Alter Ego Hair Design is the Very Best! Both Erin and Caitlin do amazing work. My hair extensions are beautiful and the quality of work is top notch! Erin has taken my fine, limp and over processed hair to a new level. From extensions, to color, to a new cut, SHE HAS IT ALL! She is a professional and a truly kind and wonderful person! You will NOT be disappointed with any of the services offered at Alter Ego. read more

Emily cut my hair recently and I was very pleased with the cut and the service. I had one of those bad hair days and scheduled an appointment that same afternoon. I came a few minutes early and was seen right away, with no wait. I asked Emily what she thought I should do with my hair and she said she really liked my current cut and suggested a trim, taking off a half-inch. I was pleased with her honest judgement: I had gotten a cut in Montreal a few months back and was very happy with the cut except it was overgrown. She trimmed it quickly yet skillfully, blow dried my coarse wavy hair into a flattering style and then trimmed and textured the ends so the cut lays well. Best of all, my hair looks great even when I don't heat-style it. Dried naturally, the waves are nicely layered and just seem to fall into place--a sign of a good cut. I've tried a lot of places in Elmhurst, but this is the first place where I've gotten a great cut at a reasonable price ($35 with first-time customer discount, not incl. tip). This isn't a cutting-edge, hyped up salon--it's a comfortable, relaxed place, mostly patronized by middle-aged moms like me (as far as I could tell from my weekday afternoon visit). No frills, easy-going, no blasting music, no product-pushing. Just a great cut and great service. I'll be back! Disclosure: I will receive a $20 discount (or 20%, I can't remember) for this review, but I'd give Emily and the salon five stars anyway! read more

Nicolette did an awesome job touching up my highlights and fixing the blonde tone! She was also efficient which I really value- I hate when I'm at a salon for hours upon hours, and that was not the case here without any sacrifice on the quality of her work. Emily followed my color with a great cleanup haircut and blow dry. Will definitely be back! read more

Been to Nicolette twice now after a friend referred. She was able to remove all the brassy orange from my hair from years of coloring on my own at home. Today I got a Brazilian blowout along with highlights. Excellent one-on-one advice on what my hair really needs. read more

I am NOT picky with my hair at all... But Ive come to realize that it's because I go in with low expectations. I have pretty thick hair, and have found that many hair stylists don't really know how to tame it. Anyway, I have a hairstylist that I do love, but her prices were skyrocketing and I could no longer justify going there... Sooo I found Alter Ego (thanks to Yelp!). As usual, I went in with low expectations... My, was I in for a very please surprise! Caitlin did a fantastic job!! It didn't take me long to realize that she really did know what she was doing. Caitlin was very meticulous to how she was cutting and styling my hair, and I loved that she was very honest with her opinions on how I should have it cut. I also like how small of a studio it is - makes it very cozy and homey... No loud dryers going on all over the place and people loudly talking over one another. Prices are also very reasonable... although, I had gotten the Locks of Love cut, and didn't realize until I left that I actually think I was supposed to get the service for free since I am donating my hair Anyway, definitely check this place out!! It is very hard to find though... Took me a couple drives around the block to find it. read more

I chose this hair salon based on the many good ratings but am unfortunately not pleased. From the minute I walked into my appointment my stylist was on the phone with the IRS or some company - on hold. She had her phone on speaker the entire three hours I was there while the background music of being on hold was playing and the constant "a representative will be with you shortly". She would keep checking her phone throughout my service. There were three times when a representative got on the phone throughout my appointment and my stylist stopped what she was doing to talk to the representative - including while she was shampooing my hair and at the end of my service when I was paying and she was talking to me while the representative on the phone was trying to explain something to her... I wasn't responding so she could hear what the man was telling her on the phone. I felt like I couldn't even talk. Super unprofessional and rude. She was very short with me. I don't think she did a good job explaining to me the issues that were going on with my hair and did not give any suggestions on how I could improve them. I felt so rushed and did not enjoy the time or results. I will not be coming back. read more

Because of the near perfect reviews here on Yelp - I chose Alter Ego to get my hair done. I split my time between Green Bay and Chicago these days so it made sense to find a hair person in Chicago. I really like the online scheduling feature and I had lots of confidence that Emily would be able to do a great job. The salon is part of a conglomerate of health/beauty suites - Alter Ego itself is somewhat small (although I hear they are expanding). It was just me and Emily. I told her I wanted a partial highlight and I even knew the colors my previous stylist had used.She replicated the color exactly and did a great job. A quick trim later and 20% off - I was very happy. Highly recommend read more

Nicolette is fantastic! She did exactly what I wanted and I can't wait to return for a Brazilian blowout and extensions!

Y'all, I can't even! I found this place right here on Yelp and decided to take a chance. I had originally planned on going to a salon in Arlington Heights until they wanted to charge me an obscene amount of money. When I found Alter Ego, I had decided I was going to give up my almost two year adventure of going blonde (I'm a natural dark brunette with incredibly stubborn hair) and do something more practical, yet fun. Based on some of the reviews, I decided Emily was the way to go, and I (along with the other yelpers) was right! She did a gorgeous color mix on my hair, where I was back to being a dark brunette, but it was a deep violet brown. She also cut my hair, which had about 4" of dead ends, so I was happy to see it go. She did such an amazing job. I've been growing my hair out for years, so I'm a freak about taking any length off my hair, but she did it so perfectly that I didn't feel like it was all gone. I booked my next appointment and already can't wait! read more

Alter Ego Hair Design - Before Emily's magic - Hair Extensions Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

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It was my first time at alter ego and not my last. Nicolette was so sweet and is so talented. It was the first time coloring my hair and I haven't had a haircut in so long. I was a little nervous and she killed it. I am so happy with my new hair! read more

Alter Ego Hair Design - Hair Extensions Near Me - Elmhurst, Illinois

I came here for a trim and left with my hair dramatically shorter with an awful cut. I cried the entire way home because my hair had been completely thinned out and looked disgusting. The Although the stylist was sweet, she got WAY too scissor happy. Never going here again... read more

This salon continually teaches me that you can always make perfection even more perfect. Everytime I leave this place I feel relaxed, rejuvenated, and I look like i'm ready for a GQ photoshoot. I have really thick hair that is very difficult to cut and it takes a true pro to style it...Lindsey never let's me down. Pure talent with the scissors! Her motto is "Have a great hairday!" It's pretty hard not to when Ms. Lindsey chops my crop. read more

My first experience was about two months ago. I have always been a little skeptical about my haircuts. But Alter Ego stood up to their expectations and I was very impressed by it. I'd definitely recommend one visit and you will find yourself coming again. read more

I found Alter Ego through an intense Google search. I needed someone for the day of my wedding and everywhere I called in the Elmhurst area was either a) not open when I needed them to be or b) too expensive. Then, I met Kari and fell in love! Not only were her prices right up my alley, but her professionalism and communication was excellent. When we met to do my trial I gave her some vague idea of what I was envisioning and she ran with it. A few days later she emailed me to tell me she had a "dream" about my hair and thought of a great way to spruce it up. On the actual day of my wedding everything went through perfectly and I loved my style. As I said, not only were her prices key in my decision making process, but the execution of her vision was amazing. She made me feel all the more beautiful on my special day! read more

Visited Keri at Alter Ego for the first time last week, and was so happy with how my hair turned out! She gave me a beautiful cut, and the color she used was so gentle and nice, and did not smelly like a chemical factory! It was easy to schedule right on line too. read more

Caitlin is the best! She has been cutting my hair for 10+ years now. Very professional. A customer for life!

It's been about a year since I've had a decent hair experience. Going to the salon today I was extremely nervous, but left with hair looking better than my wildest expectations! Absolutely will be returning to the salon! read more

I am new to town and went into see Nicolette last minute with some bad hair. She listened well and did a good job lightening me up with some highlights. I am going back for a Brazilian Blowout this week! The salon is simple and nice and located in a nice, central spot in Elmhurst. read more

I would recommend this salon for hair extensions. My stylist is Becca for extensions and while I can't always figure out how she arrives at the amount she charges for tightening, she does good work. I would give 5 stars if I knew how she calculated the time for extension tightening. read more

Lindsey at Alter Ego is an extremely talented hair stylist. I've always been picky about who does my hair and went through several stylists at Mario Triccoci. I like to have a stylish cut, yet something that looks good on me (not just something I THINK looks good). Lindsey is creative and always can make suggestions for a fresh look. She has now done my hair for 4 years. Her cuts are great. They last a long time and I really get tons of compliments on my hair. She does great with my highlights. I am not one to want to look too blonde or trying "too hard". She knows just the right way to accomplish this. My husband and daughter also go to her and are equally impressed. In fact, my daughter lives in Atlanta and will wait to come home to get her hair cut by Lindsay. She has always worked to accommodate me and my crazy schedules! AND......when she washes your hair, she does a great neck massage !!! ; ) read more

Before my haircut, I was asked what I liked best about my hair. I said "the length". I walked out of there with my hair about 2 inches shorter and with lots of layers. Not at all what I wanted. Why ask if you aren't going to listen? very disappointing read more

I chose this place based on the endless positive reviews. If you're like me, keep this in mind that customers get discounts for 5-star reviews (obviously this is a good marketing practice, but it is partly why they are all so enthusiastically positive.) My stylist was very quick which was nice, but I didn't feel like she left any room for input. I can be a bit shy so that is partly my fault, but while I thought it was still early on, she had already begun to blow-dry and I realized it was too late. This would all be fine if it was just a quick trim but it was for a completely new haircut. Since I liked how the front was looking I assumed it was good but I was never shown the sides or back to even know what it looked like. This is the only place I can remember getting a haircut more than a couple inches where I was never asked what I thought or shown the cut (even at the end!). Also, I expect a few stray clippings after a haircut, but they were all over my shirt down my back I had to go home and change. Overall, I got a basic flat quick chop and left disappointed, as it wasn't quite what I wanted. If you're looking for a quick in-and-out trim this place would prob be great. read more

My first time there was also my last. Becca COMPLETELY messed up my hair color. I was going back from dark hair to light hair and wanted a golden brown. However, she completely ignored what I said and gave me a copper based color. I basically looked like a ginger (still do, but not as much). She messed up my base color so badly that I'm STILL trying to fix it to this day, 8 months later. Not to mention that the lightener she used damaged my hair a lot, even with the -mandatory- $20 "deep conditioning" treatment. She also missed a lot of spots, I still had dark splotches and a dark band around my whole head. I literally went and got my hair somewhat fixed the next day at my usual salon with some highlights, despite how much Becca had damaged it the day before. It was that bad. Red/copper is one of the hardest colors to get out, and I never wanted it in my hair in the first place!!! It cost almost 300 dollars to get my hair ruined by them, and I've spent at least another 300 dollars at my usual salon trying to get it fixed without damaging my hair. Maybe the other colorists at this place are good, but I'll never know because I wouldn't be caught dead back there... not even if they offered to fix my hair for free. I'm definitely someone who takes their hair very seriously. It's very long and healthy, and it's like Becca didn't even care about it with the way she yanked at it with her brush. She seemed more into herself while she was doing my hair, which is maybe why she missed some spots. This salon will forever have me afraid to try a new hair salon again. If you do go here, do not let Becca touch your hair with color. The cut was somewhat okay, although she gave me some layers when I didn't want them. Overall, she did what she wanted and didn't listen to what I wanted. Which is NOT something you look for in a hair stylist. If you're looking to try a new hair salon, I suggest you look elsewhere. I wouldn't want anyone else to have to go through this hair color disaster that I went through. read more