Axis Hair Salon — Attraction in Vancouver

I was a first-time client who received a trim with Xandria back in February. I wanted to try the salon out because the trims were more affordable and the location easier to get to for me than another salon I went to even though I liked that place a lot. The cut was somewhat okay, but I had some concerns.

I have fine, dense afro-textured hair. I got a trim 3 months prior at another salon and my hair felt great. 3 months go by and my hair still felt good and I could feel where the last stylist had cut. In terms of damage, I assumed about 1/4 to 1/2 an inch that'd need to be trimmed off, since I don't do much with my hair except twists and twist-outs and I don't use heat. I did however, want to even my layers out more. When I went in with my hair blown out for the trim, I was told my hair was fine and dense as I figured, strong and elastic, with virtually no split ends and no significant breakage. All good things. But then I was told that I had lots of thinning at my ends, that they were see-through, and that I needed to use some type of strengthening product every wash-day. I already did use a hair masque with protein often, and if my hair was strong and elastic, all things that having good levels of protein and moisture give, I was confused as to why I needed it. And if I don't use heat often, I don't get much breakage, and my hair is already strong and elastic, then where is this thinning coming from?

I got I'd say 1 1/2 inch maybe 2 cut from the back and I noticed less was cut from the front even though the thinning was apparently consistent throughout my hair. Let's circle back to the layers bit. I did mention I wanted to reduce my layers. I can understand the cut if the goal was to even out the layers. But I was still stumped about this see-through ends bit, when it had barely been 3 months since I got a good amount trimmed off and again, no significant breakage and virtually no split ends. This is where I think there may have been a bit of misunderstanding in terms of how fine, dense, untreated, afro-textured hair looks like and operates. If there was no breakage and no splits, then the thinning is the natural tapering of the hair given that the back of the hair is obviously going to hit further down than the back.

I decided to give the product recommendation a try. I tried a shampoo like she said and didn't like how brittle it made my hair feel. I tried calling the location to be reminded of her product suggestions again, was told they'd get back to me, only to be told that the salon doesn't braid hair with extensions. Thanks. Not what I asked. And then no one ever got back to me with an answer. I tried another strengthening product which felt better at first than the shampoo for about 5 times, but now I have never seen so many splits in my hair and little wispy bits breaking off. And it also seems like there wasn't enough analysis done at the front to examine my damage. The front of my hair tapers significantly compared to the back that's more full. The front feels like it has more damage at the ends, so I might have to cut the hair back to the layers it was at before seeing Xandria all over again. As someone who's trying to grow their hair back to their waist but fuller than last time, not only did this cut set me back, but now the product recommendation too. When my hair was perfectly healthy before.

If you have afro-textured hair and actually want to grow it out, I, cannot recommend. Go to someone with a track record of clients with healthy, long,...

UPDATE (5/19/25): Axis reached out the day after I posted the review below. They refunded the cost of the cut and offered a complimentary adjustment with a senior stylist. While my hair is still shorter than I wanted (we can't reattach it!), the overall shape and volume are much improved. Based on our conversations, I think Bernice will know what to do to help me grow out a longer cut.

Credit to Axis for making things right, even though it was initially difficult to get in touch. TL;DR: Stylist was lovely, but the cut didn’t suit fine hair, I was charged more than expected (both visits), and I received no response to four polite follow-ups. Disappointing lack of professionalism and communication.

I had my second appointment at Axis on April 30, following a cut and highlights in January that I was very happy with. Both appointments were based on a photo of a previous style I’m trying to grow back into, so I know the look is achievable. To be clear: the stylist was warm, professional, and easy to talk to — I felt at ease both times, and I genuinely appreciated her approach.

This time, I booked a cut from the “beauty on a budget” menu and, as instructed, arrived with clean, dry hair, which she cut directly. The hair felt lighter afterward, but looked noticeably flat. At first, I assumed that was simply due to the dry cut. But after styling it myself over the next few days, I realized the issue was structural. For fine hair like mine, top layers should be longer to provide coverage and volume. Instead, the top was cut very short, with longer layers underneath — the opposite of what works. The result left bulk at the crown that should have been removed and cost me the length I had been carefully growing out.

I sent polite, constructive feedback afterward — not demanding a fix, just hoping for a conversation. Over the course of a week, I tried four times to reach out (via two email addresses — both bounced — the salon’s contact form, and Facebook Messenger). I received no reply. This silence was especially disappointing given that the stylist had said during my first visit that she values honest feedback as a way to improve.

Additionally, I was charged more than the amount quoted in my appointment confirmation — both times. I paid without comment, feeling caught off guard, but it’s sat poorly with me, particularly after reading that other reviewers had similar experiences.

At this point, I’m disappointed not only in the result of the haircut, but in the lack of acknowledgment from the salon despite multiple efforts to engage constructively. I can’t imagine all of their communication channels are down. I also don’t know if the stylist ever received my message — but after four attempts, I’ve spent more than enough time trying. Unfortunately, I’m left with a sense of poor follow-through, lack of transparency around pricing, and unprofessional communication. I won’t...

The absolute worst salon experience I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t usually leave reviews, but after the way I was spoken to by the staff at this salon, I felt the need to warn others. I came in with blonde hair wanting to go my natural brunette color and get weft extensions. I was color matched a lighter color of extension than I wanted, but ensured I would get the result I was looking for so I trusted my stylist, Brooke. A couple months after my appointment, the extensions had faded MUCH more than my natural hair, leaving me with an awful brown/ blonde mix that does not blend and is noticed by others. Something that would have been avoided if I was matched a darker extension color. After spending ~$1400 for this service, I was very dissatisfied so I went in for another consultation to try to find a solution to get me back to the result I had come for, a no maintenance brunette. In doing so, I was argued with, spoken down to, told it was my fault that I was matched that color of extension; and no solution was offered. I was then told by my stylist Brooke she would speak to her manager and get back to me, and she walked away and had someone else deal with it and never spoke to me again. When I did hear back, from another staff member, not my stylist, I was very rudely told the manager was not going to offer me a refund, which was extremely confusing as I never once asked for any money back from the service, but simply was looking for a solution to get the result I had paid $1400 for. I’ve attached a photo that clearly shows my extensions are a much lighter color than my hair. In addition; the extensions were installed in a very outdated method that was uncomfortable and stuck out. I had to have another stylist from a different salon take them out and reinstall. Lessons learned: just because a stylist can post on tiktok and the result right after looks good, doesn’t mean she cares about longevity, client satisfaction, or feedback to make her “new method” better. I’m honestly giving this poor review more so for the awful treatment from staff than the mistake of my hair, which could have been acknowledged and fixed by the salon. I do not at all recommend this...