Bella Afro Hair Braiding — Attraction in East Orange

I went to this braid shop to get simple box braids. I showed a picture of what I wanted. The first back row had to be redone twice as the horizontal part was not straight, and that row, individual braid sections were to big. We were able to overcome this, and the hair style came out similar to expected. I was told at the end when heating the hair with hot water to make the ends wavy that the exact style could not be matched as my hair was too long. Issue, I should have been told that from the beginning when I showed the picture and my hair. The price was reasonable.

But, the kicker is they have no handheld mirrors for clients to see the back of their head. I have never, ever, in my entire existence went to a braiding shop, or any beauty salon for that matter that had no handheld mirrors. I sent a text to the owner and she said the mirrors broke, and that the braider can take a picture with a phone. I have the text to prove this.

Also, please understand the world is diverse. The French they spoke appeared to me to be mixed with about 70% Creole, as I was able to somewhat understand what they were saying about me. I was called the American, and they said I didn't understand what they were saying. Lol. In French my braider was explaining to the owner that she was having issues with the part due to the Jam I had her use. I had to let her know that if the Jam was an issue just to let me know, as it's more important for me to have my part straight than worry about which jel is used.

I try to give an honest and full opinion. All in all, I got a good hair style. But, I had to keep speaking up to get it there, which frustrated my braider.

I was a new customer. Unfortunately, I will not be returning. However, I wish the...

I saw this place on instagram from a customers review so I went and showed them a pic of the style they did. As the braider is braiding I notice she’s going up further where the x should be. So I pull my ph out and point to the x saying are you going to do it she said uh huh which tells me she understands. So I realize I’m not getting the x so I just want to know why. I called the lady who was at the front desk assuming that’s Bella and I asked why she didn’t put the X’s in and she proceeded to give me some made up answer that the style cannot be done like that when there’s a whole tic tok video of the style it’s trending! Any way I was ok with that but what I totally didn’t like is I asked for mid back and I got shoulder length. I can’t even put my hair in a decent updo I have braids sticking out cause she kept cutting the hair. I didn’t know the braider didn’t understand me she kept answering me and I feel like if she didn’t understand what I wanted the second time I showed her my ph she should’ve got Bella to translate for her . So honestly I’m not liking this at all cause it’s sloppy to put in an updo and the braids are so uneven in the back as the curls are...

I took my wife to get her hair braided, and it was the worst experience we’ve ever had. The lack of communication and respect was unbelievable. We had an appointment at 12:30 PM, but my wife wasn’t seen until 4 PM. The staff spent the entire time laughing and chatting in a different language, which made us feel extremely uncomfortable—especially since I was pressed for time.

To make matters worse, they kept switching hairstylists and even claimed one of them didn’t know how to do cornrows. This was clearly a lie, as the energy completely shifted once my wife finally sat down. The entire experience felt disrespectful and unprofessional.

This wasn’t a free service, yet they had us waiting for hours, treating us as if our time didn’t matter. The lack of courtesy and attention was disappointing, and I won’t be returning. I’ll take my business to Harlem next time, where respect and good service are priorities. You’ve officially...