Essentials by Beautiful You — Local services in Bakersfield

Oh my god. I'm overwhelmed by the shady disrespect I experienced. Get there 30 minutes early for a blowout. No pressure, I'm way too early. I wait patiently. The stylist sees me, doesn't say anything but I don't mind because my appt hasn't started. Around my appointment time, stylist tells a lady (ends up being her assistant) to shampoo my hair. No communication to me. Assistant washes my hair then asks stylist where to seat me. Sits me down and beings looking for supplies. Applies a detangler, a cream, and a third product to my hair. Is clearly new and doesn't have her bearings (I don't hold this against her). Doesn't know how to lower my chair, operate the hairdryer, where the brushes are, loses the tip of the hair dryer, and is generally nervous. The stylist I requested and had confirmed for my appointment is completely ignoring me. Has not said a word to me. Is actively styling another woman's hair. I decide that I want to know what is going on and speak to a manager. Assistant says there is a manager. Stylist raises her voice and asks what I want from stylist(still not talking to me). I ask if there is a manager there. They both say yes. Stylist (Jordan) walls up front. I follow. She is talking to receptionist. I ask the receptionist if she is a manager. She says no, there is no manager. Jordan leaves to focus on her client. Later find out she intentionally double booked me with this client and chose not to say anything to me about it. I tell the receptionist what's going on and that at this point I don't want to wait for the next appointment to have Jordan finish my hair. She asks if I am comfortable going to their other location, I say yes. Jordan approaches me and hostily asks what her assistant did wrong. I explain that I am confused by the situation in general, don't like the lack of communication, and want my hair done as I expected it, by the stylist. Jordan interrupts me several times. She says her assistant is licensed. She says that I should have somehow known that was her assistant and that she would save my hair at the end (why is a blow dry a two person job?). She says that in the future, I should ask for a stylist without an assistant. She informs me that this is a very popular salon and that many stylists have their assistants do this so they can double book. I have been here 3 times in less than a month. No assistant situation until now. At any point, they could just communicate with me and treat me like a customer they value. That is not happening. Jordan has a hostile tone the entire time, never acknowledges the communication break down or my valid concerns, and sticks to what I should be doing better. I say that I am going to another salon if they aren't able to secure me another appointment. Jordan loudly directs the receptionist to put a note to never pair me with her. The assistant is very nicely thanking me for saying something and agrees they should be more honest and communicative. Great growth mindset. I was calm, polite, and never raised my voice. Jordan ignored my for the better part of an hour before loudly criticizing and doing nothing to disprove my general concern: I am not...

BEWARE OF ESSENTIALS SALON! I went in for a simple color and my hair is ruined! I sent pictures of my hair to Sharon (manager) with my complaint, less than 10 minutes later, the stylist who did this horrible color, called me, berating and blaming me for her sloppiness! I couldn't get a word in, I hung up on her (I was at work to begin with) In typical narcissist fashion, she blamed me, said I moved too much, I ask to walk to Ulta [yea, she did] all of this in a condescending tone, not at all concerned about why I was unhappy, she was mad that "I told on her". Charli was super messy with the root smudge, she dripped it on my highlighted hair, so I have stripes and cheetah spots ALL THROUGHOUT MY HAIR!! She dried and styled my hair, she HAD TO SEE WHAT SHE DID TO MY HAIR BUT DIDN'T CARE. it was styled and I didn't notice it at first. When i washed it the next day, I was shook. I messaged Sharon, she said it can be fixed so she got me in with another stylist to fix it, I wasn't letting Charlee near my hair again. Thursday, I saw Kathryn (super sweet and really concerned about the condition of my hair) she was astonished and appalled that a person at Essentials did such a awful color job. She tried to blend my roots with a root shadow and said my longer blonde strands that had the dark drips (spots and stripes) were too unhealthy to put bleach on! I'm just stuck with it. I called another salon and they said color corrections start at $300 an hour. I was contacted by DeeDee (the owner at Essentials) and was told I couldn't get a refund from Essentials because the stylists are "Independent contractors" I'll post her exact message here[ Hi Melissa! We're so sorry you are still unhappy with your hair. We have done the best we can to fix it for you and make you happy. Unfortunately per California employment law, we cannot do anything to control an independent contractor's money. You are free to reach out yourself and request a refund if that is what you want. Beyond that, please let us know if there is anything else we can do to assist you and again we apologize for your experience. - Dee Dee] I'm out $170 and it's gonna cost big bucks to fix! I had 2 brain surgeries in this past year, I fought like hell to keep my hair, just to have it ruined by someone could care less and a Salon owner who obviously doesn't care either! You better think twice about this salon if you value your hair and appearance because they sure don't! *update, Charli refunded my money and offered to fix my hair. I went to Lilly and had it fixed as best she could. I wore wigs and hair pieces for a month, i can finally wear my hair down! Thanks Lilly bug....♡ * Charli called and left me a horrible voice mail because of this review... Y'all...

A few weeks ago, I had a haircut appointment with Rachel Darrah. I have decided to share this review after reaching out in various ways, waiting more than long enough to give them some time to get back to me, and not receiving a response of any kind from Rachel or the salon.

The wait time was not a big deal, but the appointment did not start on time. When the appointment did start, it immediately seemed very rushed, and I have never been in and out of a hair appointment so quickly (20-25 minutes at most). I shared concerns about my hair and was not met with much of a response (no suggestions, observations, etc). I am someone who is very comfortable without constant conversation, but I was given an overall impression that my appointment was an inconvenience, and the stylist was on her phone on and off throughout my short time there. My hair was washed and cut wet first, which seemed to be going fine despite things seeming rushed. Then, right after I talked about how I loved my curly hair, my hair was blown out and would have been straightened if I hadn’t spoken up. Declining the straightening was met with, “I don’t really like cutting curly hair without straightening it.” Honestly, I felt uncomfortable and like I had to apologize for my hair. I understand not everyone is experienced/skilled in cutting curly hair, but I was only getting a trim and did not ask for anything special (and she had already started cutting it wet anyway, so it did not make sense).

At the end, I was charged $10 more than what was listed when I booked the appointment without any explanation, as the receipt reads “custom amount.” This part could have been a misunderstanding, but it was definitely overpriced for the poor service experienced. As I had already felt uncomfortable, I paid quickly and left, later wishing I hadn’t tipped at all, even though I only tipped 15%, which would normally feel like an embarrassingly low tip to give to a stylist. I paid $86 to be rushed through the haircut, watch the stylist check her phone, and be made to feel like an overall inconvenience.

This was the absolute worst hair experience I have ever had, and I would rate it 0 stars if possible. It was my first and only experience at the salon, so I cannot speak for the other stylists, but I strongly advise against booking with...