HairCraft By Paul and Ben — Local services in New York

Don’t go for color and definitely don’t go for balayage!!!

I hate that I have to write this negative review because I like them as people, they are very sweet and kind but if I had seen a review of what they did to my color I would NEVER have gone and spent $350 at this salon.

They’re great for cuts. But I went for a balayage. I spoke to them a couple of times before and they seemed to really understand what I wanted. I had many reference photos as well.

During the colour I noticed she put the color way too high up. I stopped her and said it was too high. Showed her the reference again, she agreed, wiped it off, and started again. I then trusted her to do it right, maybe it was a language barrier thing.

I had my first toner put in and it is some insane smelling industrial toner - I have never smelled anything like it and I’ve been getting colour done for 19 years!

When the colour was ready I was pretty horrified. She had given me roots! It was like a before photo before you come in to have your roots done. This was NOT a balayage which is significantly more expensive. There was no blending. Awful! I was so stressed.

To make it right all they did was tone down the roots. That was the second toner with that industrial strength toner. Which created a blocking of color. And it took another hour of my time.

They assured me that washing it would work. It didn’t! I came back a second time - wasting more hours to fix their mess - and showed them the blocks of color very clearly. It was a mess. They toned it AGAIN. Third time. Now my roots are ginger - NOT my natural color at all which is why I wanted a balayage to keep a maintainable hairstyle, to save money, and to keep the colour right for my features.

What a mess. It’s going to cost me way more to resolve.

It’s been a couple of weeks and I had to see another hairdresser but because they have toned it so many times with that strong toner my hair is so brittle!! It has NEVER been brittle, I have long, thick and very healthy hair and this is the first time in my 35 years that my hair is dry and breaking. The new hairdresser said they shouldn’t do anything because the toner has damaged the hair so much.

It is so sad and disappointing.

They even had the cheek to tell me how to tip them after the first instance.

They did try to help fix it but honestly this should never have happened. What the did was NOT a balayage, not even close. And I wish they would’ve given me my money back - that would been the right thing to do.

Don’t go for color and don’t go...

I’ve been seeing Ben (cuts) and Paul (colorist) for roughly 4-5 years. I’ve been sending friends and family to them. Pretty great to see them start their own salon.

The staff is kind, gentle, and patient. I did a walk-in today, early afternoon. Typically I call and make an appt. But today I was just following the vibes of my day off. And the vibe told me to go see Ben for a trim and bangs! On my way I saved some inspiration of the cut I wanted. They greeted me so kindly like normal and Ben and Paul recognized me but forgot my name (no biggie). They took my bags and walked me back to get my hair washed. The wash was wonderful and relaxing. Got seated at Ben’s chair and I showed him a series of photos and we discussed what I wanted and off he went. Each step he tells me what he’s going to do and then asks if I like the length before completing the rest of the section. I like this bc it gives me confidence that he knows what he’s doing but also listened to what I want! The last time I saw him was in May when I first asked for bangs and they have grown out a lot since.

I wanted shorter curtain bangs with pieces on the side the framed my face. He nailed it! Highly recommend seeing Ben and Paul and their incredible staff! They are affordable, knowledgeable, and so kind. They treat everyone with respect and just always has great energy. The vibes were spot on today and I was in and out in less than 40 mins. Note that I didn’t get it styled, just a quick dry and Ben always does my bangs/front for...

Worst Haircut Ever! I truly hate writing bad reviews of local businesses but the cut I received by Ben is beyond bad and unprofessional.

I requested an hour to work on my long, thick, textured and voluminous hair. Ben said he had enough time but I overheard him tell an employee he only allotted a total of 15 minutes, which is a ridiculously short time for a women's cut.

There a bit of a language barrier but he knew enough English saying he understood what I wanted after showing him pictures.

He furiously chopped and hacked away at my hair with no apparent technique or regard for my hair texture. NO BLOW DRY, finishing touches or blending. He pulled the cape off me and kicked me out of the chair. The cut is choppy, uneven, not blended or balanced. It's the ugliest cut I've ever gotten that's impossible to fix.

Even though I was so upset and disappointed I still tipped Ben, Paul and shampooer on top of $45 service. I left with wet,...