Fringe Salon

I never know what to do with my hair. Even if I did know, I just cannot be bothered to do it. Most days, I have so much on my mind and the last thing I want to do is fuss with hair or makeup or clothes. I have, on occasion, left the house with bedroom slippers on because I was so distracted. Yep, I am vanity's most disappointing daughter. The one she never introduces to guests.

My hair is normally tied up in a messy bun, so I won't have to think about it. I didn't think about it for quite a while so it was beginning to resemble a dead animal. I saw Fringe's Yelp deal a while back and bookmarked it, then promptly forgot about it again. The time came where I could no longer be in denial about the state of my locks, so I dug out the bookmark, got the deal (had it gifted to me since Yelp doesn't take international credit cards yet), and called to make an appointment. I called at 11am and they said they could fit me in for 1:30pm of the same day. I loved them already.

My stylist, Jackie, was a sweetheart. She gave me a cut and treatment that not only gave my hair new shine, it also brought out the color I was growing out and made it come alive again. She was really great about explaining everything that she was doing to my hair and answering all my hair noob questions. She even gave me tips on how to style it with minimal effort and told me that I could go back and have my bangs trimmed at no charge. Overall, a great deal and a great experience.

I've gone here twice and both times left me feeling dissatisfied. I do NOT recommend this place if you hope to get a haircut properly styled to your hair texture and face shape.

The first time I had my hair cut by Karen. I got a pretty standard hairstyle: short, chin-length bob with bangs. The cut itself was ok. The biggest issue was that she did not cut my hair for my hair texture nor face shape. It's like she just took a textbook haircut and assumed that it applies to all people. The bangs did not flatter my face which I let slide because they're easy to grow out and fix. BUT I did not notice how blunt my hair was until I washed it the next day. It was so heavy and thick along the bottom that I had triangle hair. Bad.

The second time I had Channa, the owner. Again, something pretty standard: an angled bob. Well either she was having a bad day or was ready to leave that day because my resulting cut had no angle whatsoever. She actually started cutting my hair wet, then 1/3 of the way through she says she wants to cut it dry. Okay, sure, don't really care how you do it, just cut it right. She then proceeds to spend 20-30min drying my hair and then 5min thinning out some areas around the bottom. Then she said she was done. So wait, did you actually cut anything? She also used a big barrel brush to add a huge curl to the bottom of my hair. It looked pretty ugly. I commented that I wanted more of an angle. Her response: "You'll get used to it!" I just paid and left because I couldn't handle the terrible service anymore.

They are great at giving hair cuts but I would NOT call them hair stylists.

I don't know anything about hair, only general things that work for me. I had wanted to dye/bleach my hair for a while and finally decided to do it after seeing my coworker get a really cool haircut.

I sent some emails to Barbie to make an appointment the next day with Jenny.

I had some concerns due to my sensitive skin but Jenny took care of me. Nothing irritated my scalp and the bleach lifted up a lot of color! I now have a nice neutral blond section of hair I can play around with temporary colors.

Thanks Jenny! :)

ShhhhhhhH!!

Don't tell my regular stylist in LA... but when I'm in San Francisco, I can't help but slip into Fringe for a Blow-out from Desiree!

It feels dirty, like getting some secret side booty that your regular squeeze knows nothing about, but clearly it's not a big deal. I figure, I'm out of my area code, right??

Right. And as long as my regular girl does my color, I don't think she can get mad about a little side blow-dry action...

So I love going to see Desiree because she's super friendly, and the salon is a fun place to be. She does a great job of getting my hair BIG big BIG, which I love.

Right now, I have extensions in, and it's a pretty rare thing that my hair is EVER completely dry or completely styled, mostly because it takes forever and my arms get tired, but Desiree took it all in stride and got it done in half my usual time.

Normally I fire my stylist after 1 year because they can't keep up with me. I've been with Chana now for 3 years. She's the only stylist I've had who can keep up with the trends and make my hair cutting edge and fabulous.

First let me address the bad reviews. I don't understand why some people find the conversations about boyfriends, etc. unprofessional. Don't you want to feel like your stylist understands you? After I recently ended a 1 year relationship I decided to go for a dramatic new look. Chana knows me so well that she said "Usually I don't want someone to do something dramatic with their hair right after a break-up, but I know how adventurous you are...so okay."

I guess if you don't want that kind of relationship with your stylist - someone who knows the intricacies of your hair but also knows the intricacies of your personality - then maybe Fringe isn't for you. Or, if you've had the same style since you were in high school or you're humiliated when your stylist says "maybe this cut isn't right for you," then maybe Fringe isn't for you.

I get compliments on my hair at least once a week. No joke. I'm so sorry Kat M that you had a bad experience. I guess there will always be those situations when the stars just aren't aligned.

Ultimately, I would say if you're modern & adventurous and love a fun environment, please try Fringe. No, I won't accept gratuities for the recommendation, but I accept brownies, cookies, etc.

This is how I found Fringe: I was in a ridiculously long line at UPS, and the only bright thing in the place was a woman in pigtails with the top half of her hair dyed black and the bottom half dyed fuschia. I asked her if she went to a salon, because it can be hard to find a place that has a decent selection of totally unnatural colors - I often end up doing it myself. I looked up Fringe on Yelp (of course!), read glowing reviews, and made my first appointment with Jen.

Understand, I'm an administrative assistant for the moment, at a City department, so gone daddy gone are the days of dykey mohawks, shaving racing stripes into the sides of my head, or dying the whole shebang pink, red, and orange. But before I start teaching the wee kiddies next year, I have to get my color kicks out. Fringe has a great selection of Special Effects brand colors (brilliant, long-lasting, neon rainbows), and with the caveat that I needed to not terrify the many middle-aged asian women I work with or distract funders at meetings, I let Jen loose with some gorgeous purples. She gave me a great look and an awesome haircut.
I went back last weekend for a new cut and color, and she did right by me again. I love it. Plus she gives free color touch-ups and bang trims between visits. I can't afford it, but I keep going back.

I've had long hair for years but maybe I was hormonal, maybe I was bitter, the other day, walking down Hayes Street, I was suddenly overcome by an unstoppable desire to cut my hair off.

Yes, cut it off. Cut it all off.

I noticed the sign for Fringe and thought, 'ah, cute. Maybe they will have time for a walk-in?'

I walked in and was immediately greeted by a stylist who was coloring the hair of an older woman...roots touch up and all, who asked if I had an appointment with Emily. Nope. No. Nah.

But I was wondering if you could fit me in....

It turned out I was talking to the owner. "Sure," she said. "Once Rosemary has to process, I can cut your hair."

And cut she did. I asked for a blunt bob with a wedge, and she got very close to giving me that look I both loved and hated in the 80s. I was happy...and it looked good. I wanted it a little shorter - I'll have to have it redone in Chicago - but I appreciated her flexibility and friendliness.

$65 for the cut. I was a happy customer.

The place was clean, my hair stylist, Janine, was on time, and there was great music. She even fit me in on one day's notice, with a reasonable price ($55) for a cut.

That said, I wasn't pleased with the actual thing I went there for, which was my haircut.

It's been a long time since I've had my hair cut, I've been growing it out for 10 months, but I really wanted someone to shape my hair and make it look good while I was growing it out, as opposed to the bush-sleeping bum look that I was currently rocking.

I asked Janine not to take off any length, she said she'd take off an inch to get rid of damage and I was okay with that. I saw a lot coming off but I trusted her judgment--that is until I saw that about 3 inches (at least) were gone.

I didn't want too much taken off because my hair at this length is always always awkward. This time is no different. the top layers curl in, while the bottom layers go out and my head looks like a mushroom.

I see my summer as a vision of ponytails and sun hats. sigh.

Chana, the owner, was phenomenal. No wonder she has been in business for over 11 years. The cut is exactly what I wanted and the color is the best that I have had. And I very much enjoyed the conversation. Usually I am someone who doesn't want to feel pressured to talk too much when I see a stylish but Chana is very fun and hospitable.

I called on a Monday to see if she could see me the same day and she was able to accommodate me for a 3:30pm appointment. I had to wait a little bit for another person she was working on at the same time but it was understandable being that I came same day.

For the price, I highly think it was worth it! I will go back.

This is a review for Jaretta, I've been seeing her at Madusalon and am looking forward to visiting her now at Fringe.

I was referred to Jaretta last year by my GFs who know I've been having a hard time finding a stylist.

Many of you know the story, a seemingly endless string of $60+ stylists who give you an okay cut, but things go downhill from there, so you move onto the next. Then you get fed up and start getting $25 cuts and sure, you don't look the way you want, but at least you have the $$ to go drown your sorrows.

Anyway, *finally* I give in to their insisting and go see Jaretta. She is fun, and I feel like she 'gets' what I'm trying to do with my hair - plus she is good at working in her own ideas so you end up looking cuter than you thought! And the girl works fast, so you're not wasting all day in the salon.

I recently had some professional portraits done and Jaretta made me look like a star!