Sola Salon Studios — Local services in Clinton

I do not recommend The Take Down Shampoo Studio.

I booked the Take Down and Clean Up service, which, as described on their website, promises a luxury hair care experience including takedown, detangling, shampoo, deep conditioning, blow dry, and a trim — specifically tailored for Black professional women. What I received was anything but luxurious or professional.

My appointment was at 5:15 PM, but when I arrived, no one seemed to know I was coming. After some confusion, it was determined that Shirelle would be my stylist — except she didn’t arrive until 5:50 PM. Already off to a rocky start.

While the takedown of my sew-in and tape-ins was handled fairly efficiently by Shirelle and a young assistant, the service went downhill quickly after that. Shirelle spent 65 minutes trying to detangle my hair using the tip of a rat tail comb — not the appropriate tool, nor the right method. My hair isn’t difficult to detangle, and anyone with basic knowledge of natural hair care knows you start from the ends and work your way up. Instead, I was left with a sore neck and back from sitting in the shampoo bowl for over an hour — only for my hair to still not be properly detangled.

To make matters worse, a teenager was then tasked with blow drying my hair, despite clearly struggling to get the blow dryer’s comb attachment through it. Shirelle’s only instruction? “Just blow dry the roots.” That’s when I stepped in and started detangling my own hair — because clearly, the professionals weren’t going to do it.

At that point, I chose to pay and leave. I left the salon with wet, partially detangled hair and an overwhelming sense of disappointment. I paid over $100 for a service I ultimately had to finish myself at home.

The only thing that went right was that I didn’t have to take out my extensions solo. But everything else? A complete failure. The studio is staffed with inexperienced teenagers, led by a stylist who arrived late and didn’t demonstrate any mastery of natural hair care. Despite offering trims as part of the service, I wouldn’t have dared let anyone near my ends after the experience I had.

If you’re looking for professionalism, skilled stylists, or even the most basic detangling — look elsewhere. This was a complete waste of time and money. I will never return.

Photos are what my hair looks like wet and detangled. I had KNOTS in my hair after leaving the Take Down Shampoo Studio. Showing photos so you know what kind of texture I have and have unskilled...

My sister booked a take down service, on April 19 for May 9. What should have taken 150 minutes turned into a 4-hour-and-45-minute ordeal. After a wash, deep condition, and braid removal, her hair was improperly blow-dried (not in sections), and she was told mid-service she wasn’t even “on the schedule.” One of the owners, Nikki Guy Dixon, dismissed her, saying “sometimes stylists just aren’t a good match” and implied she should leave if she didn’t want to wait. She ended up paying $90 for incomplete work and had to finish blow drying and flat ironing her hair at home. Even worse, the stylist was on the phone during the service, discussing weed use, with someone holding the phone for her. Beyond unprofessional.

Payment was also taken via Zelle to a personal account, not the business, raising serious concerns about how this salon handles financial transactions. This is not only poor practice, but possibly in violation of licensing and tax laws.

The salon still has the opportunity to make this right. A full refund, not a gift card/return coupon, is the ONLY appropriate, recourse. I hope they choose accountability over defensiveness. If the salon wishes to resolve this matter properly, my sister can be contacted directly to issue a full refund for the incomplete and mishandled service on May 9. If you are not sure who she is please reply to this message with how and who she can reach out to and I will ensure she gets the message.

Please note that if no good-faith effort is made to address this, as a family member, and an attorney, I will be filing formal complaints with both the Maryland Board of Cosmetologists, which governs licensed salons and professionals and the Maryland Attorney General’s Consumer Protection Division, which investigates deceptive or unfair business practices. I will be asking these agencies to review whether this business is complying with the licensing, sanitation, and consumer protection regulations required in Maryland.

After reading the other reviews, and seeing that the same happened to other people, I will definitely be reaching out to the Board, AG, etc. this is NOT okay and there has been ZERO attempt to correct this...

So let me say that I have received the best service here! Specifically from Ms. Keon at Hair by Ms. Keon! From the moment you walk in you’re greeted by a bright welcoming environment! Ms. Keon’s professionalism is coupled with her personable demeanor! Every time I sit in her chair I know I’m going to experience luxury. From the stimulating shampoo services to the actually styling you feel like a million bucks by the time you prepare to leave! Honestly I might be bias but Ms. Keon is truly a top tier stylist and I’m so glad she’s my stylist! If you’re looking for a stylist that will take great care of your crown and ensure you feel your most beautiful, then Hair by Ms. Keon at Sola Salon Studios is your girl! Book...