Gusto Hairdressing Oxford Street — Local services in London

I booked a consultation at first and they kept rescheduling the appointment, when I did show up they told me they were busy and to come back half an hour later so I did. I come back and they tell me to come back one hour later as they were busy which I found to be ridiculous as I literally booked for a consultation. I did come back and we discussed prices, I wanted a bayalage with red colouring and the price came up to £220, £160 for the bayalage as I have extra long hair and £60 for the red toner. Due to financial issues I did just want to get the bayalage instead and do the red colouring at home but the lady convinced me saying I wouldn’t get the same result at home. I paid a £75 deposit for my appointment.

The day of the appointment I come in and they sat me down but suddenly they take a picture of my hair as their manager said that my hair is extra extra long so they would have to charge me more for the bayalage, I ask them the new price and they tell me that the toner price will be the same but the bayalage would go from £160 to £240. I found this to be ridiculous and decided to remove the toner. The service was good in terms of the process. Around an hour later the lady who did my hair comes back with toner shades and tells me the manager changed her decision and told me to keep the original agreed pricing. In the end I did love the results of my hair, the job was done very well. The hair stylist told me to use coloured shampoo and to wait until 5 days before I washed my hair. I did wash my hair after 5 days but wasn’t able to obtain coloured shampoo yet. The colour didn’t fade the first time I washed it, yet I washed my hair again after a few days and did a double shampoo and the colour began fading? The red was fading already and it wasn’t even there for 3 weeks, I understand I had to use coloured shampoo but for the price of £60 I would’ve expected it to last way longer especially with red. I’ve used drugstore hair dyes in the past and they lasted me way longer with no issues even without using coloured shampoo.

Overall, in terms of the bayalage it was done great and the service was decent but the pricing is atrocious and the way they tried to charge me way more because of my hair length even after seeing it in the consultation is ridiculous. The whole issue with them coercing me to buy their toner as well when I could’ve easily done it at home and gotten better long lasting results was very ridiculous as well. I wouldn’t recommend going back, I...

I strongly advise anyone—especially those with specific requests or who may face a language barrier—to avoid Gusto Salon. My mother, visited the salon alone, hoping for a fresh haircut that would boost her confidence. She has thin, fine hair and came prepared: she brought reference photos, clearly explained what she wanted, and made it known that her goal was a soft, light shaggy style while keeping her length.

Although she knew her options were somewhat limited due to her hair type, she still expected to be treated with care, respect, and honesty by a professional stylist. Unfortunately, that’s not what happened.

To be fair, the staff were friendly—but friendliness means little when the end result is this upsetting. The stylist did initially acknowledge that some of the styles shown weren’t achievable, which we fully understand and appreciate. My mum and I are realistic—she knows what her hair can and can’t do. But what we cannot accept is the drastic and uneven cut that followed, which went completely against what was agreed.

Instead of maintaining her shoulder-length hair, as discussed, the stylist cut it up to her neck—far shorter than she ever wanted. The sides are noticeably different in length, and the style lacks the softness or shape she was looking for. It's heartbreaking that my mum, unsure of how to assert herself in English, felt powerless and just watched it happen in silence. No client should feel that way, especially in a professional setting.

What’s most frustrating is that the stylist went ahead with a style they clearly couldn't deliver. If you know you can't achieve a certain look or aren’t confident in working with specific hair types, then you shouldn’t take on the client—or at the very least, you should set clear expectations and stick to what was discussed. That didn’t happen here.

Now, my mum is left with a haircut that makes her feel embarrassed and deeply disappointed. It cannot be undone—we have no choice but to wait for her hair to grow back. And to have paid £59 for that is honestly humiliating.

This experience has left a bitter taste. A professional service should not only involve technical skill but also trust, transparency, and basic empathy. Sadly, this visit to Gusto Salon lacked...

Don’t go here. It is a horrible hair dresser. They ask to give a review while they are standing next to you. Hence the good reviews probably. Ended up with horrible colouring.

First two photo’s is what I have now. Last one is what I came in with.

I came in to adjust the colouring of another hairdresser, as it had a slight redness in the face frame. And I wanted some very subtle and natural highlights. I ended up with a brown that has so much redness. I didn’t qualify for a free colour correction, cause according to the hairdresser ‘it was the colour of the previous hairdresser’ which is crazy, cause it was not that much at all.

The highlights also didn’t end up natural, but streaky although I repeated several times I didn’t want that.

Lastly she was very uncareful with the paint and spilled it on my trousers. She took it off initially only with a dry cloth. Of course it stained. I showed her and she put dishwashing detergent on it. When I left, the stain was very much present and I asked what the policy was if it didn’t wash out at home. The receptionist said it was my own fault and responsibility, as I shouldn’t have moved and make the trouser exposed. She said ‘you are not a little child.’ Which was rather disrespectful.

I refused to pay full price because I think when paying £200,- I should expect someone who takes care not to ruin my clothes, or take responsibility when something goes wrong. I paid £30,- less in the end. But she told me I couldn’t come back for any additional free colour correction besides the reddish that they already refused.

EDIT: their responses are just for public opinion. I emailed them to give them ‘another chance’ just like they ask in their reaction. They are responding the same, denying me a colour correction and they are just as rude as they were at...