KABA African Hair Braiding — Local services in New York

my first experience here was very poor, and i was unfortunately unable to get my hair done by them that day.

i texted to make my appt, sent pictures of the style i wanted, and made sure that i got confirmation on the price before showing up.

my appt was for 9AM, but when i got there, the ladies were standing outside. it seemed like whoever had the key was running late, and we weren't able to get in until minutes to 10AM.

they were very apologetic, so i decided to wait, instead of just going to one of the sweatshops on 125. once inside, they did their best to get me started asap.

the shop provides hair, but I brought my own human and synthetic hair that was cut at a specific length bc of the style i wanted....which was just literally knotless braids with goddess ends. i didn't want the full boho look, and i didn't want any of the synthetic hair hanging off the end. i wanted only human hair for the ends. this is how I've been getting my hair braided for the last 6/7 years. (personally, i just think the synthetic ends get a little raggedy after 3 weeks, even if u redip them regularly)

after completing the first braid, the braider showed me her work. it was a boho braid, but she did the boho towards the end of the braid, creating a similar look. the synthetic ends were still left out, and their plan was to curl them.

i explained once more the style i was requesting and showed them the picture i had shared with them earlier in the week.

they refused to do the style, saying it was too hard, but did offer boho styles or a pick and drop look (micros w/human hair), but that's not what i wanted.

it seems like they do decent work, as long as you stick with what's on their service menu. the shop was full with appts by 1030, so i wouldn't not recommend them, but i was definitely disappointed with my own experience.

that said, i would not bring my small child here, as we were greeted by a furry friend upon arrival, and i would be concerned about leptospirosis, hepatitis C, hantavirus, and gastroenteritis.

to whoever owns or manages the space....steel wool will patch up the hole behind the dryers, until you're able to sheet rock, so that you don't have to worry about master splinter trying to stay warm and cozy in there at night.

in the end, i wound up going to a nearby shop that I've used before, where they only charged me $200 for the style, but as someone who braids their own hair sometimes, i know how tedious it can be, so i paid them $250 and tipped the two braiders who worked on my...

I wish I could give a different rating but my experience was not the best. I called to see if they could take me and the lady I spoke with told me the time to come. I asked about washing hair and she said she could do that too. I was a bit confused because it looked like it was a tailor store. Once I walked in I could see them braiding behind the tailor. The place was very small and packed with people. Not the cleanest and there was hair everywhere but of course it’s a braiding shop. When I arrived she was still working on someone else’s head. Almost half way done. I went to use the restroom and it was horrible. The was a bucket of dirty mop water in this small bathroom. It smelled bad. There was no soap. The toilet paper was wet. I had to leave. I let them know I was going to stop by the store and come back. I was gone for almost an hour and came back and she was still braiding the other woman’s head. When she finished she came over to me and I showed her what I wanted done. I wanted semi large braids in a bob so I could keep hair off my neck. My hair is bit long but I know their are tucking techniques to achieve the look. Unfortunately she could not do that so we decided to just braid down and curl the ends. Which defeated the whole purpose but it is what it is. I told her from the starts that I brought my own hair. I learned the hard way they don’t use anti itch/ prewashed hair. She kept trying to get me to use the hair she had but, I wasn’t about to have my scalp on fire. Once that was settled she starts to part my hair like she was going to braid it and I said it needs to be washed. She says you didn’t tell me that. I remind her that when we spoke on the phone she said she could do it. She takes me back to a make shift wash station and washes my hair. After blowing it out, which I’m not sure if she used heat protection or not, she finally begins braiding. I loved the technique she used. It was very gentle to my scalp. She braids fast and I should have been done within three to four hours but she stopped so many times to either finish someone’s hair or whatever else reason. The final results looked good or so I thought. I left for vacation the next day and I see pieces of my hair sticking out all over the place down the braid. It was overall a poor job. The lady was nice but I cannot recommend this...

I had to take out my braids after 2 days due to soreness and pain. I walked in as you don’t need an appointment, which I was pleased with and stated I wanted to get cornrows. If not 10, 8 and have been growing out my hair, with the intent to take care of it even with their being a stigma against men doing so. The Auntie in the front told me to sit and wait for her sister. 2 minutes later her sister came and began to ask what I wanted. I stated to her my request and she proceeded to say $60. $60 for straight backs sounded crazy to me even with inflation and all that came with it to Harlem, but I said ok and sat back so she could examine my hair. I did not come detangled because when I used to get my hair braided that was never required. Auntie had no problem with that either but this is where we run into trouble. As she parting, she’s combing my hair but with no product and just ripping at my hair. I mentioned you can detangle bottom to top to make it easier and that I do want product in my hair but, It was almost as she was just trying to get the job done. I also mentioned that because these are cornrows, I would like it we could not go so tight around my hairline, especially the corners, but I think that wasn’t considered by her either. For an hour, my hair was ripped from my scalp and little to no product was added to my hair during the detangling and braiding process. The girl across from me even seen the pain in my face as she was getting her hair done by another auntie, which I should point out her box braids turned out to be very nice. Even after I was done, no mousse was added and my braids looked stiff. I wanted to have a great experience in the neighborhood I grew up in, all while feeling nice with my new look and like I was in good care by these wonderful ladies, but by the end I just felt bamboozled out of $60 for 8 braids. My barber did his best to make look right but a haircut couldn’t help this time. I called the day after for a resolution but I wasn’t understood and just felt defeated so I gave up and said have...