I had such a great experience at African Braids Lovers. From the start, they were extremely…read moreaccommodating. I called ahead before going because I wanted to make sure they could execute the specific hairstyle I had in mind. They answered my questions clearly and told me to come in. When I arrived, I showed them the inspiration pictures, and I was in the chair within 10 minutes. No long waiting around, no confusion very professional and organized. They washed my hair thoroughly before starting, which I really appreciated. A lot of places don't always include that. They also provide and sell hair extensions in-store, so it made everything convenient. I didn't have to stop anywhere else beforehand. As a West African woman, walking into an African-owned braiding salon just feels different. I felt right at home. Both of them speak French, which was such a nice touch for me since I speak some and understand it for the most part. It made the whole experience even more comfortable and familiar. The braids came out clean, neat, and exactly like the pictures I showed. You can tell they know what they're doing and have real experience with textured hair. If you're looking for skilled, efficient, and welcoming African braiders, I definitely recommend this place. I will be back.

She rushed my style making the braids loose and bigger than I requested. Not worth it for the price.read more

This place is a rip off. I paid a deposit on Booksy which was confirmed but Mimi said she never got…read moreit. I had to pay another $80 for the braids and she got mad because I didn't want to tip because she scammed me out of $50. Don't go here. Service is trash. I reported this business. Just a tip off. This is why she is losing business. I would never come here again.

5 stars! Mimi has a very cute and clean shop. She has so much welcoming energy and takes really…read moregentle care while doing my hair. I requested box braids and she delivered. Scheduling was very easy with Mimi responding very quickly.

I've been coming to Nina for almost 5 years, and she has remained consistantly fabulous the whole…read moretime. Nina is prodessional, keeps her shop immaculate, she can do some hair, and she is the kindest person you'll ever meet. It doesn't matter what style you want, what weave you need, or color you pick, my girl will hook you up. If you are looking for a beautician, Nina is your choice

I started going to Nina's in 2009 when her shop first opened. Her and Symone are really great…read morestylist. I recommend either one of them no matter what your ethnicity. They encourage HEALTHY HAIR. If you want your hair done by them book at least 2 weeks in advance because they have a big clientele. Oh and the prices are very reasonable. Okay now on to the review... I use to go to Nina when I was 16 (I'm 19 now and went away to school) and before I went to her I was transitioning (from perm to natural). My hair is really fine and it was in BAD shape, a lot of breakage, dryness, etc. Everytime I left the salon, my hair looked good, full of body and shine. I mean my hair looked RELAXED, even the top of my hair where it was natural. I would ALWAYS get compliments on my hair(: After going to her for about a year and a half my hair did a complete 360 and I only had less than an inch of permed hair left in my head (I have shoulder length hair). Oh and the prices are very REASONABLE. It is close to bart and there is a bus stop right in front of the salon(: Since I left for school (In LA) I haven't been able to find a salon that is anywhere like Classy Creations where the hospitality is great, friendly, and not all loud and GHETTO lol. Unfortunately my hair has not been doing so great, and will be returning to Nina's now that I've moved back here. I recommend this salon to anyone if you want HEALTHY hair.

I have been wanting to get my hair braided for a while. My last braider was a flaky, ish show so I…read morewas not ready to return to a random search. Randomly scrolling, I saw Ménage Lux on Instagram,. I went to Yelp for reviews and back to Instagram for photos. I fell in love with a young lady's everything...her waist length boho knotless braids including color, parting and style. Booking was a breeze. I text the phone number provided Tuesday morning. I provided a photo of the style I wanted, which was taken from Ménage Lux's Instagram along with an inquiry of price and availability. By the end of the day, I scheduled my appointment and paid my deposit. The young lady I communicated with was responsive without much delay. My head has found its braiding home for the foreseeable future. I am so appreciative of Ménage Lux popping on my Instagram feed and for the young lady who did my hair. My hair is identical to the picture I presented and I could not be happier. Braiding hair was included in the price, I had to supply the hair for the curly look pieces. My style was performed by a single braider in about 6 1/2 hours. The address says 814 Post, which is a locked, black gate. 812 Post is the door entry into Ménage Lux. The commute was pretty easy. Coming from the east bay, I took Bart to Montgomery and rode the 38 to Leavenworth and Geary. From there it was a 3 minute walk to the shop. I popped into a cafe, one block up, since I arrived early I thoroughly enjoyed my experience and would recommended Ménage Lux to anyone looking for great vibes, professional service and a style ready to take on the world! The shop itself is elongated. It has 3 waiting chairs, 5 service chairs and full length mirrors in front of each station. There is plenty of space between each station to place your personal items down and not feel on top of other clients. I L.O.V.E. my look!

Just a warning about business conduct: I had an appointment with this braider by text instead of…read morethrough her site, so I never got an automated notice to leave a deposit. We confirmed the style and date at 2 pm, and she didn't text me her Zelle info until 9 pm that night. She never gave me a deadline or time to send it in, which she later said was because she's had people bail on her before. The next day, without any follow-up or chance to secure my spot, she gave my appointment to someone else. When I reached out, instead of offering solutions or next availability, she sent a long message blaming me for not saying I don't use Zelle regularly. I manage customers in my own job, and when I make a mistake, I on fixing the situation not pointing fingers. The lack of clear communication and professionalism was really disappointing, and I wouldn't book again. Update in response to owners reply. List of clarifications for anyone reading: 1. I booked via text, so I didn't receive automated deposit instructions or deadline. These details were never texted to me in the exchange. 2. Deposit info came at 9 pm, 7 hrs after confirming my appointment, with 0 time frame to send it. 3. I had already confirmed my interest earlier that day. Assuming I wasn't interested without setting a clear deadline is not fair. 4. A simple "send deposit by X time or the slot will given to another customer" would have prevented this. 5. 1st come, 1st serve is fine, but clear communication should be the normal to all bookings, not just those made through the site.

Lina does amazing braids. I found her through Instagram after my previous braider was on maternity…read moreleave. I was at her old location before, so can't comment much about the new spot. Booking with her was super easy, Booksy listed out all of the services provided, descriptions for each were clear. I've asked her to do lemonade braids for a trip, she asked a few questions on the personal preferences and went right to work. She made some adjustments along the way so then it's more fitting to my head/hair instead of following just the image. It was so nicely done, braids were tight and lasting. The braids lasted a good two trips, I'm not the best at maintenance, but they still look good in pics.

Excellent work! Love my Braids, and all my friends raved about them. I'd recommend this braider…read moreevery time. I will be going back for another session.

I had a great experience. Amma & team did a great job! I…read moregot medium sized box braids, took about 4.5 hours with two women working on my hair. It looks great and was no hassle. I am planning to go back!

Unorganized, and unprofessional business. I would not recommend this business the owner Amma is…read morevery disorganized and if you make an appointment don't expect her to honor it. I've never seen a more unorganized business. She can also be borderline rude when she doesn't remember the appointment she gave the customer. I know it's hard finding a black braid & lock technician in downtown San Francisco but this business is not the place you want to visit, not to mention the work is not much to speak of.

DiDi and her team are great if you care about how your hair is treated in the beauty process. The…read moreproducts, styles options, and DiDi's access to a wide variety of colors make sure you feel good and look good when you leave. The shop is easy to get to, street parking is right in front. The vibe is comfortable with refreshments, good music or movies...videos, and even more uplifting/entertaining convos and personalities. There's nothing like finding a good place for self-care. Be sure to read the instructions when booking to ensure your appointment and style comes out just as you hope!

I've been getting my hair braided since I was in third grade, and I'm pushing 40 years old. I've…read morehad every kind of braider you can imagine, and I've had my hair braided in every place you can imagine. Since 2014 I've been going to get my Senegalese twists done in SF off Fillmore, but I decided to try DiDi after she professed to calling herself a low tension braider. These days, all these Instagram braiders and beauticians have rules as long as your arm: no DMs, pay a deposit, come with your hair prepped, no oils, no this, no that; show up on time or forfeit your deposit and be charged full price. Oh, and then of course it takes an act of God to get an appointment with them. You have to wait "until the books open up" once a month to schedule an appointment. I just had a baby in May 2021, and I'm nursing my son and still getting used to being a new parent. I wanted my hair braided for an upcoming vacation, so on the day Didi opened her books for an appointment, my husband rescheduled work meetings to watch our son while I devoted all of my attention to try and get an appointment. Of course her system was down and no one could book an appointment. I should have known then and there not to mess with her, but chalked it up to technical difficulties. After 45 minutes to an hour of waiting around (give or take), I got a spot for October 6. I made my husband TAKE THE DAY OFF OF WORK SO I COULD DRIVE TO OAKLAND TO GET MY HAIR DONE. I started prepping for the visit by pumping and storing breastmilk so my husband could feed our son while I got my hair done. The night before my appointment, I washed my hair. I blow dried it. I made my husband check my scalp to make sure it was flake free so that Didi wouldn't refuse service. I have a sleep deficit (new parent, hello!), so once our son was asleep I decided to sleep until he woke up. For the first time in forever, I put my phone in the bathroom so it could charge. My hair was done. The baby was sleeping soundly. My husband went and put gas in the car. He pulled out money from the ATM since DiDi only accepts cash. I had my pump parts and everything packed and ready to go. I was ready. Yay! Imagine my horror when I got up at 11pm to nurse my son, checked my phone, and saw a text from Didi saying that she needed to move my appointment to 2:30 pm. I told her I couldn't do that because of my husband's schedule. I told her to get back to me ASAP because I needed to be there at 9. NOTHING. I spent the rest of my night tossing and turning. I woke up the next morning and saw zero texts from Didi, so I figured we were on for 9AM. I got dressed, battled traffic, and made my way to Oakland. Only to have Didi text me as soon as I made my way in front of her shop. She said she had to cancel because she was passing a kidney stone. She took a pill from a friend and went to sleep and missed my messages and didn't think I would come. I. Was. Livid. If you're a black woman, you know what it's like to have an appointment for your hair to be pulled out from under you. I cried in the car because I was so angry. She then said she could do my hair at 2:30 once she had the proper meds. In the midst of all of this, something told me not to trust Didi, and if I wanted my hair done, I better make it happen another way. I text my trusty braider off Fillmore in SF, and she called me immediately and penciled me in for Thursday at 9AM because she strongly doubted that Didi would follow through. I drove BACK to the Peninsula in more traffic. Guess who text me at 1 something telling me she wouldn't be able to do my hair? Didi. Here's the thing. Things happen. I can understand medical emergencies. That's not the point. I can empathize with someone in pain! I'm not that cruel! However, if you're going to post rules and regulations on your site for your clients, you better hold yourself to those rules. Didi said she was feeling sick/pain for two days. She should have informed immediately she would have to cancel. I questioned if I would get my deposit back, and Didi told me to "give her a little time". However, I see that she is on social media posting up a storm. Instead of posting quotes and memes, she should be running my little $40 back to me. If I don't get it by today (giving her 48 hours), I'll call my credit card company and request a chargeback. (Edit: Money refunded as of 10/08/21) I got my hair done at my regular place yesterday, and they had me explain what happened. My braider asked me, "Is she from here?" I thought she meant the Bay. I said yes. She questioned again but asked if she was American. I was, like, ohhhhh. Yes. And all of the Senegalese braiders in the shop threw their heads back and laughed. They categorize American braiders as lazy, always taking breaks, and unprofessional. Whewph. I've blocked this heffa, excuse me...Didi....on all forms of social media and I strongly suggest that NO ONE become a client of hers because she cannot be trusted. PERIOD.

A client of mine recommended me to try this salon, at first my concern was parking and location. I…read morewas taken back by the professional, personable and beyond amazing service, I booked for a deep condition hair treatment just basic stuff, my hair felt beyond amazing and they gave me an extra treat with an updo since I had to go to a small get together with the family. I definitely recommend this place to anyone looking for an amazing hair treatment, service and something special out of the ordinary.

I've been seeing Tanera for a year now and she's by far one of the best hairstylist in SF. I have…read morerelaxed hair and she does a thorough job of keeping my hair healthy, laid and moisturized. One of her specialties is hair coloring and she likes to play with bold colors. This woman does it all from: braids, lineups, cuts, ponytails, weaves, and can truly do hair on all types background. You are encouraged to make an appointment on her website. Check out her Instagram to see her creativity at work. A pro tip for adults who hate sitting under the dryer, ask for a glass of wine (it's free) to take your mind somewhere else.