1. Braids by Rhonda

    1. Braids by Rhonda

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    San Jose, CA

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    Braids by Rhonda

    4.5 (105 reviews)
    Closed 9:00 am - 6:00 pm

    By appointment only

    Services - Braids by Rhonda

    Hair extension coloring

    Hair extension removal

    Braids by Rhonda Photos

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    Lauren V.

    I've had my hair braided twice now by Rhonda. The first time were crochet braids, which I had to take out after only 3 days because I developed a rash all over my scalp. The second time were cornrows. Rhonda squeezed me in one of her gaps between clients, which I was a bit nervous for. I've had my hair braided many times over the years, and have never experienced pain or breakage while being braided, but Rhonda was not gentle, and I could hear my hair snapping while she was braiding. I was in a significant amount of pain, but I wanted to be respectful and a good sitter, so I didn't say anything. When we finished, two of my braids in the side of my head were sticking straight out on either side of my hair, and Rhonda put them back in a rubber band to get them out of the way, which concerned me, as I wanted to wear my cornrows down like I had in the past. I went home and noticed a few of the braids had my real hair poking out of the braids. The very next day, I messaged Rhonda and asked what to do about it. She told me she could redo them, but I live very far away and couldn't make the trip out again the next day. The next day, all of my braids began to unravel, and I developed a gnarly rash all over my hairline and on my scalp, complete with itchy, red pimples. I know Rhonda doesn't pre-wash her synthetic braiding hair before installing them, so I assume the rash was from that. However, even after doing an ACV rinse, and washing a few times, the rash did not go away. The next day, I contacted Rhonda and let her know I was going to have to take the braids out, as they were severely unraveling at this point, and the rash in my scalp was getting worse. She told me she doesn't do refunds but would redo the braids for me. I repeated that I live very far away and couldn't make the trip out to get the braids redone, and I did not wish for her the redo them anyways, and I asked for a refund again. I did not hear back from her. On day 6 of having my braids, my rash got so bad that I had to take them out. Upon taking them out, I lost a TON of hair. And I mean, big chunks of my hair with the cuticles still attached - came out of my head. I realized that these were hairs that Rhonda had ripped out of my scalp as she was braiding. Every single hair had a cuticle. I was COMPLETELY devastated, and broke down crying in the shower, as I've been trying to grow out my hair for years after a bad bleach job done in a salon. I contacted Rhonda again, asking for a refund once more, as the damage to my hair and scalp was significant. She still has not answered. I paid $250 for my hair to be ripped out and possibly permanently damaged, all for six days of braids that I couldn't keep in, and my hair is also visibly thinner now.

    Abhishek R.

    Rhonda is the best :) super nice and does a great job. Was my first time getting cornrows and she's super nice and helpful and did a great job. I'll keep going back. Highly recommend!

    Almost all of the chunks of hair lost

    TLDR: SHE CHOPPED OFF MY HAIR AND CUSSED ME OUT!! Before I went to braids by rhonda, I asked her if she does sew-in removals. She said she would do a consultation and give me a price. While I was in there we were talking she SEEMED super sweet. I told her I was on a budget so she could just remove the tracks and I'd unbraid it myself. When she picked up the scissors I was a bit scared because I've heard you should only remove your tracks with a razor blade but she told me she's been doing hair for 35ish years so I trusted her. Turns out EXPERIENCE DOES NOT EQUAL TALENT. She was moving quickly which scared me but I kept reassuring myself. She also helped me unbraid my hair which I thought was super sweet so I just ended up paying her the full price(75$) even though we agreed on 50$ (50% tip!!). When I was feeling my hair I noticed some blunt ends but I am not a confrontational person and I thought maybe it was in my head. When I got in the car and started unbraiding my hair I found full strands of hair falling out of my braids, coupled with short strands all over my head. I was in the car at this point with my sister driving and started crying. My sister sent Rhonda pictures of my cut hair and called her to see if I could get a PARTIAL refund (because she was so nice we felt bad asking for a full refund), or at the very least an acknowledgement of error and an apology. You'd think she'd at least say sorry, but no Rhonda started cussing my sister out. Keep in mind my sister, also non confrontational, was VERY VERY NICE. Some notable quotes from rhonda "That's not even the texture of her hair" maybe she missed a lesson in 35 years of doing hair that I learned at about the age of 4 but hair has a different texture after being unbraided than when it's brushed out "I don't play these F---ing games", "I took her even though I don't do this (sew-in removal), I usually do braids" cool so it's my fault for expecting a hair stylist who said she could do a service is actually able to do that service. I'll for sure note that down for future reference. "she's not a regular... she came in last minute" not gonna lie I have never been to cosmetology school but this may not be the technique for creating regular customers. Also I'm pretty sure that she only unbraided my hair because she chopped it and didn't want me to notice, cuz she swept it up so quickly. If you want to leave with a few less pieces of hair than you started with, have your kindness explored, in tears and super angry I can't recommend Rhonda enough but if you care even the littlest bit about your natural hair maybe try a different place.

    Second time with Rhonda and I'm loving the boho braids! This photo was taken 3 weeks after she first installed them.
    Lisa A.

    Rhonda has always done an amazing job with my braids! Even though I moved out of town, I still go back to Rhonda and recommend her to my friends! She's quick and does my hair exactly like I show her. Thanks Rhonda!

    Selfish with braids
    Christine I.

    Fantastic! She is so sweet, and had great suggestions for me. I grew up French braiding my own hair, but it's super fine and would loosen and slip out. Rhonda added in caramel colored hair and a pop of blue! She did Dutch Braids, cornrows, with feed-in. I feel literally like a young My family and I ran a 5k race the very next day, and now we are heading to the mountains for week-long Boy Scout trip at a lake camp. Hair held up great, and I TONS of compliments already! Totally recommend her!

    my hair blown out the day of the appt
    Alex S.

    had an awful experience here, strongly suggest going elsewhere. I have 3B/3C hair i would say., but came to this place with pin straight blown out hair. (see photos). 1. I bought the french curl hair from amazon, which is a little difficult to work with i know, but i've been getting my hair done by a beginner braider for a while now, same hair, same style and my braids lasted 4+ weeks. (see photos) Now, she started my hair a little before 10 am, and was finished by 12pm. super fast! but.. all my braids started unraveling within 48 hours, if not less.. I seriously mean all of them. Hair was not properly tucked, ends were not secured, see photos. 2. the reason i came to rhonda is because she has great reviews, and she fit me in on a crunch because my braider cancelled on me last minute. I got my hair done on a Wednesday, and told her I had a flight to Korea on Friday morning, and thanked her for fitting me into her busy schedule. I do think she is a great braider, and very skilled. but I noticed my parts are uneven.. there's a braid on the center of my head. she takes shortcuts and cuts corners in order to finish braids super fast. i believe she took advantage of the fact that I was on a time crunch and desperate to get braids asap, and in turn provided me with shoddy, half assed braids. 3. She also knew they would unravel, (yes, she admitted it) but didn't tell me at the time. Not sure why, possibly so she could tell me to come back so she could charge me to fix it. That is just so unprofessional and nasty. She was actually gassing me up when she was done, she took pictures she said they look beautiful, she was complimenting me, yet she knew the back looked like trash and was bound to unravel. (see texts) I paid $225 for this. $225 to get my braids basically half done, i spent hours fixing my braids before my flight, and was still fixing them literally on the plane to korea, in the streets of korea, etc because when i say EVERY braid was jacked up, i sincerely mean it. 4. I did text her regarding this literally on my flight and... see her response for yourself.. TLDR: Don't come here if you are looking for good quality braids that will last longer than like 2 weeks. seriously gonna have to take these out as soon as i get back from korea. She's quick for sure and a good conversationalist, but at the end of the day if you're in a time crunch and she graces you with a slot in her books, don't do it. find somewhere else. Esp I attached photos, sorry the last few are out of order Luckily, in the end she gave me a refund of $125, but still, wanted to give you all a heads up.

    softball hair
    Alley T.

    Rhonda is amazing! My girl has a softball tournament this weekend and her braids lasted all three days noooo problem! She looked amazing for a solid week! athen she took them out for some great curl hair style!!!Rhonda was so sweet to her and she can't wait to go back for her next tournament. Our second visit she brought her teammate too! They got matching braids. Rhonda is soooo kind. we love her!

    Jade B.

    Rhonda still doing my hair and does it the best! My crochet braids last me a long time and she's pretty quick.

    Leana A.

    Rhonda has done my feed in's for festivals a few times now and she is always so professional, quick, and fun to talk to! Her beauty studio is cute and clean, and I can tell Rhonda really knows what she is doing. She is also super accommodating in regards to my busy schedule. I give her a little creative freedom when it comes to the finishing touches and I always get so many compliments Her braids are a godsend when I am in the desert dancing my butt off for 3 days straight!!! Her braids are low maintenance, they keep my hair out of my face, and they are a super easy way to level up outfits! I've gone to a few different braiders in the Bay Area and Rhonda consistently delivers the best braids for my adventures. I'm terrible at taking pictures at festivals but here are the two sets she has done for me thus far!

    2 French braids. Love 'em!
    Denise W.

    I'm SO happy that I found Braids by Rhonda. I was looking for someone in my area that could do the braids that I wanted. I contacted Rhonda via Yelp! She responded back immediately. I knew that I was asking a lot for a last minute appointment. She was able to see me at 2pm. Her work is ON POINT, so much that I didn't need to look in the mirror. I'll be booking another appointment for singles very soon. Book your next appointment with her. You won't be disappointed.

    Alexys E.

    First time in my life that I was able to sleep relatively comfortably the first night with braids in! Rhonda's braids are neat and tight enough so they stay in your head without all the unnecessary pain that sometimes comes with other braiders. I'm also glad the nape of my neck was spared. In the past with other braiders, I would develop painful bumps across the back of my neck because they were so tight. Not with Rhonda's braids! What I got are medium sized box braids, bra-strap length for $275. Next time I'm getting them longer! What else can I say, the braids are perfect. Rhonda is also very sweet with a great personality. Very happy to have found a fantastic braider in SJ.

    Braids
    Gina M.

    Highly skilled and very quick! Also just a Lovely lady and a delight to be around. I took my braids out after 3 weeks but only because I was dying to properly scratch my head! They could have lasted much longer.

    Braids.
    Rose R.

    Rhonda was so personable. My son's braids stayed in for two weeks. We followed her instructions for proper braid care to keep them looking fresh. We only took them out because he got them sandy at the beach.

    Art!

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    17 days ago

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    12 days ago

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    23 days ago

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    1 year ago

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    10 months ago

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    8 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    Rhonda P.

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    11 months ago

    Caught an uber there waited for an hour finally left poor communication she called after I got home bad business

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    Rhonda P.

    Your welcome it was great and fun working with you. Thank you so much

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Loved doing your Braids, Miss you girl and thank you!

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    8 months ago

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    2 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

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    3 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    2 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thank you great pictures I love the different looks

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    4 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    I love the pictures they are so nice

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    2 years ago

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    3 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Nice thanks so much

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    3 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Enjoyed working with you

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    4 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thank you I love the pictures

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    3 years ago

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Very nice pictures thanks so much

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    7 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

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    5 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thanks for the great pictures

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    5 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thanks for the review and great pictures

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    7 years ago

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    4 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Great picture thanks so much I enjoyed braiding your hair so much fun

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    2 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thanks so much it was a pleasure working with you.

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    4 years ago

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    8 years ago

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    5 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thanks so much for the great review

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    4 years ago

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    Rhonda P.

    Thanks for the great review and pictures

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    7 years ago

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    Page 1 of 3

    Ask the Community - Braids by Rhonda

    Review Highlights - Braids by Rhonda

    If you want to judge her braiding for yourself check out her web page.

    Mentioned in 3 reviews

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    Never going to anyone else ever again

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    Braids by Rhonda - hairstylists - Updated July 2026

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