Curl Up and Dye Beauty Salon

Jerry is awesome. He's honest, funny, adorable, and gave me an awesome haircut.

I've been waffling on the idea of a pixie haircut for at least a year. Have had friends talk me into it, then out of it.. not sure if I can pull it off. I told Jerry he can be brutally honest.

Of course, he said he doesn't doubt his own ability to give me an awesome cut. But I just might not have the best reaction given my hair's been long for years and it's such an extreme change. I should also be aware that with my dark Asian hair, it might just look like a black helmet as the texture won't stand out as much.

He would still do a pixie, but I should consider those things. And in the meantime, he had another idea - how about an asymmetrical bob? I thought about it while he was deep-conditioning my hair (that + the cut were $29 thanks to my LIfebooker deal!) and decided to go for it.

I love the cut! And I love that Jerry doesn't necessarily push expensive products or extra salon services with me. He showed me the pomade he was using and told me straight up I didn't need to buy this expensive stuff - just find something at the drugstore with a similar texture. He also used sea salt texturizing spray - I asked what it does and LOVE his hiliarious description: "you know when you go to the beach, and your hair gets all messy from the wind an the salt spray, but you dont mind that it's messy because you just had an awesome time at the beach? That's what it does."

I mentioned I'd thought about dying a section inside my hair and he was totally for it, also suggesting me doing just the tip of my hair. He gave me pointers on how to do it at home - no push to get a dye job at the salon!

Here's the final product (I did the bleaching myself) - I've gotten so many compliments, it definitely stands out and is really different, which is exactly what I wanted.
http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/xHq2xYJSoy-LeQ5OmSbiKg?select=o_GDSaS5H66mHkaiyeYpHA#o_GDSaS5H66mHkaiyeYpHA

I also have to give Jerry props as I made him spend FOREVER on my bangs. They're really hard to cut right - I've only had one hairdresser who really knew what he was doing with them and that was years and years ago. I was being so picky, asking him to smooth out this little piece or make another section a little shorter and kept apologizing, but he was in no rush at all and just kept smiling and saying "hey, it's your hair, you have to wear it!". I seriously got no sense of impatience from him at all. Then when we were done, it turns out his next client had been waiting there for a half hour! I felt terrible but only of my own accord, Jerry made absolutely no mention of it.

I was optimistic about this place given the rave reviews but very sadly did not have the experience I was looking for. I was on the hunt for subtle well-blended warm balayage highlights to compliment my medium brown hair. I was under the impression that the colorist and I were in alignment but when I looked in the mirror when I got home, I was really disappointed.

One of the walls in the salon has been newly painted a red (the pics I see up show a gold wall, but it's changed since). A red wall coupled with poor lighting led me to think it was a job well-done. But honestly--you can't color hair if it's not illuminated properly.

Anyhow, the highlights looked extremely brassy and stripey. Given their high-contrast, the fact the highlights began 2 inches from my scalp made me look like I was in desperate need for a touch up appointment (even though I had just walked out the door).

I also think readers should note that I suffered a pretty intense chemical burn on my forehead and temples where the toner dripped down. A barrier wasn't applied to my hairline to prevent this. I know a lot of salons do put some conditioner or color protectant to avoid this from happening. Not here.

I really hate to leave such a poor review because the staff was incredibly fun to be around and the colorist I saw was very very sweet, but I felt the need to inform anyone else looking for the services I was after. Perhaps some more lights and a wall painted anything but red would do the trick.

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Quick update for you: I called the salon on the next business day (Monday) but they were closed so I left a voicemail. Later that day I managed to get a last minute appt at another local salon to repair the situation. It was important to me to get my hair in a state that I wasn't embarrassed of.

I got a call back today (Tuesday) and politely told her of my experience. I noted I was disappointed and hope to receive some portion of funds back, since I had already gotten my hair fixed. She immediately got incredibly defensive and quite frankly very rude. Zero consideration was had for my bad experience. I quote "She spent 4 hours on your hair on Saturday, and you're telling this to us now??" And I spent 4 hours and $170 dollars for something not up to my expectations. As a business owner, you should have the skill set to reason with your customers instead of patronize them. But this exchange doesn't surprise me when I look at the other poor reviews on this business. Looks like she goes after anyone that's critical of her shop.

I was prepared to leave a kind review warning of my experience, but now I also feel the need to note the inappropriate attitude of the owner. Seriously--some proper business etiquette would be appreciated.

I'm a relatively cautious Yelper who would never dream of rating a stylist after one visit: hair, like people, is unpredictable, and both take time to get to know.

Basically, I'm pretty picky, yet Ally fits all my criteria for sticking with a stylist: I need to trust him/her to do the right thing by me and my hair; to be creative; to listen; to be skilled with scissors and color; and to be honest and communicative. Ally's all that and then some; throw in the esthetic of the salon and her sense of fun and conversation, and that explains why she and CU and D are keepers!

I'm about to do a throwdown on those who NEED a basic lesson on 1, COMMUNICATION (yes, that may be a new word for some of you who spent ALL that time writing out AFTER getting your hair cut/dyed!) with a hairstylist and 2, being courteous to local businesses!

Here's the breakdown as I fell upon this kick ass salon....

I, too, came upon a lifebooker deal for two partial highlight deals with Kelly. I've been searching for a good match both aesthetically and personality along with the vibe in the salon for a good while now in the city. These two women are not simply there to do what they love but are down to earth, enjoy watching transformations and although I got that feeling, Kelly said it before I left the second time I got my hair dyed with her!

By the way, I want to mention I purchased a 2 partial highlight deal and the second time I came in, she transformed all of my hair, NO extra charge! ALSO, Kelly and I spoke on the phone for probably ten minutes about what I thought I'd like to do next with my hair (yes, she spent time with me before even meeting me!) and was SO sweet and patient.

Many of the reviews are exactly at the level to where they should be and what I've experienced. I feel as if I'd like to hang out with Kelly or Ally outside of getting my hair done there; they are the kind of people that I enjoy being around and feel comfortable with. However, I believe their professionalism is up to par with any larger salon but without the fakeness.

The reason Ally responded to those talking straight up TRASH about this two person salon is basic:

1. COMMUNICATE your concerns with the haircut/dye BEFORE you leave. Be honest and if you feel you need alterations, etc. TALK to them! Why would they be offended?! These chicks aren't the type to be instantly offended over that....I truly don't see that. What is more offensive is pretending you are happy then leaving and getting on YELP spending 15 minutes saying you were horribly disgusted by the job they did. THINK ABOUT IT! It's COMMON SENSE.

2. Local, small businesses deserve the credit where it's deserved! I must have gotten 20 plus complements on my recent hair dye by Kelly AND asked by serveral people where I got it done!

My venting is aimed towards those who truly deserved it. It's imperative to not bash people when they are giving you their all. Hair styling IS AN ART and very few are able to do it well. When you are going to get your hair done, you have to participate in the process, not simply sit back and be a bystander. If you want that, go to supercuts or great clips!

Oh, my Ally.

When I moved to San Francisco 3 years ago, I used Yelp to find someone to give me good hair. I found Ally, and have bee faithful to her ever since. Moxie Parlour is within tumbling distance from my house, and now I have to trek a bit further to see her but that just makes it more sweet.

She's brilliant -- I always get complements on my hair. She takes her time and she does it right. Meaning my haircuts always grow out gorgeously, perhaps to her own detriment, as I tend to end up going too long between haircuts and color.

I love love the new location -- adorable and fun, rock and roll and your best friend's living room, all in one.

And my Ally is not just my skilled practitioner of all things hair, she's also become one of my favorite people to spend a few hours with.

Ally probably won't marry me, but I'm so glad to have her as my personal stylist extraoridinaire.

And it's not like I want to make it that much tougher for me to get an appointment, but I may be doing a service to the world when I say, girl, you're the best.

PS: slotplay. The end.

Although I depend on yelp for all of my daily choices, I have only recently begun contributing my own ratings. That is to say that Ally is one of the first ladies I think deserves a whole 5 stars for her amazing skills for gals with curly hair!

My hair has visited her twice now, first for some layering and wow did I walk out of there feeling amazing! Despite the rain my thick long curly hair, maintained beautiful spirals all day! I actually didn't want to wash my hair because it looked so wonderful. Alas, when I did give it a good wash, the curls still held their own, the cut was absolutely fabulous!

My next visit was a very daring adventure. I went to get my foot and half long hair dreadlocked! And wow Ally wow'ed me yet again. She was a little skeptical on the phone of course, I told her I was caucasian with long curly hair, but I was sure my hair was 'dreadable.' and I assured her she would have no trouble since my massive amount of hair probably already had a few baby dreads. I arrived in her salon again and she said "yes, we can do this"

It was a very long process, understandably. She put in 97 long thin dreads into my hair! She took her time with each one and she made them look EXACTLY like I wanted! They were beautiful! I left the shop with a similar feeling to people who cut all their hair off, I'm sure, because the dreads seriously transformed my look and I was a little nervous about how the world was going to react. Luckily everyone loved them. I get compliments all the time. "Great dreads!" "They are so pretty!" "They aren't dirty at all!" (some of the comments are quite a riot) But they are all-in-all very respectable very clean long pretty dreadlocks and I only have Ally to thank for it! (and of course my maintenance crew i.e. my fiance, at home :)

Whether you're looking to style your luscious curls or if your daring to get them locked up, Ally is your girl! She's so cute and nice and funny and wonderful. I'm probably gonna see her soon for a touch up!

I really wish I could write a good review because I absolutely adored Ally. She's incredibly personable. The kind of person you'd love to kick back and watch a William Castle movie with. The salon is small but cute and the eclectic music was fun. But oh my hair...

I was surprised that she waited until she had my hair blown out straight(or as straight as it can be) to cut in my bangs. They looked cute the way she styled them, but after I left the humidity started to make my hair curl. It looked like it was pretty bad and I couldn't stand not knowing for sure, so today I washed it. Total train-wreck. My bangs are so short that it is going to take months for them to grow out and look decent. Curls sticking off the top of my head in about twenty different directions. I'm so disappointed because I thought I'd done all my research to find someone who would understand my curly hair and on my tight budget I had really splurged. This is the closest I've ever come to crying over my hair.

I work in the same building as Curl Up and Dye and have cross promoted and I'm also a devoted client. Ally is very talented and super professional and is consistently well booked.

The other day I was outside her salon, the door was open and I witnessed a pregnant woman being quite abusive towards Ally. The woman was late for her appointment, unapologetic, was cursing and screaming at Ally in front of her staff and other clients. She made demands and threats to slander, which she did.

Ally had calmly and professionally explained that because the woman was so late that she would need to reschedule so that Ally can accommodate her other booked clients on time.

In our industry, we do our best to accommodate clients and their needs, but sometimes circumstances prevent that. If you have any doubt about Ally and her salon, all you need to do is call her or stop by to know how great she is. Come down and see it for yourself!

i got married last week in san francisco but live down here in long beach...and boy was i naive about the wedding hair process. months ago i started looking around yelp for wedding hair reviews and the results ranged from frustrating to ridiculous. some gals won't even call you back period. some won't work on less than a group of five. some require a huge advance before the big day, and out of all of these some? none of them ever once asked about my hair, what i had in mind...nada.

i was sick of getting blown off by high end salons with their pissy little attitudes. how can a bride enjoy herself around such histrionics? so several weeks into my search, i decided to change strategies completely and move far far away from any salon review that had even one mention of bitchy receptionist or looked like the stereotypical high end bland tea bag joint cloaked in shades of yoga beige.

i saw the poster of bride of frankenstein with "curl up n dye" and said eff it...called...got jerry.

that's when the cold chicago morning turned into sunshine. jerry was personable, happy for my big day, asked lots of questions up front, and then i told him i was in long beach. he politely insisted on a consultation so we wouldn't be going in blind day of, but he was willing to book it the day before the wedding so i wouldn't have to come up to san francisco twice.

my maid of honor and i walked in and instantly clicked with him and his cohort, ally. we had a blast. couple hours of playing with hair...he nailed it on the first go, he was funny, charming, made me feel totally relaxed and in great hands. the next morning he came down to our hotel, we snacked on yummy pastry items from stella bakery next door, listened to some great music (c'mon, who has q-lazzarus on their iphone, really? goodbye horses? rad!!), and we just had a great ol time.

we were going for the child princess in the never ending story look and damnit all if it wasn't just lovely. :)

thanks jerry, so much...you made my whole wedding week so fun, right in line with all the other things i didn't want to stress about...you and the city took awfully good care of me. thanks!

jerry knows what he's doing, has the most pleasant demeanor, and is a great guy to spend time with. oh and those crazy prices i was prepared to spend at the high end up yer arse shops? jerry's consult and day of event TOGETHER were less than what the other shops would charge for color only.

word.

My review is below this message I got from the owner. Sheesh!


ally k. has sent you a message on Yelp:

your review

"wow. i think you could have expressed some of the plain nasty things you said about me and my business to my face i think. we did spend an hour together. i'm sorry you were so displeased with me as a stylist and a person. i wish that people like you would realize how much your cowardly reviews hurt business owners feelings and their business. i'm not some huge corporation. if you were unhappy with your cut, i would have given you your $ back. if you would have told me. guess writing a mean review is worth 70$ to you."



I wish I had fallen in love. Nice girl, she quite likes talking - about herself.

I'm very clear - no sticky gooey product, please. She cut my curly hair, and then combed it out the curl which was beginning to form. I told her to stop that she was combing out the curl . . . .she said "Oh, it will be very curly when I'm done."

She put some goop in, started twisting it, and added more goop, then more goop again. I looked like helmet head with these strange manufactured curls. As I knew would happen by the time I got to my next stop they gooey curl was clinging to my head, but drooping. I looked dreadful. Raced home, washed it out to find a mediocre cut which took 3 months to grow out.