Mama Africa Hair Braiding

Just walked out of my appointment! Fatu (sp?) was very sweet, very talented, and very reasonable in price! She did an awesome job — I wanted corn rows just on the front half of my head. She offered me braid sizes and I told her about how my friend in college used to do them for me. She was friendly but not the kind of hair stylist who has to generate conversation the whole time. I appreciated that we just spoke when something occurred to one of us to talk about — no pressure. :) Also, being a white person walking into a black hair salon — the absolute maximum use of white privilege — I was a little worried she might be like «aggh, another hippie white girl» hahaha but no, she was not like that at all :) and, yes, I was totally getting these braids for the burning man NYE party I’m going to tonight. :p
They are beautiful!

This shop has culture sassyness and vibes that will have you smiling all day I got my hair done when it was so short and I managed to still convince a wonder crew of ladies YES it did absolutely need a crew considering I had! Much Love and Respect to the way business is conducted I even was able to get in with a call and walk in Definitely plan on showing up ASAP I wish I had the picture still of my hair definitely will post the next time!

I called twice and left voicemails inquiring about Ariane’s services and never got a response. I even asked her to call me to let me know if she couldn’t do the braids for me. Disappointed

I have never been here but I had to give this lady a 5 star because that bitch Heather below that left a comment is the most trifflin bitch I have ever heard troll on the Internet. It’s why I hate (certain) white people who do not understand white privilege. And you’re giving shit to a (likely single) mother trying to help you braid your hair for your «soul camp?»

I love Ariane she is simple THE BEST!!! I been braiding my hair with her for more than 5 years and I don’t trust anybody else her job is FANTASTIC, she is super fast my hair is long and abundant and she braids my hair very fast all the time in 4 hour max. and the price very reasonable. Highly recommend

Ariane braided my hair for Burning Man. I have enjoyed the braids so much I decided to keep them longer. I have received so many compliments. It’s been really fun and carefree to have them for a while.
I was referred by a woman I had seen on on Haight street with the braids when I asked her where she had had hers done. I went to the salon where Ariane has a chair, and she said that she would be able to take me right away. I wanted to go to a yarn store beforehand, (I went to ImagKnit on 18^th, which was AWESOME) and Ariane was flexible about moving our appointment until later that day.
Given our schedules, we decided to meet at her house. If you go to her house, you may spend some quality time with her adorable and energetic young children.
The appointment was long (6:30−11pm), which was a little longer than I was expecting. She had to step out for about an hour during our appointment, so overall braiding time was shorter about 3.5 hours.
Strengths: Understanding and flexibility. It was my first time getting braids and I had what felt like tons of really naïve questions. She answered all of them really well in person, and later, when new questions popped up, she quickly answered my questions over text message. Before getting my hair braided, she gave me advice about what yarn to get and since having the braids put in, she has given me advice about how to care for the braids.
While I was getting the braids, I didn’t exactly know how I wanted to have the yarn woven in, and changed my mind a few times throughout the process. Ariane was understanding, and like any good hairdresser, helped manage my expectations about getting used to such a dramatic change in «my look.»
Overall, I would recommend Ariane for someone who is interested in getting their hair braided with wool yarn.

Arianne did a fantastic job on my braids, but I am only giving her two stars because of her complete lack of professionalism.
The braids: I went to Arianne for single braids with corkscrew ends. The price was very reasonable at $ 150 + the cost of hair. She also braided very quickly, finishing in under 4.5 hours. My braids look great and I’ve gotten a ton of compliments on them in the two days since Arianne did my hair.
The service: My appointment was scheduled for a Tuesday morning at 10:30am. I arrived at the salon around 10:25 and it looked empty, so I gave Arianne a call to make sure that the appointment was still on. She told me that she was running late and would be there «very soon» in 20 – 25 minutes. With nothing else to do, I decided to walk around the Mission for a bit.
I went back to the salon around 10:40 and the owners invited me to wait for Arianne inside. After another 20 minutes of waiting (11:00 by then) Arianne still hadn’t arrived. I called her again, and she told me that she was just down the street and only needed to find parking. Apparently that took half an hour because Arianne didn’t arrive at the shop until 11:30, a full hour after my scheduled appointment time.
Arianne made poor excuses for being so late, blaming it on coming from the East Bay, traffic, and having to stop at a store to buy hair for my braids. None of those excuses justify arriving an hour late because she should have planned around the distance, the traffic, and stopping to purchase hair.
Even more frustrating is the fact that Arianne’s never called to tell me that she would be late. I shouldn’t have to call her to confirm the appointment and then call again to ask how late she’s going to be. Arianne’s failure to contact me at any point suggests that she does not respect her clients’ time. That’s unacceptable in a service profession.

I am so disappointed with this lady’s lack of professionalism. I made an appointment two weeks ago to have my hair braided before me and my boyfriend go to «Soul Camp» a camping music festival in Belden Town, CA. When I first called I wasn’t sure if I had the right phone number. She answered, «Hello?». I could hear a small child screaming in the background on the other end of the call. It also sounded like she may have been driving. I had a very bad feeling about this. I called a week prior to confirm the address and make sure we were still on. I got no call back. I called back in another week, this time the day before my appointment (a Thursday during business hours) again no answer. At this point I was really getting worried. My appointment was on Friday and we were leaving Saturday morning bright and early. I called La Mystique Salon and they were so nice. They were going to get me in Friday morning, even though they were very busy because of many girls wanting to get their hair done for Burning Man. Then the lady from Mama Africa finally returned my call late that night. I explained to La Mystique the situation and kept my 1:00pm with Mama Africa (or so I thought). Here’s the real kicker! The day of my appointment, actually less than one hour prior, as I was getting ready to head out the door, I’m notified that Mama Africa Hair Braiding is having trouble finding child care and can I come to her home in Visitation Valley? Say what!!! This is so unprofessional! I live in San Francisco and don’t have a car. I have to pack for a camping trip and get groceries before we leave. Does this lady really think I have time to travel all day to get my hair braided?! I let her know that I didn’t feel comfortable going to Visitation Valley. I don’t care if she braids the best braids in the world. I’m not going that far to some lady’s house that I’ve never met in a shady neighborhood! Luckily I talked to Aitou at La Mystique. She told me to come in in at six and she would personally take care of me. La Mystique to the rescue! I would not recommend this women, unless you feel like driving to Visitation Valley and probably hear a screaming child the whole time your hair is being braided. On the bright side, she may comp your cab ride or give you a ride back to SF, if you need. She doesn’t seem like a bad person, just very flakey, unreliable, and unprofessional.

Ariane is fantastic. She braided my hair for Burning Man and gave me microbraids to the middle of my back. She also can do twists, corn rows, curls, extensions, you name it. I saw a lot of people with braids at Burning Man, but none were quite as nice as mine. People kept walking up to me and asking where I had it done, and giving me compliments. Her prices are also half of what some salons ask and she has great attention to detail. I’ll definitely be back again!