Martha's Beauty Supply & Braiding — Local services in Bolingbrook

The first time I went here Mimi braided my hair and she did a very good job. Honestly I would give her 5 stars!

The reason why I’m giving this shop 1 star is because of my second experience which I’ll explain below:

A month after Mimi braided my hair, I noticed that some braids on top of my head were kinda loose and very frizzy. I made an appointment to get the braids on top of my hair redone and wanted it with Mimi but unfortunately she was unavailable that day, but that was fine.

I arrived at the shop on time only for them to say that there were busy and ask if I can come back about an hour later. I said okay, no problem and came back an hour later. The shop was still busy so I had to wait again but that wasn’t a big deal since I can see that they were really busy. However, I didn’t expect to sit there and have to wait for about 3 hours especially since I did have an appointment (i made it about 2-3 days in advance). After waiting for almost 3 hours, someone was finally available to do my hair.

Lucy told me how much it would cost to re do the braids however the price was higher than I was expecting especially since I paid a lot of money about a month ago to get my hair braided. I asked if we can do it for a lower price and Lucy seemed reluctant to do it so. So I decided to leave because I didn’t want to fight over prices or anything and honestly I was tired anyway after just sitting around for almost 3 hours waiting for a chair to open up. When she noticed that I wanted leave she spoke to someone then agreed to do my hair at a lower price.

So Lucy begins braiding my hair and I felt as if she was a bit rough on my head and most likely upset that she was fixing my head for a lower price. What she didn’t know was that I speak and can understand French/ Creole. The whole time she was doing my hair she was complaining in French (or a language very similar to French) about how she was not getting a lot of money for my hair and how it wasn’t worth it. Another person was helping Lucy and commented that there might not be enough braiding hair to finish my hair and Lucy basically said in French “that’s okay, were not getting paid much, I’m not going to open another pack”

The entire time Lucy was complaining in French about doing my hair and that made me feel very uncomfortable and worried that she was going to do a poor job. I just wanted to leave.

I didn’t get upset with her, I didn’t want any drama or to start an argument with her. I did not force her or beg her to do my hair so if she felt like the amount of money I was willing to pay wasn’t enough she honestly should’ve just told me that and I would’ve understood and just left.

Overall I will NOT be coming back here. It’s so rude to complain about a customer INFRONT of them, even if you think they don’t understand the language you’re speaking. I felt uncomfortable, I felt like she rushed my head and I honestly couldn’t wait for her to finish so I could just pay and...

Initially on 2/3/2018 I was very happy with this shop and service received stating "Lucia did a beautiful job on my fulani braids, and I was receiving compliments from everyone before I even left the shop. Location is decent. It could use some beautification and cleanliness of exterior street appeal, but it's nice to support a African owned beauty supply. Salon part gets crowded and seating is limited. They take walk ins, but it's HIGHLY RECOMMENDED to get there when they start at 7:30am or make an appointment. I counted 10 braiders up at once... really cool to see all the different styles they are able to create." When I went back 3 weeks later on 2/24 for a re-braid of my front cornrows I would give the service received a 1 star. I came in 1 hour earlier than I did before because they said I didn't have an appointment. So Angus told me to come back in 2 hours. So I did, only to have her ask my braider I was waiting for Lucia to do a young child's hair in 4 braids and they both ensured that it wouldn't take long. I was aggravated and annoyed because I made an extra effort to come early all to have a lot of my time wasted. 4 braids turned into 8 which a estimated 30 mins was a extra 1.5 hours. I wanted to leave and find an alternative, but there was none at that point. Finally I get in the chair. I was charged $80 to have 25 braids redone in a cornrow style on top of the 160 I paid 3 weeks prior. Then I was greeted with attitude. Took 2 hours to finish style which was similiar but not exact to photo. I realized they like to braid bulky and not sleek. Sadly, don't expect a look identical to what your aiming for. When I asked for my accessories to be added to my hair Lucia completed the task, but wanted to rush me out and act like she didn't want to complete my request. I had to remind her I am a paying customer, and I want it to be right. Overall, shop is a dump. Management needs to revamp the salon and make it look presentable to customers. They use combs that have been in everyone's head all dat without sterilizing anything. I requested a new comb be used when it fell on floor. They drop braiding hair on the floors accidentally not realizing that is gross to put in people's clean hair. Needs work and rules in place vs. just acting like a sweatshop for rotating customers.

Hope someone in charge sees this...

UPDATE: Martha's is not the same. This is my first time since this post, and I, for the life of me, couldn't remember why I stayed away for 4yrs. Yesterday, I remembered. When I made the original post, I'd yet to check out the back of my head. I didn't return because of the large parts that were made. I went on Saturday, was asked what I wanted, and shared the following: small parts, with smedium sized braids, at waist length. That is not what I got, and it took the braider to get to my ear before I noticed and immediately stopped them. I was furious because I confirmed three times that we were on the same page, yet this woman, MAY, still did what she wanted to do. I've attached pictures. I talked with the Assistant Manager, who asked if I presented an image, and I showed her the picture reference. She acknowledged to me and the stylist that my parts were not as the picture, then offered the style at $240. I wanted to give them $0 because of the blatant disregard for my desired style. The braids are not thick, the length is barely waist-length, and the parts- even at the crown - are too big. I'm usually calm, so observing her doing my crown after the conversation boiled my blood, but I was ready to go after wasting my time and money already. This shop now monitors the amount of hair they use- one pack, max, per head- and does these jumbo parts to expedite the time. The crazy part is, I was okay paying the $280 if it came with exactly what I wanted. I no longer recommend Martha's. (10) braids at the crown 🤯

Also, the woman was angry because I tipped them $10, lol. The audacity of people who operate in capitalist systems, don't meet their end of the agreement yet still have their hands out for payment, plus tips. Frankly, I didn't have the patience or energy to push back on the $240 offer because I would've negotiated less than that.

Styling time is always swift, quality is never compromised, and the stylists are personable. I drive from the city to go to Martha's... these are ombre blue triangle part box braids... took 4hrs.

Styling time is always swift, quality is never compromised, and the stylists are personable. I drive from the city to go to Martha's... these are ombre blue triangle part box...