Sigh.... I loved my braider. he was skilled. I assisted in the braid down. My hair is pretty short so I asked if the length would be a problem. He said that it wouldn't be. I've had these braids for 10 days and about 12 have slipped out while I'm on vacation. The price that I paid made me think these would last a while. I'm on the airplane pulling out the remainder since the lady behind me just handed me another one... I normally braid my own but since it was short and I thought I couldn't grip it, I went to a braider... I've never had this issue before when braiding it myself...I was able to rebraid 4 of them but after that, I just said f*ck it. Now... I would still totally recommend this place to anyone who wants to get braided... BUT if u have short hair, be prepared for quite few to fall out. This was only MY experience, and I would still recommend them... but If u have short hair.... be prepared edit: I got to watch a sew in installed and I don't know her name who did it but she was fast, precise, neat, skilled and ol' girl she hooked up walked out SLAYING!!!!!!! read more

Braid Bar & Beauty - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Terrible experience, the stylist was unlicensed and did not match the style that we were looking for. Would not recommend to anyone. read more

Yeah so I gave this spot another chance, despite my first experience. I really should have saved myself the time and money. I came in for [what I thought] was a simple style. I provided a photo that I saw on THEIR Instagram page. I assumed that if a salon posts a photo, then they know how to do that style. Nope. Of course they didn't. The girl who did my hair completely messed it up. My braids were unraveling by the time I got home from the shop! Because I had to catch a plane the next morning, I had to pay a local braider to do an emergency style for me, wasting both my time and money. I reached out to the owner to address this issue and while she did give me a minor discount on a "future style", it didn't make up for the stress they put me through. Braid Bar needs more professionalism OR better oversight/ training for new braiders. Someone should have taken over for that girl if she was in over her head and couldn't properly do my style. It was a mess that should never have happened. BUT, yeah, if you want some box braids or simple twists, they do a fine enough job. Just be very clear with the length and size that you want. They have a chart with samples so you don't get any surprise charges. =/ read more

Horrible place! Would never book again with the brair Pauline! Absolutely horrible and unprofessional. If I could give a 0 star i would! She definitely gave me two too many bad experience!!! Needs new staff!!!!!!! read more

1. I NEVER write reviews but felt compelled to do so after receiving such subpar service. Giving this place two stars only because stylist Victoria was very nice but the foundation of my hair was not. I selected medium size box braids, there were gaps along the 3 rows in back when I asked she change pattern to checkerboard style so they would lay in tandem...crown area was done as suggested but sides were not. Again I address my concerns and this time a lady comes over and interjects herself into the conversation, unbeknownst to me this was the manager who was totally unprofessional and of no help! At end of braiding I speak with Kahara (owner) and address my concerns about manager and braid pattern...followed this up by text for 5 days waiting to speak with her and she has yet to call. Braids themselves are okay, minus the crooked side part going half way down my head since she didn't braid crown area high enough. Also some of the braids are started like cornrows sticking to my head and curved like "u's" instead of singles. I have full head of natural hair, she had lots to work with to create what I wanted; won't be going back. read more

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Rika is so fabulous and her technique was phenomenal. She gave me exactly what I asked for and was super friendly, quick, and very affordable. Also, the salon has a full shop on the inside where you can pick hair and they have many styles and colors. In addition, they have a full line of great haircare products and even hair charms. I really love what Rika did and I feel so great with my pretty new braids. You will love the work! read more

I got medium box braids at the braid bar last week. The communication was top notch: they responded in a timely manner, were very professional, and I appreciated the consult prior to starting on my hair. Pauline did very neat work and initially I was very pleased. However, one day after getting my hair done one of the ends of the braid came out. After paying $350 for the service, I was shocked. I immediately notified the salon and they did offer to fix my hair at my earliest convivence. I appreciated the gesture however, I did travel very far and have an extremely tight schedule that did not allow me to come in. All in all, I am grateful for their professionalism and willingness to fix the minor issue. I just hope the issue does not persist. The salon is neat, chic, and does provide a boutique braid experience. Because of that, the prices are higher than the average salon so do not be alarmed. read more

Rika did the damn thang! Amazing creativity, expert advice, superior skill. Sorry it took me so long to find her! read more

The Braid Bar & Beauty just added a new client to their list and that client is me! Oh my goodness! I am so pleased with my new hair style, I am beside myself. Rika did an awesome job. I am the queen of wearing weaves, but decided to try a unit. The hair grade is superior. Absolutely superior! Rika's installation and suggestions for the unit, went above and beyond. I am so happy I Can't stand it I have received and continue to receive so many compliments. I really need to stop staring at myself in the mirror. The salon itself is clean, beautiful, welcoming and inviting. Everyone is so professional and nice. Rika's is just so lovely and knows her stuff. I am so happy to have this FABULOUS salon as part of my beauty repertoire! Thank you Braid Bar & Beauty!!! Val read more

Kid; wash, blow dry, trimmed ends Pros:, easy to book, fast service, my daughter liked how fast her hair was washed and blow dried. Are appointment was pushed back by 30 minutes, which was okay for today. Cons: $45 for a kids wash, blow dry, and trimmed ends. I believe that this price is absolutely ridiculous. I do believe that the owner of this business is aware, hence the fact that prices are not listed and you do not find out until after the service is complete. For this reason I believe that professionalisms could have been better. I gave them a try and I will not return due to this reason alone. I was trying to save myself the time of driving to Richmond but I will not make that mistake again. I do not mind paying for service but do not appreciate being taking advantage of. Food for thought go to a business that is upfront with their prices from day 1. read more

Rika does an excellent job with feed in cornrows. I usually have a picture of the style I want that I bring and stylist are never able to match it, but she did perfectly! I got SO many compliments when I left the shop and weeks after. She's definitely a skilled braider. read more

This is the second time I've been to the Braid Bar, the second time the lady who did my hair was late, and the second time I've been unhappy with the outcome. They say the third times a charm, but I certainly will not be back to find out. I told the stylist I wanted my braids the second largest size and she suggested the smaller one. I said okay, but before she finished the first braid I told her it was too small and that I wanted to do both the larger braid size and larger parts. She did neither. I even showed her a picture of exactly what I wanted. Two stars because the braids are neat. read more

For months I've been wanting a box braid bob. I finally came to terms that I would have to go out of town from the Monterey-area for them. I stumbled across Braid Bar and Beauty on Yelp. After reading some of the reviews I decided to give them a try. I was immediately impressed with the quick response to an appointment inquiry. I also appreciated the standard pricing that other braiding business I've been to did not seem to have. I love the interior design of the salon. It is cozy and inviting. All of the hair stylist there were friendly which made the environment extremely positive. Now I must tell you about Vivian. She braided my hair. I am still blown away by her attention to detail and skills. She styled my hair better than the picture I brought in and styled it based on my preferences. She didn't braid tight like she wanted to pull the hair out of my scalp either. I wasn't leaving the salon needing to take Advil to relieve the pain, which was a huge plus in my book. I love my hair and look forward to booking another appointment at the braid bar. It was completely worth the drive. read more

Braid Bar & Beauty - Box braid bob styled by Vivian - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

i love my hair, took about four hours for medium box braids but niki did a really good job. everyone is super nice and it was a very pleasant experience. for my style including blowdrying and everything was $210. she let me know the pricing in the process too, so i wasn't surprised at the end. the stylists there are very talented and sweet, would recommend :) read more

Braid Bar & Beauty - Hair Salons Near Me - Berkeley, California

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Valerie did a great job on my braids. We started at 9 and were done by 3, only 6 hours. I have sat longer for less. No pulling or extremely tight braids. I will be returning to these young ladies. read more

I was really impressed with this salon! I had two feed-in French braids done by Rika. She was on time for our appointment, which was a major plus for me and she was very nice and personable too. She really listened to what I wanted and executed it perfectly. I brought my own braiding hair but they also sell braiding hair too, which is another plus. They do pretty much any type of braiding you would want and can create custom wigs too. I will definitely be back!! read more

I came in to get twists done and I had a great hairstylist. Fatima really took care of me and also had a helper. So I was in and out in about 3 hours. I got a ton of compliments on my hair. I myself loved them and am thinking about getting them again! read more

I had gone here once before and the beautician did an amazing job on my triangular parted box braids. Even though she was late, i was still pleased with then end results. I decided to give them another go, this time my beautician was 1 1/2 hours late!!!!!!! This time i was pissed because i had an appointment to go to after this one, which i ended up missing because of this. I contacted the owner who did nothing to compensate me for this. The only reason im giving 3 stars and not 1 is because the lady did do an awesome job on my hair and the staff was very nice. She did my twist in 3.5 hours, which is fast to me. Im just really upset that i still had to pay full price and miss another appointment because of the beautician being over an hour late with no explanation why. Also, they arent cheap at all, but i feel is worth the price since they do such a great job quickly. They could have offered me like $15 off AT LEAST or SOMETHING! read more

My daughter and I had a great experience here. Everyone worked together and they were all nice and professional. Our hair was on point it was beautiful. We will be back read more

Absolutely the most wonderful salon I've ever been to! I'm so so happy that they have a second location now because the bay area needs as much h of the braid bar as it can get. From the moment you walk in to their beautiful establishment, complete with chandeliers glittery floors and purple walls, you treated like family. Everyone working there is gracious kind and professional. I drive hours away from home just to come here because it's so wonderful. read more

This place is awesome! All of the staff are extremely talented. I've been going here for the past two years. I can't say which stylist is my fav, because they are all so talented. They give give back to local charities, which is extremely important to me. read more