I waited more than a year to write this review because I wanted to understand what happened to my…read morehair before saying anything publicly.
I visited Hen House Salon once and saw Katy Jackson Marks. I was new to the Napa area at the time and traveling there frequently for work. Since I expected to spend several months of each year in Napa for the next few years, I wanted to find a salon I could return to regularly. Hen House had good reviews, and the salon itself was quaint, exceptionally clean, comfortable, and welcoming. I was the only client there that day.
My appointment lasted approximately four hours and included highlights, a wash, haircut, and blowout. The color turned out very nice. The haircut was okay, although I had specifically requested little to no layering and ultimately ended up with considerably more layers than I wanted.
What happened afterward is the reason I am writing this review.
Within days of my appointment, I noticed that I was shedding more hair than usual. Initially, I didn't think much of it. However, over the following weeks, the shedding became progressively more concerning--and it continued for approximately 16 months.
During that time, I sought medical help, including visits with doctors and a dermatologist and underwent testing to determine what was happening. Ultimately, the issue was attributed to exposure to hair products. I want to be very clear: I cannot prove that my visit to Hen House Salon caused my hair loss, and I am not claiming with certainty that it did. What concerns me is that this salon visit was the only significant change in my hair-product exposure at the time.
For several years before this appointment, I had exclusively used organic and natural hair products without experiencing hair-loss or shedding problems. After this appointment, I did not visit another salon or have another professional hair treatment. Yet the shedding that began shortly afterward continued for more than a year.
At its worst, I lost approximately 75% of my hair.
I also contacted the salon afterward because I wanted to know exactly which products had been used on my hair during the appointment. I requested that information but never received a return call. Given what I was experiencing, that was particularly disappointing. I wasn't looking to assign blame--I simply wanted the product information so that I could try to determine what I might have been exposed to.
It has now been more than a year, and my hair is finally growing back and beginning to fill in. The experience affected me enough that I have not allowed anyone else to professionally color or treat my hair since that appointment.
Could the timing have been coincidental? Yes, and I think it is important to acknowledge that. But considering the timing, the fact that this was my only salon visit, my previous history of using the same natural products without problems, and what I subsequently learned while trying to determine the cause of the shedding, I personally cannot dismiss the possibility that something used during this appointment contributed to what happened.
I wish I had been given the product information when I requested it. At the very least, it might have helped me and my doctors better understand what happened.
I can only speak to my own experience. The salon was lovely, the color looked good, and Katy was pleasant during my appointment. Unfortunately, what happened with my hair afterward was significant enough that I would not personally return.
