Harlem Best African Braider — Local services in New York

Great hospitality when your ACTUALLY in the shop, HORRIBLE customer service once your out!

I was styled by a braider that was NEW to the shop (I’m talking FIRST DAY). Wasn’t asked if it was okay, nor was given any discount for it. This girl literallyyyyy was ripping so many hairs from my scalp during parting! She barely knew how to part so the braider next to us had to continuously help her (felt no pain during parting with the EXPERIENCED braider!) I showed her a photo of a style I wanted and she acted super confident when in fact she didn’t really have the style down pact! She gave me more braids than my inspired style which is CLEARLY VISIBLE! I’m not one to conflict and they didn’t look terrible so I said it looked fine!

Fast forward like 3 days later my scalp starts scabbing all around BADLY! I also realized you can see the loop from the added hair in MULTIPLE braids in multiple parts! So I removed the braids and when washed I lost an excessive amount of hair. COME TO NOW FIND OUT.. dying and braiding your hair straight after is not safe! Which WAS NOT brought to my attention the night before when I explained to the owner I had JUST dyed my hair!! I bring it to her attention and she flat out says they did nothing wrong and feels like an apology is not needed on their end. I think the fact that dying and styling braids should have been explained to me prior? Or I’m bugging? She offered me a “free” treatment from a “licensed” cosmetologist (which I’m declining because I will never let them touch my hair again!) I avoid braid shops for these reasons....

My experience a few months ago was not that great. My hair came out nice, but their professionalism at the time was poor. Firstly, I had showed up early to get my hair done and even though I failed to make an appointment, it was not a mandatory thing, I believe I was there around 8am or 9am and the store was closed. Waited about two hours for a braided to make it to the shop, but Magic (one of the employees) allowed me and another lady in. It was a big fuss between which one of us (me and another lady who showed up early) was going to get our hair done first. That lady ended up leaving because of how long it took for another braider to come. That same braider had a booking, but the client was double booked with an in house individual eyelash service who was separate from the braiding business, but located in the shop. Magic (the male employee) was just so nasty to that girl (the lash tech) and their communication was just all over the place. The owner did reach out to me and apologized for all the mayhem and stating it was just a mishap that had to be worked out. Many things transpired throughout the day that is just a lot to breakdown. As a first time client looking at it from the outside, the shop just needs more order and a better system of accepting clients. Most of these reviews seem positive, so I’m sure I could’ve gained a better experience at a different time and if I secured an appointment.

All of this to be said is to make sure you book ahead of time to avoid wait time and...

I cannot express how much I enjoyed my experience with Katise and her team. There have been so many promotions on social media for local braiders. I loved the energy from her ads so reached out regarding her promotions. She was extremely responsive. After I made my appt she asked questions regarding my current hair condition to best help me prepare for my visit. She checked in on me through my visit as well.

The day of my visit I was warmly greeted by the shop barber Magic who continued to make sure I was comfortable throughout the day. They also have a lash tech on site Kayla who helped was informative and conversational during my visit.

What can I say about my braider Fatima? She is AMAZING! She is one of the sweetest and kindest braiders I’ve ever had. I asked for boho knotless small to my butt, which is not an easy task. Her attention to detail was insane! My hair looked even better than the reference photo I found on Pinterest. She wanted my parts to be as perfect as possible, and meticulously added in curls. Although she had a couple people help with fill in at different points throughout the day, she basically did my entire head on her own with no real breaks. I’m biracial and I’ve gotten braids throughout my life so I’m accustom to sitting for longer periods of time. The time is worth every minute. We did a little photo shoot/recording after and the team hyped me up so much.

I have definitely found my new...