Professional; Talented; Honest. These are some of the words that I would use to describe the person I encountered during my initial experience with Johnny Ramirez. Not unlike the Yelper below me, I too am a busy professional woman who values her limited time, was incredibly excited for my appointment and also left the salon without the results I was expecting. However, the difference is that I appreciate the honesty and integrity that Johnny and his team showed during my experience and will forever be grateful that they put my hair-health and results before their bottom line profit.
As a long-haired brunette, I expected to lighten up my overall hair color with beautiful beachy blonde highlights as showcased on BoxNo216.com. However, a bad dye job from another salon, just about twelve months ago, came back to haunt me. Johnny explained the dark permanent dye that was in my hair made it impossible for my hair to be healthily lifted to the color I desired. He ran a test strand just to be absolutely sure there was no chance otherwise and, after forty minutes, the result was an obviously damaged, brassy, orange, cotton candy strand. His team delivered the disappointing news and returned the strand to its previous brunette color.
The disappointment overcame me and I even felt my eyes weld up with tears. I know that may sound ridiculous, but like many people, my hair is a huge part of my identity. I had decided I was going to embark on a huge change in my life, a spring awakening, and that the first step would be embracing a beautiful, fresh new hair color. To have that anticipated plan so swiftly pulled out from under my feet, I felt overwhelmed with letdown. However, I want to make it perfectly clear, that I DO NOT FAULT Johnny Ramirez or his incredibly talented team for this letdown. I appreciate the attention Johnny paid to my hair health and what would result if we moved forward with what I had requested. It is very rare to encounter a colorist that will take your hair health and hair future into consideration and make it a priority over the hundreds of dollars they stand to profit. And you know what, I would have cried a lot more had Johnny gone ahead and done the process, which would have left me with melted, chemically fried and ugly hair for years. Given that I'm not the professional hair colorist, I'm fortunate that he has his client's best interest at heart.
JP, a member of Johnny's team, was incredibly generous to take the time to explain once again what was going on with my hair, why it wouldn't work and what that meant for the future of my hair. It's not a hair death sentence --- but JP and Johnny did put me into hair rehab. They gave me a list of things to do and a timeline (NO they did not sell me any products, nor did they try to). This hair rehab plan should help me get to a place where I can go ahead with my originally planned highlights about six months from now. The salon was jam packed with clients, given Johnny was only in NYC for 3 quick days, so the fact that Johnny and JP took the time to help me remedy the situation spoke to their investment in their client's continued happiness.
And, to make a disappointing experience better, Johnny's partner Anh Co Tran graciously squeezed me into his jammed packed schedule for a chic long bob cut, which, while not what I was expecting to do, left me with a smile. Donovan on Anh's team was also a joy.
Perhaps the below negative Yelper took the reality of the situation too personally, but someone's personal opinion of Johnny's appearance - his fantastic bespoke hats, his tattoos that tell a beautiful story, and his earnest intent - or any stylist's for that matter, should never become part of a critique of their work. That is a juvenile way of passing judgment and very mean spirited. It is our own fault that our hair was not in a healthy enough condition to be lifted the way we had hoped.
When I was leaving, another girl with over-dyed dark hair was waiting on the result of her test strand. We chatted about our mutual experiences and she agreed, while disappointed, she was so grateful for Johnny's honesty. She had been having her hair permanently colored by a professional for years who had never bothered to explain the irreversible damage it was causing.
After this experience, I have made the decision that I will only ever trust my hair health, color, and valuable time to Mr. Johnny Ramirez and his fantastic team. As for style and cut, Anh Co Tran has won my loyalty, but that's for another positive Yelp review. read more
