Visible Changes

I will start by saying that Wendy has done a great job cutting my hair.
But I see that I am not the only one who had problems with Nicole.
I asked to get my hair darkened a bit (about like Marishka Hargitay’s — had pics) and Nicole turned my hair so dark I looked goth and the whole bottom half of my hair was solid black (almost like I had my hair black dipped). It wasn’t until I was home in my own lighting that I had the full brunt of the color mistakes. When I tried to talk with Nicole about it the next day (I was very nice and patient — I’m not very confrontational on things like this) she was rude, argumentative and downright combative. I had to take pictures of my hair on my phone and text them to her until she would believe me. Then she told me there was nothing she could do. It took multiple washes with Tide and about 1.5 months of daily washings before the color faded down to what I had asked for. I don’t let anyone at Visible Changes touch my color anymore.

I had been to this Visible Changes before a couple years ago to get corrective color done for some wretched highlights, and they did a great job, so I decided to go back again, and was not displeased! I was able to get in the same day, and had a really nice chemical specialist. I believe his name was Bryan (I’m horrible at names). Sweet guy with green hair. He even kept my son entertained during the 2 hour process. I’m very scared when it comes to getting my hair done, but he put me at ease, and it looked great! Lots of blond was put in my hair without it looking like a bleached out mess. It’s a little pricey, but worth it! My hair is almost mid-​back and was $ 115 for the highlights, and $ 26 for the blowout (that part was a bit extravagantly priced, but I dealt with it). Definitely will go back!

Don’t go to Stephanie for color. She is supposed to be a mid-​level «chemical specialist,» but she really had no idea what she’s doing. She kept having to ask the guy next to her what to do. I told her what I wanted, and she got it wrong — I have hazel eyes and olive skin, so I absolutely CANNOT do ash shades. (The most basic of cosmetology students should know that.) Lo and behold, that’s what I got.
She agreed to re-​do it the next day for free, and it’s still not what I wanted. I showed her multiple pictures, and somehow she still managed to get it too light and added brassy highlights, which I also did not want. It doesn’t look remotely like the pictures. It’s not dark enough, not shiny enough, not dramatic enough. I don’t wear jewelry — my hair IS my accessory.
One of the girls upfront with the purple hair recommended her, but that’s the last time I get a get a recommendation from someone who doesn’t actually use that person for color. I told the lady at checkout that I was still unhappy, but I refused to let Stephanie do it again. They didn’t offer to give me a free correction with another stylist — not even a discount! Will not go back. Over $ 100 down the drain.

For anybody who wants an awesome haircut Simon is the man! I have been going to him for about 4 years now and I will never ever let anybody else touch my hair.

I had my hair toned, trimmed, and a express keratin treatment. Initially I wanted my roots bleached but was discouraged from doing so as to protect the integrity of my hair. David was wonderful! Will definitely be returning for a cut/​keratin treatment from him.

I want to start my review by stating that James does an awesome cut & style. He is worthy of 10 stars. If you are looking for a great cut, James is the guy!
Unfortunately, James has lost yet another client due to colorist, Nicole, and her attitude. Getting my hair done every 6 weeks should be refreshing, yet I cringe whenever I have to go in because I know that Nicole is going to argue with me about my color. When you’re spending a lot of money on your hair, close to $ 200, you should be able to ask questions and have your concerns addressed by the colorist, especially if you are not happy with the color. Yet every time I go into VC and I state what I am wanting, I am met with a defensive attitude by Nicole.
Today was no different. I sat in Nicole’s chair and she did not bother to ask what I wanted, how I am doing, nothing … no conversation … which is typical for Nicole. She is not personable at all (or at least has never been with me). Instead, after I sat down she starts sectioning my hair. So I blurt out «Is there any way to make my color pop more?» I did comment that the blonde is closer to what I want but the color, overall, is still very mousy. That immediately sets Nicole on the defensive, as it has the last 2 times I have seen her. Excuse me, I am paying you to do my hair, yet I am expected to just sit down and deal with what you can do. She debates the process that my last colorist did with me, as if she was there.
My hair use to really pop with my former colorist (at another salon, who ended up moving), because I got low lights added. So I ask Nicole if we can do this and she says «yeah but you’re going to make the hair darker». I get that, but I need it to pop so the blonde is more visible. Round and round we go. I really feel that it’s just that she doesn’t have the skill set required to do what I need, like my last colorist.
This is not the only concern I have with Nicole. For instance, one time she needed me to put my head back into the shampoo bowl, but instead of opening her mouth and asking, she took her index finger and put it in the middle of my forehead and pushed my head back. Rude as hell. Honestly, the only time she is nice to me is when I am checking out because she wants to ensure she gets a tip. No, I’m not kidding.
I have bit my tongue too long with her and refrained from writing a review about how I really feel about her (after all, she was still doing my hair and I was at her mercy), but enough already. I got up and left. I ended up giving James a $ 20 tip for a haircut I had booked with him today, because after all, it’s not his fault Nicole is costing him clients (see Brittany B’s review … she, too, WAS using Nicole & James and she is the one who referred me to them).
#byefelicia

Come see Kristin for your color and Tina or James for your trim, cut, or style! I have used VC in the Baybrook Mall for years. I have never had bad service for any employee. I have thick hair that requires extra time. Each time I go, the receptionist, greeter, washer, and technicians all speak to me already knowing my time needs. I feel comfortable and appreciate the attention to my requests.

I had gone to this Visible changes before and every time I would make an appointment I would always ask if they had a stylist that was comfortable and had experience doing a blow out on African American hair. They would tell me yes and book my appointment, and every time I would go, the «Master» stylist would always find a way to mess up my hair. It seemed as if they were scared of my hair. I kept going back, thinking that It wasn’t a huge deal and that I would eventually find a stylist that would do it just they way it should be done. Unfortunately this last visit on Halloween, will be my last visit. The stylist did a horrible job and I had to complain to the manager who asked another stylist to fix it. She was also not seasoned in my hair texture and could not fix it, but I tipped her because she tried. I did not pay for the service because no service was done. The first picture is my hair after the stylist finished and the second is of my hair today, after going to another beautician.

2 stars because the cut was always on point with James (get your hair cut by him!) but updating because I stopped coming here due to the damage they did dyeing my hair. It was falling out in clumps, they chalked it up to me going blonde but I immediately noticed the difference in my hair integrity when I switched salons.
They are more of an assembly line setup, the try to get you in and out as quick as possible without the attention to detail.

[Update: I got someone from the Galleria team to fix the below-​mentioned mistakes. The pro stylist asked who on earth cut my hair and commented that the stylist at Baybrook must have had a really bad day.]
I’ve been a loyal customer since the 90’s having had terrific 5-​star experiences with Javier (no longer there) and James. Visible Changes is usually great with long hair, but my last experience was disappointing, to say the least. In a nutshell, you get what you pay for.
Never again will I work with anyone below the top tier status. I know that sounds like pure snobbery, but damn. The lady here must have had a bad day because she kept talking to herself and cussing under her breath. I kinda thought it was funny until she clearly took her bad day onto my hair.
The stylist communicated to me that she was going to cut two inches off the length. Fair enough, the ends had fried from my curling iron. But she took off a wee bit more than that and cut straight across the back. Now my hair has zero movement and sits in blocky, heavy layers that grew out from a previous cut and does not style well. Where I was once complimented for my pretty hair, people simply say, «Well, it looks healthy.»
Another point, the hair falls right at the top of the bustline when it is straight. Why does this matter? Because it accentuates my large bust instead of complimenting or working with my body type. The day I walked in, my hair was curled and fell at the back of my bra. Now, when curled, it hits my collar bone. 2 inches? Right.
I waited over a month to post this, hoping that my layers would grow out or that I could style it to hide the stylist’s incompetence. But no, I still have an unfortunate haircut, and I hate it. Since there was a policy of «no f’s given» during my haircut, then no f’s given for posting this review.

Staff friendly and knowledgeable, had a bit of a wait since I was a walk-​in, so I recommend making an appointment. My hair was last waist-​length and I cut off about seven inches, the stylist was very clear about asking me exactly what I wanted and offered suggestions when I was clueless. No complaint about pricing, they are professionals providing specialized services.
I would love to give five stars, but the master cutter I worked with missed some of my hair? There’s a couple chunks in the very front around an inch and a half longer than all the rest. Will hopefully give VC a second change, if maybe with a different stylist.

I went in with blonde hair and came out looking like a silver fox. I scheduled an appointment with one of their «top hair colorists.» I requested a few low lights in my light blonde hair. I showed a pic of mary kate olsen’s hair. A couple hours later as I’m leaving I’m quite certain my hair looks pretty dull and faded. However, with the extremely dim lighting it’s hard to tell just what has been done to my hair. When I get home I notice I have silvery grey highlights that had bled all over my blonde hair. I was grey ALL OVER. Note– I’m in my 20’s and have never had a grey hair. I arrive home and my family was shocked that I had spent so much money to be turned into a 60 year old woman. I call for a redye the following morning. They get me right in and do everything they can but after processing my hair even more I’m still grey. Less intense, but grey none the less. They did refund my money, so at least I didn’t have to pay the $ 100 plus for the silver fox look. This happened almost a year ago, however, my hair is still broken and recovering. This experience is definitely a one star rating. I bumped it up a star for the one good experience I had at this place years ago.
Btw– I believe the colorist’s name was Maria and they told me she had picked up a shift at the Bay area location but that she normally works at the Almeda location.

So after I got the reply from VC management, I sent them an email explaining that i just want my black hair back. They called me the next morning asking if i can come today to fix my hair however i wanted it to be. I was happy and nervous at the same time. They instead insisted me to come back and swore to make me feel comfortable at best. Even after booking the appointment, i was hesitant to show up since i was afraid they would damage my hair and it’d be awkward, etc. When i came there, i felt like everyone was waiting for me (which was terrified). The manager came and apologized for my last experiences. When I saw Julia, I was super happy that she is the one to color my hair. Because in my last visit, while C was doing my hair, I saw Julia did an amazing job on her client, and she was very fun and polite compared to people around me at that time. So yes, i was happy to know she would help me this time. They made sure the colorist who did my hair last time would not be around so I could tell them how i felt and what i wanted to fix. Julia gave me some suggestions and consultant on fixing my hair, but i was not a fan of the ombré/​balayage highlights anymore, so i suggested her to do one color for me. Then we agreed on a brownish or red-​ish color. Like i witnessed last time, Julia gave me a pleasant customer service. When i was done with coloring and moved to shampoo and conditioning, i was scared that i was going to get another horrifying detangle process like the girl with the purple/​blue hair gave me last time. However, thanks to Julia who brushed my hair very carefully while dying my hair, Vanessa gave me the most pleasant shampooing ever. She also conditioned my hair and gave me a relaxing massage. I got a blow dry and simple style for my hair by Neybraska. Julia came to me and asked if i’m ok with the new color. It did not cover all of the ash brown/​blonde highlights, but i kind of like it that way (brown, red and some hard-​to-​see highlights). While waiting at the check out, I saw the manager ran back and forth grabbing stuffs when I tried to talk to her a bit before i left. I was like «humm, they forgot me already» lol (as it was so busy last night-​23/​12) Then she came to me, put all stuffs she just grabbed in a nice bag and gave it to me. I was more than surprised. She gave me a sincere apology (again) and thanked me for coming back, wishing me to keep coming back. As you can tell, I left the store with a big smile on my face.
First, I did not expect to get a whole new color (instead of touch up on previous color). Second, I did not expect to receive such sincere apologies from the manager. I definitely come back, and definitely book Julia whenever I want to color my hair and Wendy (last review) to cut my hair. I wish all stylists are polite, fun and talented like these two. And I hope everyone comes here will get the same experience (or even better) like I did last night :)

This salon has a business model different from salons independently owned. Pricing is tiered based upon the experience of the stylist or colorist. Stylists do not color hair, only colorists. Prices for cuts can be considered high. Because you’re receiving services from 2 different people, this will drive your costs up significantly. I came from an upscale market where I paid $ 65. My first cut with Tina was $ 85 and subsequent cuts have been $ 70.
I experienced a lot of product pushing and as a result, was talked into buying products I ended up returning. Be very strong if you’re on a budget!
I decided to look for another stylist when I went back a week after my cut because my bangs were too long. Normally, this touch up would be a courtesy service at any other salon I’ve used. She ended up re-​cutting my hair (not at my request), and charged me for a «full service».
I had referred 2 new customers and now my business and the referral business are going elsewhere. I realized customer service is second behind profit at this salon.

I love getting my hair cut from here I admit… But as far as hi-​lights NO WAY TO EXSPENSIVE! $ 235 for a few hi-​lights I should have asked beforehand how much it was gonna be… But I didn’t plus she told me that I needed a deep conditioner or that I had to have one wich is like $ 35 and I already had the conditioner… NEVER AGAIN OVER CHARGED THE HELL OUT OF ME! :(looked good but not WOW… But them saying you have to have a deep conditioning treatment is BS that’s where they get you…

So last week I wanted to get a haircut but couldn’t due to the fact that I got off of work late. My friends were also rushing me to hurry up so we could leave to Austin for the weekend. I told them I wanted to get my haircut before I left cause I wanted to look super fly on 6^th. My friends then replied with «just cut it in Austin». But the problem with that is that they don’t have a Kimberly (my stylist) in Austin. Long story short I wouldn’t go anywhere else to cut my hair cause they make me look super fly.

Been a client for years! Love Zulema she always does my color that I get many compliments on. She is very friendly and has been there for years. I NOW work there. Christina, stylist and friend, always talked amazing about the salon and well I jumped in. I am now going on two years and I am a stylist and love my coworkers. We all have the same training to be able to get on the floor and we alleys have class’s for those that want to keep up with the new styles and techniques. Love that about us! The owners are awesome and I have met so many amazing hairstylist along the way! Can’t wait to be at their level one day :)

I have been a faithful customer of David Garza since 2010. I am picky about my haircuts because every salon or barber that I would visit would not satisfy my subjective needs. That is, of course, until I was introduced to David while he was at the Galleria Mall in Uptown.
I was sold by David after our first meeting. He takes the time to get to know you and learn about your personality. He then spends about five minutes to exam your hair and head shape to determine what kind of hair cut would best fit your needs and desires.
I followed David to Baybrook Mall when he decided to transfer. I trust his expertise and approach to his art/​craft. I just show up and tell him to do his thing because we have an ongoing relationship where he understands that although my day job my require a conservative hair style, he can cut my hair in such a way that I do not seem or feel boring on the weekends.
The only con is that I have to drive from the city out to the suburbs. I usually schedule a weekend appointment but do not expect to avail yourself of any traffic headaches due to traffic on I-​45 Nonetheless, I highly recommend David!

Current profile pic is a product of colorist Jazmine and hair stylist Thao.
Their colorists continue to prove that they know exactly what they are doing. I’ve had a few colorists at this and another location and have loved all my results.
Cheated on my favorite hair stylist (Frankie at the Austin VC) for Thao due to proximity, but I was not disappointed.
Protip: Make an appointment. Build rapport with colorist/​stylist you like and stick with them.

James, darling, you are awesome. I know you already have a big head but it’s with good reason.
If you’re going to go to this salon and want a cool, edgy hair cut, go see James. Not only does he have a great personality and a killer mustache, but he rocks out some seriously wicked hair. Sadly, I am letting my hair grow out now so I’ve been staying away from any hair salons because I know I will just want to cut it all off. I had my hair short for about 2 years and for most of that time I went to James. He is actually the one who gave me my first short hair cut and I loved it so much that every time I went back in I would just say «do whatever you think looks good» and BAM, there it was. A new rockin’ hair style every time I was in his chair. Some were as short as a man but still super feminine and girly and cute. Some were longer and sleek. But each time, regardless of the length, he rocked it.
The only reason why I’m not giving 5 stars is because I often feel like the front desk people are rude. Not all of them, but there are a couple really young ones that I feel talk to me with a pretty rough attitude. One example is I went to book and appointment and was asked what was a good time for me and I explained that I was off the next 3 days and wanted to know what was available for these particular days for my stylist because I know he can get booked up fast. She responded with «uhhhh once again, what’s good for you? i can’t tell you what time frame works best for you»… umm ok. So I threw out several times and the response was no. So the question persisted… what times are available? By chance I guessed a time that was available and booked an appointment.
Anywho, they have some great stylists there. Just ignore the front desk people =)