I initially wasn't going to leave a review, but the way Cynthia responded to my absolute…read moredevastation over my completely butchered haircut, I feel the need to warn new customers, ESPECIALLY if you are neurodivergent, STAY AWAY. I had been growing out my hair for 3 yrs and decided it was now too long. during this time I've had consistent trims/shape, but since moving I didn't think I could physically make the 1+ hr drive to my old salon bc I'm also physically disabled. I now regret this completely as it would have been less physically painful for me to endure the longer trip than to be going through what I am now.
first, she took another client DURING MY APPT. WOW. as for the length, I asked for asymmetry (longer to the front). I warned her that my shrinkage is A LOT & she assured me she understood what I wanted, yet my hair is completely blunt, with no face framing layers. I showed her a reference photo of MYSELF, my own curls, from a little less than 2 yrs ago as a point I wanted to return to. I should have run screaming when she started using a comb on my dry hair, then began twisting tight sections which she would then cut into at an angle in multiple points to "create texture".
SHE NEVER HAD MY PERMISSION OR CONSENT to completely change my hair texture, which she did. I even specified the way I style my hair is for DEFINITION, and the way she cut into it has completely destroyed my once perfect spiral curl pattern. I used to get asked if my hair was done by a curling iron or if it was a wig, now it looks absolutely horrible. you can see the after pics as well as a pic of my hair from 3 wks ago. I am completely traumatized by this experience and on my way home I ordered hair clips and even shears to try and salvage this atrocity, but there's no way to go backwards to before she completely chopped at my hair WITHOUT EVEN ASKING ME if that was what I wanted.
when I left the salon, I did act like everything was fine, mostly because I still didn't know just how bad it was until I styled it myself, because SHE didn't style it. I was hoping it was just these products my hair disliked, or the humidity today, or my anxiety... I wanted to be wrong. I also thought she seemed genuinely nice and I didn't want to jump to the conclusion I already knew in my gut. when I told her how much I hated it, she eventually offered me a refund after saying I should just let it "grow out". she texted me confirmation of the refund, at which point I sent her the included photos of my hair after styling it normally ().
I pressed further about the "added texture", why she would do that, and how can I fix it? she then proceeded to severely gaslight me, claiming my hair texture had probably just changed due to new products or diet, even though I covered both those topics when I was explaining what I wanted from this haircut. it was at this point I let her know what I really thought about her as a stylist and a person after she showed her true colors. the way I was treated was unbelievably horrible and I unfortunately won't soon forget it.
I can usually only afford a 2x/yr cut, so for me it's always a big deal that I look forward to, after this I will never again visit a new salon, and I may never go to ANY hairdresser ever again. Cynthia truly did not listen to ANYTHING I said, and I was so nervous and focusing so hard on trying to "act normal" (which she of COURSE brought up to shame me further), that I didn't speak up or just leave when I should have. at first I thought this was just a mistake or a bad day, but after her response via text & lying response, I KNOW she maliciously chopped my hair & is hiding behind having "excellent reviews" as a way to escape the accountability, bc apparently I'm the only one to EVER be unhappy, ever. I am literally so completely devastated over this entire experience, I already know her response will just be more humiliation & deflection, as if a refund could fix it.
DON'T MAKE THE MISTAKE I DID by trusting this salon. I can see Yelp has the ACCURATE records of this salon and from now on I will ALWAYS check Yelp too! I plan to follow up by suing Cynthia, she deserves it!
