Don Franco Salons

An experience I could definitely have lived without. I had my hair cut by some god awful woman who kept clanging the damn dryer in my face and head. Come on, I’m a guy so the whole salon experience is not a big deal to me, but this takes the cake. I could have done just as well cutting my own hair at home in the bathroom mirror. It looked worse the next day, I guarantee. The end result was choppy and uneven and not what I asked for. I said I didn’t like it, that it didn’t look quite right, but was for some reason ignored. I told her that she was bothering me by whacking me in the head with the dryer, but she didn’t respond to this and she did not bother to stop doing it. Enough was enough. I guess she was behind schedule, but this is uncalled for. This was by no means a pleasant experience. To me, the salon just felt like a dated, over bloated Super Cuts or something. The water was too hot, it seared my neck when she was washing and rinsing my hair. I noticeably winced and Unilocaled in pain and was ignored again. I will not return. I had my sister, who started cosmetology school but dropped out to go to CMU instead, re-​cut my hair and even it out. She basically just buzzed it all off. The price of the service was not out of my comfort zone high and I got a quote beforehand, but considering the quality, it was too much. Maybe I’ll just let my sister cut my hair from now on, she didn’t do a bad job fixing this butchered mess. And a lot of the women walked out with the same overblown out, hair sprayed hairdo, which was unappealing. It looks like middle aged soccer mom hair. Then there were the girls with that two tone hair color that is darker at the bottom that was a fad ten years ago. I would scream if my fiancée got her hair done like that, I would drag her to another hair salon.

Update. Called to get an early morning appointment, lady was nice on the phone and I got a 10AM. Later that week I went for my hair appointment and was disappointed. The receptionist looks like she in another world (it’s 10AM, wake up lady). I told her I have a 10AM appointment and she starts looking for my name. She is having a hard time finding it and tells me she has 40 different books to look through (I’m just thinking shouldn’t you guys get a computer for this… I mean Don Franco is a nice fancy place). Anyway she finally finds it and tells me to go back there to the stylist. This is not the person I usually go to so I start walking back, I don’t even know who I’m looking for. Than some guy (I think the manager) says to please wait in the seating area and I’m like «ok?» So, I go back and wait in the seating area even though the receptionist told me to go back. I wait for like 15 minutes and find out that my stylist isn’t even at work. I decided to leave. I wasn’t rude or anything. I mean I got an early appointment because I have a busy schedule and I find it very rude that my stylist didn’t even show up for work.
And than the receptionist accidently called my phone right after I left saying «hey its Christen, you can come in at 11:30 your 1^st appointment just left (voicemail).»
–My advice
Get a better receptionist (I mean this is the first person your customer sees)
If the stylists isn’t in please let the customer know
I will not be returning, because I have noticed a slow decline in there service
I pay a good amount of money and I just wish they would respect my time.
I have been coming here since 2013 but I think its time to try out another place.
Don Franco is a beautiful salon and is very clean. The atmosphere is pleasant but I believe the management could use an update.

I overpaid for a choppy looking haircut and I had to have it cut all over again, making my hair really short and overly layered just to make it appear all evened out. Gross. I should have known something was wrong immediately because there was a lot more hair landing in my lap than should have been and my hair stylist was reticent about allowing me to see the finished product in the mirror. I was never facing the mirror at all and by the end, my hair stylist barely whipped me around the mirror to see the final product. So weird. Plus, there was an over reliance of styling goo in my hair, which I hate. I said I hated hair spray and I left with hair that needed to be washed twice to get it out. I was also over burned by the scalding water in the sink. It was all in my face and ruined my make-​up. I had mascara running down my cheeks. I looked like a drowned rat or a raccoon. Another male hairdresser just laughed. My head was tossed about roughly like I was a rag doll. I’m not a rag doll. The abuse threw my neck out of whack, too. The chiropractor appointment alone was $ 100. I appreciate having to pay a chiropractor to realign my neck as an added bit of insult to injury! Beverly Hills prices for Bo Rics service. The girls at the reception desk are way too gossipy and have a poor attitude too. Better off with Grondins.

I don’t hate or love this place.
When I walked in on a Friday afternoon, the salon was clearly busy. This was my first time there and I wasn’t sure who I was supposed to check in with. None of the receptionists made eye contact with me and asked me if they could help. Finally I walked up myself and asked where I was to go. My stylist just happened to be standing by and heard my name, so she escorted me to her station.
The actual haircut experience was nothing special in my opinion. I cut off a substantial amount of hair because I wanted to donate it. After cutting off the initial ponytails, I was taken to the hair washing chairs. They were quite uncomfortable and I had to extend my neck pretty far back while my stylist washed my hair. I don’t feel like she did a very thorough job and used a lot of force to scrub. I also asked for a lot of layers to add some volume to my limp hair. She said she would do just that, but at the end of the cut I barely saw any layers and my hair still looks flat.
I also wasn’t aware that the salon simply houses individual hair stylists. This would have been nice to know seeing as I had researched the price on the Don Franco website prior to booking my appointment and was charged much more because each hair stylist charges their own amount. Luckily, my stylist was understanding and cut me break.
Overall, I’ve experienced better ambiance and skill set at other salons.

I have mixed emotions about Don Franco. The place is upscale (according to genesee county standards) and it is clean and well maintained. Everyone is friendly and acts pretty professionally.
My personal experience however could have and should have been a lot better… Especially for the amount that I paid. I had natural black Asian hair and some parts dyed with box dye and purple and blue manic panic. It looked like dark brown hair with some lighter balayage highlights and everything had sort of a greenish tint from the blue fading. I wanted to go for a very light brown to dark blonde. The plan was to bleach the blue dye right out and lighten my entire head, but it didn’t work. My whole head was orangey blonde and was grass green from the middle of the hair to the ends. My stylist thought that the olaplex in the bleach pushed the green into my hair cuticle. (She should have known this before trying it) Three more methods were used, by the suggestion of numerous other stylists, to strip out the green but nothing worked. So my hair unnecessarily went through ridiculous amounts of bleaching and processing because of one mistake after another. Then my stylist suggested that we just try to go for a darker brown than planned which I reluctantly agreed to but that ended up failing as well. The result was brown roots, blonde midshaft, and green ends. We started my hair around 5:30 pm and finished that night at 10 pm and I had to go back in at 9 the next morning and finally finished at 2:30. The final plan was supposed to be to neutralize the green with red to make a dark brown and then bleach the whole thing again to lighten everything. This worked best but there was still green in my hair. So my stylist wanted to go for a dark silver or a very ashy brown if the orange didn’t tone out enough. The end result was basically the same hair that I came in with except extremely damaged and with ugly blunt-​cut ends. The color is literally almost what I walked in with. Dark with a greenish tint… And I wanted dark blonde!
I can’t blame my stylist for the ridiculous green hair because all hair reacts differently, but the way she brushed my wet and damaged hair only increased the damage by ripping and breaking my hair. And charging me extra for products that would not have been used had she used the proper method for my hair was another downer.
She did spend 10 hours with me, but she was paid during that 10 hours while I feel like I just suffered… The shampoo bowls are much less comfortable than others I’ve used. Which isn’t bad when you’re sitting in there for 10 minutes but is brutal when you’re in it for hours and your scalp is burning and your stylist is busy with other clients…
I think I like Don Franco but I might try another stylist next time.

I have lived in Michigan for the past 7 years. I lived in California for about 20 years prior to coming back to Michigan. (raised here)
I have had a very difficult time trying to find someone to cut my hair the way I think it should be cut.
I think my search is over. I was given an appointment Kerry Crump. I told her what I wanted and showed a few photos of what I was looking for. She listened and was receptive to what I said. She nailed it! Then she broke out the straight razor and shaved around my neck and ears. I haven’t had that kind of service since leaving Cali. I thought there was a weird Michigan law against it.
I used mainly Barbers in the past. After moving back its been rough. In my experience, the Barbers I’ve hired in Michigan do flat tops, crew cuts, regular fades and trims. If you ask for anything edgy you get the blank stare. I was told once upon entering, we don’t do long hair! Well I was actually there to have it cut short. I’ve tried many stylist and they haven’t been skilled or consistent with clippers.
So if your a man in your 40s that’s picky about the way your hair is cut and don’t want to look like your in your 60s yet, try Don Franco’s and ask for Kerry.

I had the pleasure of seeing Martha Angelina yesterday at Don Franco Salon. I had called that day and asked when the soonest available appointment was for a full color and cut. I have very long thick hair, and usually pay $ 100-​$ 150 for the job done — I was pleasantly surprised for GREAT quality and a price of $ 120. She explained touch ups in the future will be $ 90. I came in with all sorts of highlights/​lowlights and was a bit worried that the balance would be there the first treatment trying to go back all dark. I explained I wanted a dark chocolate brown — not black or red and it turned out just how I hoped. She was very friendly, professional and I’m so happy I found a stylist this side of town! I would hands down recommend great experience. The cut is awesome as well!

This place is definitely not the Don Franco of years past.
The newest owners have let this place go downhill fast– and the place continues to slide. They are no doubt attempting to rest on the laurels of their old image. This salon in no way is reminiscent of the DF salon that earned its once-​sterling reputation under different ownership.
Save yourself the trouble and go somewhere else– anywhere else. Any complaints that you have will probably be disregarded. I would know that. Mine were. I was a loyal customer for years and threw business their way (particularly my stylist’s way) for a long time and once she started developing a poor attitude and lazy ways, I had finally had enough.
She constantly burned me with the hairdryer (I complained repeatedly, but she never listened), over-​cut the crown area of my hair to the point of no return and turned up late for scheduled hair appointments, which clearly caused her to rush in an effort to make up the time. Sorry, I didn’t appreciate my stylist trying to «make up time» on my hair! I had the same stylist for 11 years and followed her from salon to salon to salon to yet another salon, which is how I wound up going to Don Franco to begin with. In retrospect, that was probably a mistake, but I really liked her in the beginning and she did a great job on my hair until the last year and a half or so.
I went to Don Franco for about six years and while I never really liked the salon, itself, I was still loyal to my hairstylist (Rita) because when I first started going to her at a different location years earlier, she was great. Sadly, her work and attitude declined after she was with Don Franco. When I complained the last time about the botched color and over-​cutting and uneven trimming of my hair, I got nothing but flack.
I was told by Cari (the co-​owner) that because my hairstylist was an independent contractor that she wasn’t going to do anything about it (although initially she told me that the situation would be rectified to my complete satisfaction) and I told her flat-​out that I was done and hadn’t been very happy with some other things over the course of the previous year or so (I went into specifics) and she said that it wasn’t the salon’s issue. My hairstylist, herself, was very rude and cursed. Sadly, it cost quite a bit of money ($ 300) to have it fixed at another salon, where I’ve continued to get my hair cut/​highlighted to this day. And by the way, my husband was a loyal client as well, but the last several times he got his hair cut, it was uneven and he told her this, but she brushed him off.

I see Jenny and she is amazing. Very enthusiastic, friendly and does a wonderful job with my difficult hair. I’ve seen her several times over the past few years so I’ve gotten a variety of different styles and all of them have been great. I have moved an hour away from the area, tried another salon and have no idea what I was thinking, Don Franco is far superior and worth the hour drive!

Rita was able to take me back right away after just walking in! I was just visiting for work and really needed a haircut and conditioning treatment! She was so friendly and did a great job! I would recommend her to anyone! She’s also reasonably priced! Great Find!

No credit cards?
I just wish they would have nicer more professional stylists. Had my hair done here a while ago and there was a great misunderstanding on pricing as well as other issues so I had a bad experience that day. It’s true everyone has a bad day sometimes, even stylists. I’m not in the area much anymore so I won’t be back anyway and would never go back to that stylist.
And I hope they changed the way they do business and tell people on the phone no credit card and the actual price of service when inquiring. My stylist insisted on cash which I was not prepared for (I’m never prepared for cash we live in a cashless society). Plus, it was more than quoted on phone. I hate having to sneak to my trunk while everybody watches so I don’t bolt, and break open my secret ER piggy bank of real money which is coins, it was a lotta coins!

Wow. Finally found a chic, high end style salon that meets my spoiled-​by-​LA-​standards!!! Everyone here is talented and the place is fabulous. Could use some work on the receptionist employees, but I guess you can’t have talent in every seat of a business, right?
Forget who cut my hair but one of the things I look for most in a stylist is their self-​motivation, personal knowledge and skill as well as directiveness. When they talk like they know what they’re doing and really LISTEN to what you want (asking you as many questions about you, your lifestyle, your personal preferences, style, etc) and yet seem to have a sense of direction on where to take your cut — that’s when you got a winner. A stylist shouldn’t be questioning every move they make in the process or acting like a deer in headlights when you sit in their chair. These people know what they’re doing.
I’ll update as I go there a bit more. Their prices are in the $ 40 – 80 range for a cut which is pretty high in this area, but this place is legit.

Love, love, love Don Franco Salon! Carri is my stylist and she’s the best. Friendly, courteous and professional atmosphere. They are the best in Genesee county.