she answered all my questions, was very nice and professional and seemed to be a good choice.
Now, honestly, I'm just not real sure.
It's not that she does bad work, I actually thinks it looks pretty good/decent, but she offers very little information regarding the process, and gives very little information and tips on how to live with and maintain the system.
She basically puts me in a room, leaves to go do her thing with the system (cleans it, fits it, etc) then comes back and puts it on. She seems rushed and not willing to invest much time in the process or in helping to educate me.
She told me in consultation that she would give me complimentary items, (like leave in Conditioner, shampoo, glue etc everything I needed.) after my first cut-in. Then at cut in she proceeded to SELL me leave in conditioner and glue, totalling about $50-$55, and gave me ZERO complimentary items! And what's worse, when she told her assistant to go downstairs to prepare these items "I heard the assistant ask her "do I get a 'Go Bag' too?" The stylist replied "no".
So I'm assuming the "go bag" was the free items she promised, and now she was withholding them.
I didnt inquire about or question her on this, although looking back I should have.
So then right at the beginning I washed hair and it began knotting. When I went for maintenance appointment, after getting knots out and washing unit, she informed me that these issues were due to "the hair being of low quality", which kind of made me question her expertise. It's a Lavivid unit, and idk, I just have a hard time believing that the quality is so low that it would be something super rare that she has never seen before.
So then I asked her if she could re -dye my bio hair bc I was having grey again, and my unit is a solid 1 B with no grey. She was like "i think we probably shouldn't dye it this time and wait until next time, and a little grey is good bc that's natural."
LOL there's no grey in the unit so grey in bio hair obviously creates mismatch, how is that "natural"?
I could see that obviously she just didnt wana bother doing it, which was extra disappointing bc I had already told her she didnt have to cut bio hair at all this time bc I wanted to grow it a little longer, so to me this just showed she was being lazy or trying to save herself some time at my expense.
I ended up dying my own bio hair at home using my organic beard dye, which actually worked extremely well!
So then I made my next appointment for my next maintenance appointment which was 3 weeks away. I made it at the front desk and the girl just had me pick a day and time. When I got home I got an email confirmation and I notice the appointment is with some guy. It was never discussed that I would ever be worked on by anyone other than the stylist herself. I dont know if this dude has experience, skills, knowledge or anything.
So at this point I'm feeling kind of played, and a bit frustrated.
I dont wana sound salty, or like a little whiny complainer...but I just feel like when you discuss terms of service and prices, you should receive what you pay for and not be blind sided by things that were never discussed.
It also feels a bit like, actually very much like, I am not a priority to this stylist bc I opt to purchase my own unit- as opposed to buying their package- they charge $1,000 for a Hairskeen thin skin unit which I believe includes 1 cut in, possibly a maintenance. So obviously this is how they make the bulk of their revenue on the hair system side of their business. For someone who is not spending near as much $$$ with them, stylist seems less willing to invest much time and effort.
As far as the result of her work, it looks decent with unexposed hairline, if I comb it forward and/or to the side and cover the hairline. But the way she has cut it in and the base at the hairline, I could NEVER put it up or expose the hairline bc it looks super fake. Not at all like photos I've seen of guys on this forum or even on YouTube.
So bottom line, my first salon experience has been a bit of a disappointment. I honestly dont think my expectations are super high or unreasonable. Just want a place that treats the client nicely and respectfully/honestly, and provides information on the process and how to maintain...thats it.
I am going to go to my next maintenance appointment which is scheduled with some unknown guy whom I've never met and never even been told about, and hope that he can at least just clean unit and get it back on my head LOL. After that I'm going to try a new place that is substantially further from my home and hopefully itll be better.
Does anyone have any tips on finding a good salon or what to look for, questions to ask?
So far Google has led me to about 6 places within a 65 mile radius of my home, only 2 of which are willing to work with systems ordered personally by the client. And I do live just outside a major city.
Maybe there are smaller stylists not listed who do this kind of thing. Has anyone tried other ways of finding stylists? Maybe contacting hair transplant doctors and asking them for recommendations?
Anyway, any tips and feedback would be helpful.
Are my instincts correct regarding my current salon? Am I off base?
I know a big answer is that I need to learn to do this stuff on my own from home, at least maintenance.
Sorry for rant, LOL, but thanks for reading. I really appreciate this community and honestly it is the most valuable resource I have on this hair system journey.
So much support and info here. Thanks guys, much Love!
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