Curlybar — Local services in Chicago

I just had my first cut with Paul and cannot speak highly enough of his services. I felt I knew a decent amount about my curls but was intrigued by all of Curlybar's positive reviews. I had done the "Deva Cut" once and was unimpressed with the results- but I made an appointment. I'm so glad I did, because Paul's cut and style showed that he truly understood my hair and took time to make sure it was styled correctly.

Paul also took the time to teach me, every step of the way, explaining what to do and why. You will leave his salon feeling empowered to go home and make your curls look as bouncy and beautiful again - because he literally has YOU do the application of product, curl scrunching, diffusing, etc. You leave knowing every step of your new routine and having already practiced with a great curly coach by your side.

Paul also repeatedly told me I could text him any time as I commented on how I was worried I would forget steps of the routine. He then followed up by texting me my routine and some links to products. He's definitely not a product pusher - it didn't look like he had any products for sale in his salon (they may have been hiding) but he did recommend to me that I switch to a Deva curl product to recreate the routine (1 product replaces the 3-5 I use on a daily basis now!)

Though I only spent a couple hours with him, I feel Paul is very authentic. I sincerely enjoyed his sense of humor and felt his words were genuine.

The last thing I had to add is that if you haven't been to Salon Lofts before, it can be a bit confusing. You will enter in an elevator and take it to the "Salon" floor, which is clearly marked in the elevator. Once you get off the elevator, you are on a floor full of 1 room salons - all independent stylists with a mini-salon room. So, you will have to look a bit to find Paul's place around the corner, and it's very small so it's best for you to wait in the salon lobby by the elevator or a chair in the hall. I didn't mind this at all - I really liked the set up - but just was surprised that I hadn't read anything about it in other reviews since it's not your...

I am really disappointed I could not share the same experience as others who have posted great reviews of Paul.

Here's my TL;DR: I think Paul could be a great person for people on their first time getting a curly cut as well as for people who embrace and like a lot of volume in their curls. If you don't like a lot of volume in your curls or a rounded look, then Paul is probably not best for you. You also may end up with an uneven haircut like me which can happen when your curls are cut dry.

Long story: I've been wearing my hair naturally for years, and I know exactly what I like and do not like after receiving several curly cuts. I told Paul that I did not want a cut with really rounded layers, and I also asked that he tried to preserve as much length as possible. I tried to show him pictures that I wanted, but he never took the time to look at them and said we'd get to that later (which never came). During the cut, I saw he was cutting really rounded layers and cutting a lot of length in the back. When I told him I did not want the back to be rounded, he essentially told me that I needed to embrace my curls more and that he was a guy so he had a good opinion of what would look attractive for my hair. I trusted him and let go, but I was extremely upset when I came home to find out that he took off a lot of length unnecessarily and that the back was uneven. The picture I attached was taken 2 weeks after the haircut as I know that curly hair takes some time to adjust to being cut. After how much I paid for this haircut, it's completely unacceptable that I had to trim the long piece in the back myself to even it out.

The bottom line: Embracing your curls should mean embracing your curls however you like them. Having lots of volume is one way but not the only way to embrace having curly hair. I don't think it's up to a hairstylist to ever tell you the right way to embrace your curls unless they are asked no matter how much experience they have or who they...

For as long as I can remember I have had a love/hate relationship with my curls. I loved how they looked but I didn't have a clue how to manage them so I didn't have dryness and frizzy hair. So instead, i did what the hair care industry pushes: expensive treatments like the Brazilian blowout which have chemicals which only ended up drying out my hair even more. My hair would look "good" (straight) for a while but each time I did the treatment my hair would more quickly end up frizzy and dry - it was a vicious (and expensive!) cycle

I decided that i needed to find someone who would teach me how to embrace my curls and I did extensive research before i found Paul and I am so glad that I did. I drove 3 hours from Wisconsin into the city and boy was it worth it!!! Paul immediately impressed me and my husband with his passion and knowledge for teaching me how to mange my curls. He spent over two hours walking me through how to properly wash my hair and use the Deva Curl products. These products are alcohol, sulfate, silicone and paraben free and help to moisturize your hair and prevent frizziness and dryness. My hair and curls have never looked better - shiny hair and bouncy curls. I felt like I was in a one-on-one class with Professor Paul patiently going over each step. I am glad that my husband decided to come with me as he took good notes of the whole process so I can ensure that I do the process exactly the way Paul taught me.

I am so happy with my hair and I now have a love relationship with my curls. I am forever grateful to Paul for taking the time to educate me on his simple yet effective process for managing my 3a/3b type curls. His rates are very reasonable for the amount of time that he spent with me. Paul is a rebel on a mission to help us curly haired sisters (and brothers) embrace our curls and say no to the hair care industry's focus on expensive damaging treatments...