Don't believe the Hype- save your hair, money and sense of wellbeing by going to another salon.
Hopefully you reading about my misfortune at the hands of Hype 'stylist' Natalie will help to spare you the torturous hair experience I had so you don't visit this salon.
After heat damage caused by an inexperienced hairdresser I've avoided salons, blow drying or using straighteners on my now healthy waist length curly natural hair, I decided to have it blow dried and curled at Hype- biggest hair mistake ever.
I arrived on time but sat gowned up and ignored, with four other customers, for 40 minutes. The stylists were oblivious to all of us. I was on a tight schedule with a funeral to go so, fed up with the wait I asked for my coat.
A nice lady called Anne saw I was leaving and apologised. She said I was up next so as I was there, stay. She washed my hair then led me to a chair for my hair to be styled.
This is when an uncomfortable start to my experience at hype became a living nightmare.
Anne started blow drying my hair then asked Natalie to complete the job and finish styling.
Natalie then began acting like a toddler having a tantrum, complaining to Anne that she didn't have time and had other clients hair she wanted to work on.
She argued with Anne and another stylist then reluctantly started styling my hair. However she spent the next hour and a half hopping between me and three other clients- one sat beside me having their hair tonged, another under the blow dryer, one at the sink and another having a relaxer.
It was clear that Natalie was irritated I was on her client list, joking with a stylist "so this one is on a schedule, we're all busy, I haven't got time for this. When are the shoes I've ordered for tonight's hype awards being delivered?"
I felt bullied and humiliated but what could I do- walk out with my hair unfinished and turning up at a funeral looking a hot mess?
So I endured Natalie 'working' on my hair, telling me that it was in poor condition because I keep colouring it. This was despite me explaining that thanks to not using heat on it and only colouring my natural hair with henna, it's the healthiest it has ever been hence it now being waist length. Her retort "well it needs at least four inches cut off, it's full of split ends"
I didn't want to anger her so just agreed with her assessment, even though my hair had been trimmed two months ago so only needed a little off the ends. Thankfully as Natalie was only half-heatedly styling my hair so she didn't offer to trim it.
After an hour and a half she finished flat-ironing waves into my hair, perfunctorily holding up a mirror to show me the 'result'.
I asked for tips to keep the curls in. She said "because your hair is natural leave the curls for about an hour then separate them into small curls- any earlier and they will drop. I asked how I should care for the curls at night. With an indignant look she said "just wrap it and cover it"
During this whole disturbing 'hairstyling' experience I could see Natalie's ciollegues one by one looking over at me in sympathy. At Natalie's last remark to me I could see in the reflection of the mirror Anne sat at the main desk and she wasn't happy.
As I settled my bill with Anne I thanked her for her polite help and service- her actions were the complete opposite to Natalie who clearly bullies clients and her colleagues.
I left the salon on a dry and crisp autumn day. Within an hour the curls, despite me not touching them and no moisture in the air, dropped out of my hair - I resembled Diana Ross in her hey day.
So much for Natalie's hair advice- her expertise seems to be hair-don'ts! read more