My mom gets her hair done by Kathy and gets compliments every single time. Kathy is kind, flexible with scheduling and great at her craft read more

Went here to get an appointment for my Mom who was due for a haircut. She did not trust me enough to cut her a straight medium length bob, whereas I have her trim my hair during this pandemic. LOL! I was able to get an appointment within a week and the stylist Luis gave the option to have her wash her hair at home with shampoo and conditioner and arrive with wet hair or use the communal hair washing bowl. He assured that they clean it after every use, but it is about what my (elderly) mother was comfortable with. She elected to show up with wet hair. Writing this review based on her feedback, as I only dropper her off and picked her up. You are allowed to wait in the waiting area, with mask and chairs a spread out to comply social distancing. She reported that when you enter and before you get seated in your chair, they ask you to wash your hands. While you are washing your hands she observed that Luis was sanitizing the chair at his station and placed a fresh plastic covering on it. My mother was asked to remove the mask from the ear loops and hold it against her mouth and face. The tools were in the typical sanitizing fluid at the station. The stylist was wearing a mask the entire time. She felt save with the covid precautions taken. Sidenote: my mom is in the high-risk age category and has not really gone outside doing "normal" things since march. So this haircut was a treat but also only allowed thanks to the precautions PhD for Hair was doing. She said she will go back to get her hair colored. read more

Children's Haircut - Kathy did a wonderful job with our 3-year old son - who is a bit anxious and wiggly during his haircuts. She was patient and professional. His hair looks great. Her assistant, Louie (French bulldog) was a special treat and welcome distraction, too! We are so excited to have found our new go-to location. read more

The salon is clean and full parking lot available which is great. Yorda is fantastic! Her attention to detail and thoroughness with my balayage and cut are always perfect each time. Highly recommend her! The salon also has nail services so you can get everything done in the same place. I will continue going back! read more

Walked in to book an appointment in person for the next day and the lady was so kind. The last haircut I got was a really long time ago and I was very nervous for it but the lady was very understanding of what I wanted. I showed her the picture and explained the haircut. A lot of places even after seeing the inspiration picture never do justice (at least in my experience) but not here! The haircut came out exactly like the picture, I loved it. The salon was so conveniently close and clean plus their reviews were awesome. Definitely recommend coming here! read more

Yorda always gives my super fine hair a fantastic cut- a feat not done well by many a stylist. I followed her her from her previous salon and could not recommend her more highly. read more

My stylist, Yorda, recently started there. The salon is nice, clean and quiet. Yorda is amazing.

WOW !!! Nikki is amazing. I love how my hair looks. In a very short amount of time Nikki was able to see my vision and suggest ways to make it better. I recommend that if you are looking to REV up your style or just in need of a new Hair stylist , YOU MUST TRY NIKKI AT PHD FOR HAIR on Duke st. in Alexandria. read more

PhD for Hair - Violet and Magenta - Hair Salons Near Me - Alexandria, Virginia

***********Review only for Nail Technician************ Tini, the nail tech has been doing my nails for nearly 15yrs and I would nearly follow her to the ends o the earth. I have followed her from two previous salons. She does great work, clean, sanitary and an all around good person. I havent let anyone else touch my nails unless its an emergency or she is on vacation. She has a large following so you will need to call a few days in advance. Love ya Tini! read more

I definitely needed a hair doctor a few months ago. I never really gave my fine, thin hair much thought since it always ended up in a ponytail anyway, but a few months ago an errant comment by a well-meaning friend made me start the search for a new salon. PhD for Hair is down the street from my house, so I decided to give it a chance. I called on a Friday morning and got an appointment for 20 minutes later. This made me a little nervous, but I went anyway. I got an appointment with Lydia. I sat down and told her I needed help both with a style and some products, described a general style that I thought would work for me, and let her have her way with my mop. She spent an inordinate amount of time with me for the price of the cut. She tried several different products on my hair, showed me how to use them, and styled it for me two different ways. She didn't pressure me to buy the products, and even encouraged me to buy trial sizes or go somewhere else, but I bought them anyway because she was such a good no-pressure saleswoman. All the while, she chatted me up and was extremely funny and pleasant. Her vibe is totally cool. PLUS, she has a Hello Kitty sticker on her hair dryer. I LOVE HK. I walked out of there a changed woman with awesome new hair products, thanks to Lydia. I am definitely going back to her in a few months when I need a trim! read more

Luis has been cutting and highlighting my hair for over 20 years. His styling ability is beyond excellent. He always knows and suggests the right cut and color. I get constant compliments even when I am between cuts and color. His chairside manner is uplifting and his stories are often hysterical. He is more than my stylist, he is my shrink, my confidant and above all a VERY good friend. He has been with me with hair and without. Have followed him everywhere he has set up shop. Love him beyond words ! Shop is excellent, clean and modern. Gotta love the little dog Louie ! read more

As someone who moved here and was distraught about finding a new stylist who could manage both a cut AND color, I was relieved to find Luis! I have long, fine hair that has been color treated for years and he is able to help tell me how often I can color (without too much damage) and the cut he gave me added lots of volume! Luis is wonderful...highly recommend! read more

Not only do they have the best staff, they have the best hair tricks you can only imagine! I got highlights today from Louis and they were the best! I'm so happy with my hair and new look I can't wait to go back home to Chicago to tell and show everyone the amazing work he did! I highly recommend PhD Hair to anyone and everyone with the great work they do! You won't be disappointed read more

I LOVE MY HAIR CUT!!! She did a great job, I will totally go back to this salon. I gave them four stars because I was not to pleased with the cleanliness of the salon. There was hair all over her station. Also the salon was suppose to open at 9. I scheduled my appointment for 10, she was still not there by 10:15, so i came home and then received a call to ask if i was coming to my appointment. Reluctantly, I went. She was the owner, you would think she would take more pride in the business. Also, she was the only stylist so she was a little busy with answering the phones, in the middle of my cut! I was a little worried at first, but I understand she has to answer the phones to keep her appointments booked! Overall I am completely satisfied with the hair cut. I would suggest this place of you don't let the little things bother you! My hair cut was $55 and I had about 3 inches cut off. read more

I have enjoyed my three visits to PhD for Hair so far and I will be back. Kathy, the owner most recently cut and highlighted/colored my hair and now 3 days later I love it. The price is right, the salon is modern and Kevin the little dog is so much fun to play with. After having been going to expensive places in Friendship heights and North Bethesda, I am glad I found a place in Alexandria. read more

We dropped in with our 6-year old daughter one evening and Kathy and her French bulldog just made her smile. The cut was great, Kathy was wonderful with my daughter, and the service was reasonably priced as well. read more

I purchased the Living Social Deal for a full highlights. I took my 2 daughters with me and prayed they would be able to sit long enough for me to get my hair done. I was pleasantly surprised to find a highly attentive staff and Kevin, the dog. My girls LOVED playing with Kevin and Angela, my stylist, READ MY MIND! I actually got low lights (slightly extra but I needed it!) which made the blond highlights I had look fabulous! I even got my youngest daughter to sit long enough to let Angela cut her hair also while I sat under the heaters & 'processed'. Needless to say, I have found my NEW STYLIST. I am THRILLED with my new color & style. 10-stars!!!!!! read more

I would give this place no stars if I could. My first warning should of been how empty this place was, I don't think I saw a single hair stylist besides the "owner."The owner is unprofessional, was late to my appointment and the cut was OK. But for such a nice looking place in such a busy area, she seems understaffed and too preoccupied with the phone. Hire a receptionist! I also find it odd that someone would bring their dog to their hair salon, it's unsanitary no matter how sweet and cute the dog may be. I have had my nails done by trini, and she is probably the only reason I gave this place a star to begin with. Save your time and money and go to a real salon. read more

Kathy takes a lot of time to spend on each client so they leave satisfied. She always makes great suggestions and helps show me got to style my hair. I've never left disappointed in my cut or color! read more

So . . . I'm still trying to decide what to think of this place and if I'll ever go back. I went here for a pedicure - I happened to be in the neighborhood and walked by this place while on an errand to do something else, and since I didn't want to spend a lot, I thought I'd take a chance. It could've been a 5 star experience, but for the following things. Upon arrival, the woman sitting at the reception desk "barked" at me for coming in without an appointment, loudly telling me in front of several other "clients" that the nail tech stays very busy, and I should've thought to made an appointment. I felt embarrassed at that point and thought of walking out (probably should have). But, I didn't and asked if there was anything available in the next few hours and then came back. The actual pedicure was pretty good. The nail tech, Tini, did a really great job. She wasn't too chatty but wasn't unfriendly either. There's a massage chair in this place (though it's not great), and it's definitely not a spa experience, but she actually took more time to get my feet looking good than a lot of more expensive places I've been to in the D.C. area. She actually shaved my callouses off, which really scared me at first (I've had problems in the past with techs who have made me bleed by doing this), but she was very gentle, and took them off safely. My toes looked great by the time she was done painting them. My only complaint with Tini's work/methods is that it was difficult to tell if she sterilizes her tools between each client. She cuts down cuticles (which I'm typically not crazy about), and when she took out the tool to shave my callouses and then the cuticle cutting tool, she took them out of a bin in the bottom of a rolling cart - when she was done with me, she put them back in that bin rather than into some type of sterilizing solution. That part kind of bothered me (the not knowing). On the way out, the same woman at the reception desk barked at me again, saying I should've paid Tini directly (who knew that you didn't pay the poor woman at the reception desk?) and then me I was super lucky to have gotten a same day appointment (once again, just making me feel embarrassed). All in all, Tini was professional, my feet look and feel great, she was a very nice woman, and the pedicure was only $35. For all that she did, that's truly a bargain in D.C.; however, the strange behavior of the woman at the front desk did not make me feel like a welcome client, and I will probably gladly pay $45 or $50 at a higher end salon in town that makes me feel they're grateful for my business. read more

If you think your hair style is your decision, this is NOT the place to go At a price point that is about twice that of chains like Hair Cuttery but lower than the high end salons, there are certain expectations that one has. When it comes to the atmosphere and the courtesy, these are met. Whether or not this is the place for you is a function of whether or not you have desires or opinions about your own appearance. While the hair cutting skills are competent, the listening skills are totally inadequate. In my recent visit, I got several unsettling indications during the haircut that my stylist was following her agenda and not mine. My attempts to redirect her left me frustrated and the final results left me quite distressed. While it does not appear to be a blatantly bad haircut, it bears no resemblance to the style I entered with or what I requested. It feels uncomfortable and, frankly, I think it makes me look old. I am aware that a 20-something hair stylist may indeed think of me as old, but that is hardly the image I am seeking to project. To make matters worse, I contacted the salon through their web site to register my complaint and they did not respond. read more

I tried this place because it's around the corner and I was desperate for a trim and didn't feel like going to my usual place in Georgetown. I am very picky about my hair and it's very easy to get wrong so I started with a bang trim. It was so good I went back for a cut. I have been going here ever since. I have had so many bad haircuts at well reviewed places in Alexandria but I am really happy with Amanda. I have fine straight hair with some weird waves and she always listens and does a great job. Price is right too. I am from NY and have always been demanding of my stylists and I am very happy right now. read more

Nikki highlighted my hair after I had done a bunch of stuff to it on my own and it came out great! I told her I wanted it to look natural but lighter, and that I didn't want the roots to be lighter so it would still looks good when growing out. My hair is dark brown, and I've always wanted golden light brown highlights, but they always looked too fake, but this is perfect! read more

Unfortunately I had a very negative experience here. I purchased the LivingSocial deal for highlights and was scheduled with Kathy, the owner. Upon arriving for my appointment, Kathy was still with her last client so I sat down to wait. As I sat waiting, Kathy loudly complained to her client about having to accept the LivingSocial vouchers, how one of the other stylists had talked her into doing it, and how much she regretted it and found it to be a pain. This didn't make me feel so great, having come in to use one myself. Things only got worse from there. When I sat down in the chair I told Kathy I was too blonde, I wanted my hair darker and asked if we could do lowlights as opposed to highlights. She told me the voucher was only good for highlights and she'd charge me $60 extra for the lowlights. Fair enough, the voucher did say highlights. The actual highlighting itself was fairly painless, though I found Kathy to be lacking in professionalism. She ran off and left me with hair and foil dangling in my eyes so she could have her friend buy her coffee. She complained about one of her stylists who was apparently a bad apple and "out to get her." She also complained to me about her shampoo girl, who seemed very sweet and did a very nice job washing my hair. Taking it a step further, Kathy berated the poor girl in front of me for the way she towel dried my hair. I could have looked past all of this if my hair had turned out well. Unfortunately it didn't. In the beginning of the appointment I had specifically asked for my hair to come out darker than when I came in and paid an extra $60 to accomplish this. What I got was the exact opposite - I ended up blonder. After I went home and pulled my newly mega blonde hair into a ponytail, I discovered that Kathy had COMPLETELY neglected to color the 2 inches of my hair closest to the roots. I looked like I hadn't had my hair colored in months. To me this is Highlights 101 and I find it pretty concerning that the owner of the salon made such an egregious mistake. The experience was so incredibly negative that I went elsewhere to have my hair fixed. You couldn't pay me to go back. read more