Potent Transitions Natural Hair Care Salon & Hair Loss Clinic — Local services in East Orange

I hope that whoever is seeking a new stylist or is ready to embark on their natural hair care journey will find this review real, honest and inspiring, and that you disregard the negative reviews that have been posted. I hope you decide to show Aaliyah some love by patronizing her salon because she will extend that to you and your hair.

When I first came across Potent Transitions via google in 2020, the rating was a 4.7 and the reviews were honest. I knew I couldn’t afford to invest in my hair at that time. But I could tell from what I saw that the investment would be worth it.

Prior to coming to this salon, my hair had never been as healthy or long as it is today. During my new client consultation Aaliyah asked what did I want for my hair and what did I expect of her. She could tell I was attempting to care for my hair but wasn’t getting routine trims to maintain its health and retain length. She also educated me on the importance of using appropriate hair care products tailored to my hair that would allow it to flourish while not undoing her work. I received her shampoo and conditioner for home use as part of the new client package. She told me that if I was consistent and came every six weeks, I’d see the difference. This was in June of 2022 and as of March 2023, I can say I’m grateful I found someone willing to help and encourage me through this hair growth journey of mine.

The owner takes pride in her work and in her shop. Her prices are reflective of that. Natural hair care is not the equivalent to that of a Dominican blowout and straightening. You’re paying for products, treatments and education. You’re paying for a qualified professional. And if you’re like me who doesn’t allow for just anybody in your hair, you can rest assured that you won’t have to question Aaliyah’s expertise. She is skilled and her work speaks for itself. She’s also kind. I’m unsure why people have said she rolls her eyes and is nasty. I’ve seen her engage with several different types of customers .. those who come prepared and those who don’t have a clue. She treats everyone the same and thoroughly explains her process and policies. If you have questions, she’ll answer them.

The shop - aesthetically pleasing, relaxing, and a place to release your stress if only for the duration of your appointment. She has snacks that she offers, TV if you want to watch, and she often has music playing too.

The time - this process isn’t quick but if you’re genuinely natural .. then you know it’s not quick from the work you do at home. Expect to spend 4-5 hours between wash, condition, protein/moisture treatments, and styling. There’s purpose in the process. And if the cost deters you from coming because you think $250 is “too much for a silk press” .. then like me in 2020, it might not be your time. You’re not just paying for a silk press. Natural hair is an investment of time and money. Any natural girlie will tell you that. How much you put in is how much you get out of this process. If you can spend $300-$500 on custom wigs, weave, or braids .. your natural hair deserves some of that financial love too. Thanks Aaliyah for the care you’ve shown my hair in just 9 months. I really do appreciate you. And thank you for telling me that I’m doing a good job too. It’s a partnership, seriously .. and I’m really happy I...

I try not to badmouth black or women owned businesses, even when deserved, however, I feel this is necessary. I booked due to the overall glowing reviews. I was skeptical of needing to provide my card number but proceeded. Showed up and was told I had to pay for wash and blow dry. This was not mentioned on the site so I’d washed my hair right before I came. In regards to blow drying, I do not use heat on my hair. Had I known this would be a requirement, I wouldn’t have booked. We had this discussion and decided I’d try to stretch my hair and come back. Something told me to remove my card number from the site but that proved futile because before I could finish putting the stretching plates in my hair, the rescheduled appointment was canceled, and I was assessed a cancellation fee - 50% of the service cost. The fee I was charges was $45 which would mean my services would have been $90. I booked for a consultation ($20) and reshape ($50) but the website said consultation fee wouldn’t apply with service or would be taken from price of service. In any event, even if that applied the total would be $70 not $90. Charging for anything else is just wrong because I was not getting anything else. Those types of shady business practices give BOBs a bad name. I’m not worried about the money because I will get it back; it’s the principle of the matter. I know everyone has to make their dollar, but doing so in this way will not get you far. They seem to do good work (I wouldn’t actually know) so if you do decide to come here I HIGHLY suggest calling and confirming all they’ll “require” you to get BEFORE booking. Best wishes!

Response to owner: Your “explanation” does not explain lack of notification on the site, available PRIOR to booking so that the customer can make an informed decision. NOWHERE does it mention that if you’re getting a reshape you also have to get a wash and blow dry. You cannot add services someone did not ask for after the fact. If you require certain things to be done but don’t make that known BEFOREHAND, you cannot charge someone for canceling. You’re essentially duping people in order to get them into your shop so you can make more money or charge your bogus cancellation fee if they decide not to proceed. Your failure to adequately communicate your procedures, etc. puts the onus on you to bite the bullet of someone deciding not to proceed with you once they’re fully informed. Your “mistake”, your loss. I was 100% truthful, no reason to lie. Lastly, to get to a $45 cancellation fee, my services, that I AGREED to, would have had to total $90 which they did not so it’s no way the system “automatically” charged me. You had to have gone in and added something else to up the price. You did shady business, period. Own up to it, and do better...

I made an appointment online through Styleseat. Beware, she cancels that appointment as a no-show when you get there and uses her own payment device. This does not allow you to write your review on Styleseat and makes it seem like you never showed for your appointment. Anyway, first let me say that Ashley made my daughter's very rare salon experience pleasurable. She was very patient and made sure my 9 yo daughter was comfortable. She did a thorough job. The owner Aaliyah was unprofessional and rude. At first appearance she was upset that I brought my daughter and said that she doesn't see children (my appointment for my daughter was booked with her) and that if Ashley wasn't going to do it she would charge me a no-show fee (to my face). My daughter even told me that the owner rolled her eyes at her. When I told her that I didn't know she didn't take kids, and that I can take her somewhere else. She exclaimed that it's all over her social media, website, and that she has a sign that reads NO CHILDREN. After viewing the sign, it says no children unless they are being serviced. I told her that I don't follow her on social media, never heard of her and only found her through Styleseat and that I didn't not see it there either. She scrolled through Styleseat and under her "about me" tab. I told her that I don't usually read everyone's bio and I only read reviews on the site and read the description under the services which didn't say anything about children. It was a simple misunderstanding and we both could have went along about our day. Instead she gave me attitude the whole time, threatened to charge me a no show fee, coerced me to stay and made me pay for my daughter service ahead of time (while everyone else paid after). My appointment was for 2pm and we were there until 8pm for a wash, conditioner/steam treatment, blowdry and shaping cut. 3 of those hours my daughter wasn't being tending to while the owner talked, ate, and sat back doing nothing. She sat unservices with wet hair for 3 hours. I don't recommend her services or patronizing her business. I Pray that she humbles herself, take a customer service class, and starts upholding fair business practices. She won't see my...