The Hair Arts Institute — Local services in Oklahoma City

I’m currently a student at Hair Arts Institute, and I wish someone had warned me before I signed up. What you're shown during the tour does not reflect the reality of what this school is like once you’re enrolled.

There is no access to color education outside of clients for most students even though it's what many of us came here for and paid higher tuition expecting to learn. We were told color was “taken away” because some students made a mess or didn’t finish fast enough. Instead of addressing individual accountability, leadership just punished everyone.

There are no classes for,Manicuring, Facials, Scalp treatments, Conditioning or shampooing, Business management, and Professional development. We are on the floor doing clients all day with little to no time for real training. Blow-drying, finger waving, wig dressing all skipped or barely touched. We are being used more than we are being taught.

This place is run like a salon, not a school. We're measured by how many hours we clock, not what we learn. Instructors are constantly busy doing clients, not teaching. It’s not about preparing students it’s about protecting the image of the school.

To make it worse, rules change constantly without any explanation, and communication from leadership is basically nonexistent. Tools that actually help students are taken away with no student input. One student misuses something? Everyone gets punished.

There are some amazing instructors, shoutout to Kwang, Kayla, and Randall who genuinely act like they care, But are unqualified and unprofessional, they lie too. Harmony is an instructor that doesn't even have salon experience or experience in color. Financial aid is also a mess, they never know where your money is or can tell you what you owe. Numbers change without explanation, and students are often talked down to when we ask valid questions. They say it's an open door policy but when you go to talk about something it's turned back around on you to make you feel less than human.

Many of us feel lied to. What we were promised when we enrolled is not what we’re getting. We’re paying thousands of dollars to be micromanaged, dismissed, and under-trained. The owner Rick cuts hair and pockets the money, never demos anything but he's the lead instructor. He knows nothing about color and is racist and will turn on, talk about and let go of any student of color. They find loop holes to get you out of the school, saying you are unhappy just to keep your money and put your loans in default so you can't go anywhere else.

Please, do your research. Ask questions. Don’t be fooled by the tour, we are told to act like we are working hard and that is when we are micromanaged the most. This place is not what it claims to be. Rick is also locking students and clients inside the school and I'm sure that's a fire hazard.

I have attached pictures that show the condescending behavior from Rick the owner and Jane from financial aid. Instead of just apologizing for a lie that was told by one of the instructors harmony and then through thorough investigation and calling other students in James office and asking them specifically if I called Harmony names, it was said that I didn't. They still wanted me to agree to a lie. I also have lupus and came in and always remained positive as well as speaking to everyone and saying good morning.

I was let go from this school for confiding in another teacher and he went back and told the owner what I said. The owner called me on a Saturday to tell me he was letting me go because he knew I was unhappy and because I called him a bully. I was also sick with strep, that one of the teachers keeps coming to school with. Having an autoimmune disease, I get sicker than the average person. So it wasn't that I was unhappy, it's that I was sick. But again no one asked. Now I can't finish school...please BEWARE ⚠️ BEWARE...

Below is a picture of my hair curled, BEFORE. Then there is the inspiration picture I showed my stylist. The second two are after my appointment.

The management/teacher at this institute worked on my hair herself, and said “the pic is AI so, they are students so we can’t make promises, and you signed something so”

SO. I highly suggest you don’t book here. I can’t recommend them. I had 3 women working on my hair. They had drama about the salon during my appointment (about the product). I also talked to them about how the next day I was getting married (yesterday). AND my hair turned out like this…….

I paid over $100 dollars, AND spent what I would say an ENTIRE day at this place. With THREE GROWN WOMEN working on my hair….

Don’t go here if you want your hair to stay on your head and want SOMEONE to respect you, and their own work. Their names were Kelsey Musselman, the grown and older woman in management was thin, light hair with I believe some sort of weird looking extension sticking out, and another girl Kenzie (I think) who was a student, I guess I’ll never even know for sure.

They deleted or blocked or something my review on Facebook.

Have a GREAT day and thanks for ruining my wedding day! My husband would not allow me to tip, even if I personally wanted to and enjoyed their company, the work here unfortunately and obviously will never be worth letting these women touch me in...

I’m deeply disappointed in my experience with HAI. After facing issues that ultimately led to my withdrawal, I received a letter stating that in order for the school to forgive a $5,650 balance, I must agree not to make any negative or honest public statements about my experience — including on social media. This felt like an attempt to silence me rather than a genuine effort to resolve the situation with integrity.

In addition, I was told I must complete federal Exit Counseling through studentaid.gov to fulfill a Department of Education requirement. While I understand the need for that step, the communication from the school felt more focused on their paperwork than on helping me move forward.

To be clear, I am not interested in dragging this situation onto social media. I simply want to continue my education elsewhere. If I am refunded all the school funds that were paid in — so that I can transfer and enroll in another program — I will consider the matter resolved and will not pursue it any further publicly.

Students deserve transparency, fairness, and respect. Unfortunately, that was not my experience with HAI. I hope they reflect on how they treat students who are simply trying to move forward with...