A former loyal client of Rhonda...so disappointed. I went to her faithfully years ago. I finally moved back to Jax and I knew I only wanted her to style my hair. 3 visits and every time there was either a scheduling conflict or they were unaware what my appt was for. 1st appt- I scheduled the appt in person. Paid up front for hair/ install and the first weave maintenance. The day before my appt I received a call informing me I needed to change my appt and I would not be seen until the following month because I was double booked with a client coming from out of town. When I did get in the chair, I was told I would get a "quick wash" because she has clients coming in and she came in an hour early to accommodate me. 2nd visit- I arrived at 9:30 for a 9:30 appt. At 1000 I asked if Rhonda was in the salon. I was informed she wasn't and my appt wasn't until 1030. I told them I would get breakfast and return. I figured i put the wrong time in my schedule. I received a call from the salon at 1015 asking me to return because my appt was at 9:30. No apology. Rhonda actually got an attitude with ME because I wanted clarification. 3rd visit- I called to ensure appt time was 1200. I arrived at 1210 (my fault for being late) and checked in by signing my name and stylist in a sheet of paper. I was just getting weave maintenance. I was asked what was I there for by a stylist and the receptionist. I was asked if I was there for a consult. I informed them I have an appt for 12pm with Rhonda and it was for a wash and style. 3 people were seen while I waited. No one came to me and offered water or informed me my stylist was running behind. After waiting 45 minutes without any acknowledgement of my time, I asked the receptionist to cancel my appt and I walked out. Customer service is a two way street. You have to respect the technicians time AS WELL as the clients time. If I treated my patients the way I was treated at this salon, I wouldn't have a dental office because no one would come. When you treat customers like they are doing YOU a favor by coming, you will never thrive as a business. By the way, I never received a call or text after this situation. Not sure how she is still in business. read more

It's been a while since I had my hair done by the owner. I've been wanting to leave this review for a while. Rhonda was my favorite stylist hands down. My hair was always on point--always! She can cut style you name it. Can't question her skills. I had been a customer for atleast 4 years. The hair I purchase from her salon was great quality back then. The front desk/receptionist was hit or miss. I stopped going to Rhonda because she did a bad install (the sew in was coming loose in the back after two days) and I asked that it be corrected and she totally flipped out and was very unprofessional. She did fix it but blamed me and never apologized for her behavior. Trust me it was bad. I had seen her behave that way with others but never with me. Guess it was my turn. Professionalism is everything and can diminish the shine of even the brightest and best stylist. That being said I would recommend her as she is one of the best stylists in Jax and is serious about her craft. read more

I wish I could give a zero rating! I've never seen such dishonest business practices.. I called and asked if I can come in for a sew in and asked if they have virgin hair. The answer was yes and and yes... So appointment scheduled, I come in all excited and I'm shown the hair. Nina the lady who did my hair I asked her, is this virgin hair, and she said yes absolutely! I've only done 14, and 16... But their 14 inches looked way too short so I ended up having to get the 16 & 18 inches more expensive.. Anyhow long story short I got the hair for a trip to mexico where I knew I was going to be in the water and wanted something manageable! The hair ended up being absolutely the worst. It tangled up and definitely didn't have the behavior you'd expect from Virgin hair but rather cheap store bought hair... I get back to Jacksonville, FL the following week... I call them several times. Every time I'm told a different excuse.. 1st time I was told oh no when was this? I don't have you in the books and I don't see a receipt for your purchase.. I explained I was told to pay cash, etc. etc. 2nd time they acknowledge that yup I definitely was there, but I'm told of course it isn't virgin hair but it is Indo-Indian or something... She will talk with Nina and get back to me... Of course no one got back to me. Finally I go in and give them the hair and explain my situation again... I show her the Sign in her front desk that clearly states Virgin Hair by Hair Essence - I took a pic i'll attach here, it was exactly the prices I paid... She said, no if you got virgin hair you'd have paid $160 per bundle! And removes the sign, and says it is wrong! Sorry we don't give refunds! False advertisement, no ethics or morals what so ever! I'm out of my money! Please heed my warning, don't go there! I gave them the hair back! I got nothing except horrible fake hair that I wore for 2 weeks and wished everyday I could take out.. Total price $95 + $105 for hair and additional $180 I believe it was for actually doing my hair! - Over $350! For absolutely nothing! read more

I thought I had updated after returning to Rhonda's salon and sticking to her as my stylist... I'm not sure how her other stylists are but Rhonda is amazing and is great with her craft. Have also heard good things about her daughter :) read more

Very pleasant receptionist. The salon was also very nice and clean. However, I believe if you have a scheduled appointment and arrive early, the very least your stylist could do is inform you of delays. I sat there for over 30 minutes without any mention of when I could expect to be seen. Totally unprofessional. Needless to say, I will not return. read more

Warning, run don't walk. I had my weave done by the owner Rhonda and it was an awful experience. The weave and closure was not sewn in properly. The closure was not flat and sitting too far from my hairline. It looked like a job done at home. I came back to have it fixed and she blamed it on my hair being natural. That was the whole point of purchasing a closure. She attempted to try and patch it up by adding glue. I had glue everywhere on my head and the closure was lifting. She has a nasty attitude and was very dismissive. With the prices so high at an extra $30 just to cut the weave, you would think the service and quality would be excellent. I wish someone had warned me read more

Bad customer service from the owner, Rhonda. Sub-standard work if she doesn't like you. She sewed in the wonderweave for me Christmas Eve. It's supposed to last 3-4 months. I will need to have it taken out and its only been 5-6 weeks. Braids are loose and she sewed in a closure with a big bald spot. Unprofessional. Extremely unprofessional. It is true you will be talked about whilst in the chair. She is consistantly late at least 60 mins. Each and every time. She also has a bad attitude. I personally never cared for her but I went because of her skills. If I can give half a star I would. I think her workmanship depends on the client. Whether she likes you or not. I'm not alone I feeling that way. Also, the hair that was purchased at Rhonda salon sheds a great deal. I mean a lot. The hair has thinned out dramatically on all sides so the bald spot is embarrassingly noticeable. After 6 weeks, I will need to purchase new hair and get it installed again. Rhonda claims that with care, hair purchased at her salon will last over a year (Usually 2 years) is false. Not true. I've spent over $1000 going to this salon. Never again will I go and I would advise to steer clear. Options may be limited in this area but try styleseat.com to find someone near you. This place is not worth it. read more

I'm not from Jacksonville and it's been difficult to find a good place to get my hair braided regularly. I tried googling "hair braiding" and several "African hair braiding" places came up. I tried 3 of them and the people were all very nice but they always did my braids too tight and they spent the entire time speaking a language that i didn't understand. After figuring out that I needed to find a salon that also does men's hair braiding, I found this place. You can call, go in, or go online to book your appointment with their beauticians. Ishiah has been able to do my hair in every style that I have been able to show her a picture of. This is my go-to shop. I highly recommend them. read more

To make a long store short Lois desk lady is rude she stop a girl working on my head to handle another client and referred to me as "just a walk in" Qunisha who did my hair rushed and it looks nothing like the picture I showed her and my cut was uneven. Customer service was poor but honestly I seen worst. To be honest I wouldn't return or recommend. Ladies please don't waste time or money. read more

Just ordered my Virgin Indian Bohemi Curl bundles and closure. I love their hair!!!! I love wearing this hair in its natural state because the curls are gorgeous. Rhonda has been my stylist for over 5 years now and I swear she has a pair of "hair growing hands". I'm addicted to her sew-ins and Virgin Indian hair because it keeps my own growing! #ShearEssence #VirginIndianHair #IGotInches read more

I've had nothing but a positive experience dealing with Rhonda and her staff. She was very professional and I loved my hair. The price is a bit higher than some of her competitors however the quality is priceless. I have nothing but good things to say about Shear Essence Salon and I plan on visiting there again very soon. read more

This salon is horrible, they over charge, my hair dresser name was quinisha.I was getting my hair dyed only the ends, she charged 100 to put the dye in my hair and 50 dollar to rinse the dye out. That's absurd!!!!! who charges to rinse the dye out, that should have been included with the dying process, I paid because I was already there. I will never get ripped of again. Don't go this place. read more

HORRIBLE customer service from the owner Rhonda. She was 45 minutes late for my appointment and she didnt even apologize as a matter of fact she was just down right rude to me. She has zero respect for her clients. I will NEVER recommend this salon to anyone! Trust me - go somewhere else ladies this is a very unprofessional salon. read more

The only reason this is getting 2 stars is because everyone was polite and there was next to no wait time. I'll start off by saying that I have natural hair and went in for a tapered cut. I left with next to no hair on the sides and back of my head and an uneven tuft of hair on the top. The stylist I originally went there for claimed to specialize in natural hair care as well as short cuts, which is why I chose her. I get there she looks at the picture of what I wanted, and takes it to another stylist. I'm glad she knew she wasn't experienced in that sector and didn't even attempt. However the woman that actually cut my hair...no just no. When I say my hair is all types of messed up..the sides are completely uneven, with one being more fuller than the other, the back looks like a dog chewed it off, and the so called taper looks like someone who has never used clippers before did it. And just the simple fact that it looks nothing near how I wanted it. In the picture I showed her the girl obviously had about 1-2 inches of visible curls, what did I get, basically a bad head. Its not like they didn't have enough hair to work with. Luckily my hair grows back pretty fast, I would just hate for this to happen to someone else. I don't like to cause any unnecessary drama or situations, so when I looked in the mirror I cried on the inside, paid the girl $50 plus a $10 tip and left. Shouldn't have left that tip tbh. :(( read more

I'm surprised this place is not rated higher, and it is a shame. Where else in town can you get sewn in like Miss Shiah provides? Nowhere, anyhow this is not just your typical hair spot, it is a professional environment which I like the atmosphere. I've seen many races walk in to get their hair extensions, sewn in, and braided, etc..as for the other reviewers stating something about Miss Rhonda, I have to disagree. Miss Rhonda welcomed me into her shop since I moved to Jacksonville, I've personally never had a bad experience. As for the comments about pricing, it is just the nature of business. I guess I'm more understanding because my husband is a business owner himself. I'll tell your one thing there is not much places in Jacksonville where you'll get this quality of sewn in, go ahead pay half price somewhere else and you'll get half the result (been there, done that) only reason I didn't give it 5 stars is because I had another stylist from here in the past that wasn't so great. Five star for Shiah services all the way and did I forget to mention she work fast... read more