Eclips Salon Ashburn — Attraction in Brambleton

I don't like to write negative reviews but it's important for others to understand the nuances of this salon. I have been a client for almost two years and originally chose this salon specifically because of their stylists "expertise" with color. On the website you will see they have certain "levels" so I chose one of the highest because I have struggled with getting my hair the right kind of blonde for my needs (I have a lot of gray coming in which needs to be managed properly with the right shade of blonde - aka "ash" - the whiter side of the spectrum).

I came prepared from the beginning with pictures and clear direction of what I wanted and the first 2-3 times I came to the stylist she never put in enough highlights and I always left feeling "dull" and my hair would turn yellow no matter how much purple shampoo I used. I kept coming back because I liked her personality and each time it was a" little" lighter so I thought we'd eventually get there...

Then I had to use a different stylist due to my first one being out on leave. That one did not listen to my issues with gray and suggested I go with a "shadow root" which was a disaster after a couple weeks when my gray came in! She never should've suggested that - she was just moving fast and going on auto-pilot.

However, this is when I learned the MOST IMPORTANT INFORMATION I want to share with you:

The Stylist "LEVEL OF EXPERTISE" is not because of their TRAINING it is because of their SALES VOLUME (I was surprised she shared this with me, but she did). This explains a LOT.

To end the story, I did go back to the original stylist a couple more times (I guess I'm a hopeless optimist) until the last time when she allowed her ASSISTANT to decide if my highlights were cooked enough and they were NOT. I could tell as they looked at me at the washing station that there was something wrong, but they tried to brush it off.

I FINALLY decided I'd had enough and after lamenting to my friend she recommend I go to The Four Seasons Salon in Georgetown (called "The George"). My new stylist took one look at me, understood the problem was all the low lights they were constantly putting into my hair (which is what turns YELLOW over time because the color fades).

He highlighted my hair the ASH COLOR I WANTED, did NO low lights and is working WITH my gray instead of trying to combat it. He was a true color expert who immediately assessed the issue and resolved it.

And drumroll please....it cost $200 LESS than going to ASHBURN! It makes me sick to my stomach thinking about how much I've overpaid for my hair over these past two years and you have NO IDEA how much product they sold me! Every time I went there, it was like "Oh, you bought the Kerastse purple shampoo? Hmmm....Redkin is much better..."

I never even considered going to a "high end" salon in DC (and yet I was paying more the whole time). Go figure. Also, DC is the same distance I was driving to go out to Ashburn for this "Level 6" service.

The hard part about writing this review is I like the people themselves and I know they are doing their best. It's just that their level of COLOR "expertise" is greatly lacking and the audacity for this salon to charge the prices they do (and pass off the LEVELS as EXPERTISE is simply criminal). Now that I look at it all through clearer eyes, I see how YOUNG their staff is which is a complete disconnect from how much they charge and the whole "level" nonsense.

Another red flag is the number of BAD REVIEWS when you dig into them (especially recent ones). Also notable that the salon stopped replying to the negative ones and only respond to the positive now. I'd be very aware if you are considering this salon based on all these recent bad experiences by inexperienced and super-young staff.

Thanks for listening and good luck with your hair needs (it's a jungle...

I have enjoyed my time at this salon each time I have come. The front desk staff are some of the sweetest girls, and I don’t think I have met one staff member who is not smiling and very kind. Wonderful atmosphere!

I booked an appointment yesterday with MJ because I saw reviews of her coloring and cutting being great. I just had my first baby 2.5 weeks ago, and I have been waiting for over 9 months to get my hair done, and coming here was my first outing. Being a new mom, my biggest goal was an easier hairstyle. I came prepared with Inspo photos, and planned to cut it fairly short and get some highlights put in. When I was in my consultation, I showed MJ the photo of what I wanted, and explained I was a new momma wanting a shorter cut and some highlights. She saw my photo I liked and said that was more of a balayage look and she felt that would be much easier maintenance. She warned me right there of the price difference of doing a balayage compared to highlights, so I knew it would be an expensive right off the bat. I agreed, and spent quite awhile between coloring and sitting at the wash station. She had double booked another client that she assured me requested her and would not see anyone else and said she would be able to do both. I genuinely was happy because I know many hair stylists would not have done a balayage for me unless I was scheduled for it so I tried to be understanding and used the extra time waiting for her to relax. After quite some time she finished her other client and was able to get me all finished up. She had another client coming in by this point and it was fairly obvious she was in a bit of a rush, having an intern help her blow dry my hair quickly. I was so excited to chop off my hair for that shorter easier hairstyle I came in for, only for her to tell me if she cut it that short it would ruin her beautiful coloring. I ended up only getting maybe an inch off, and I did not feel that much different when I walked out. When I expressed I wanted it much shorter, she told me I shouldn’t, and I understand why, but that was the main reason I came. Although she did spend a lot of time foiling my hair, I don’t understand why she would do it in such a way that the haircut I showed her would not work. I am a people pleaser, and not confrontational at all, and the coloring did look beautiful so I walked out with a smile. I definitely feel a bit disappointed because the shorter hair I came in to get ended in a $350 total and the length was not really different, as well as the color looks neater than before but it’s not noticeably different, and I fear it will end up in a ponytail most of the time, which is the main reason I wanted to go short. I may wait a bit...

I have mixed feelings about this review. It might be a little long, but please read the whole thing. I get my hair bleached, colored, & cut once a year for my B-Day. I went to a stylist last year & she used Pulp Riot. It was pretty, but I like the bolder look. I tried to book an apt with her however she didn’t have any before my trip. My initial consultation lasted 2 hours. She went over in detail abt my hair & what I should use before I got my hair done. I felt comfortable, so I decided to book the apt. I bought the hair repair product that she recommended to use before I come back in. I did bring my own dye colors which I would have preferred to use, however she told me she could get those same bold colors with the pulp riot. She showed me the swatch before I agreed to apply the colors. It was a magenta that faded into a pretty turquoise color. The 1 thing that really bothered me is that she never even dried my hair before I went home. I had to finish drying it myself. I ALSO spent more $$$$$ on several products to maintain my hair color. I spent $$$$ on the color itself and a huge tip. Fast forward to a month later. My hair had faded a lot. I only washed it 4 times, & I use very cold water. I also used all the hair care products that she told me to use. I went back to talk to the manager. I spent way too much money in that salon for my hair to fade that fast. Reluctantly she told me that she would redo it at no charge this one time only. When I arrived she was looking at my hair & she made sure that the manager was standing there. She kept on saying “didn’t I tell you that your hair was damaged. “Didn’t I tell you that I could not get your hair to lift so I could not put the bright colors on.” “Didn’t I tell you that the other lady who did your hair last time could not give you bright colors cause she could not lift your hair.” DON’T LIE IN FRONT OF YOUR MANAGER TO MAKE YOURSELF LOOK GOOD & MAKE ME LOOK LIKE AN IDIOT. She said I will make the colors a little darker for you this time. I was thinking it would be the same pretty turquoise color just darker. I was also told that she was not going to dry my hair because that was not included in the service and that I would have to pay extra. It wasn’t until I got home and dried my hair that I noticed that my hair was BLUE & NOT that pretty turquoise color which I had done in the 1st place.  How are you going to tell me that you could not get those bold colors in my hair because it wouldn’t lift but yet when I got home my hair is BLUE, which is pretty dark, The last 2 pic where from last years color.  Here are the before/ midde/...