Hairy Situations Salon

I met Teddy through a friend who introduced her as an expert on curly and ethnic hair. I unfortunately have both of those things, in random patches around my head. My hair is a serious nightmare. But Teddy was fearless and dove right in. She clearly knew exactly what to do. I didn’t have a particular style in mind because I have never been able to figure out what to do, so she made some suggestions and got to work. We didn’t make a solid decision, so she said if I didn’t like it I could come back and she would redo it for free!
Long story short, I love my hair now, and the free cleanups in between appointments are great! The salon is super convenient for people that live in the neighborhood, and the staff are very nice and helpful. They don’t force products on you like some people do, and they offer complimentary coffee or wine while you’re there! I’m so glad to finally have found «my person» to take care of me here! The price was right, too.
I’m not giving five stars only because I have been to salons that, overall, were much nicer. Of course, they cost more, too, so for a mid-​range place this one is very good.

I’ve been going to Melody at Hairy Situations for about a year and a half now. She listens carefully to what I want and even has suggestions for those times when I’m out of creative ideas. I consistently get compliments on my hair.
While waiting, you’re offered a glass of wine, soda or water. I always choose the wine even though I have a sneaking suspicion that they’re buttering me up…
Despite the slightly turn-​me-​off name of the salon, the hair that walks out of that place is phenomenal.

Eff the salon. It’s all about Pamela Ross. I just called for an appointment with her, and you should too.
She’s been doing my hair for about five years now and I have never been disappointed. I’m a natural blonde who has been dying my hair different shades of red for the past fourteen years. Some of the most creative scarlet iterations have come from Pam. Her haircuts are fabulous and reasonably priced, as is her color work. I have gone in to see her with no idea of what to do with my mid-​length straight hair and walked out with fun bangs, perfectly long layers, etc ad nauseam. Several of my friends have gone to see her and a few of them are now regulars.
In the interest of full disclosure, I originally met her through a mutual friend at a party and we became friends before I was her client. She did my hair and makeup for my wedding — four years ago. I’ve been paying her regularly ever since because her work is so great. Also, she’s a super fun person with a great sense of style and a grasp of the art of conversation. In short — go see Pam. She’s awesome and deserves your hard-​earned beauty funds.
p. s. the salon is okay, I guess. the parking is a little wonky, though there’s a lot behind the salon — take a right on Annie next to the Farm to Market Grocery.

My experience bad. Really bad. I hope I am the exception not the rule.
I arrived 15 minutes early for my appointment. I waited over 30 minutes for the person to sit me down to cut my hair. Once I sat down, I said I want to keep the shape and the length. I do not want to add any layers and please do not texturize my hair. In terms of color, I said that I wanted to add a little dimension to my hair but I did not want chunky highlights. I am growing my hair out for my wedding. I ended up disappointed with some weird layers and thin hair. I am really, REALLY unhappy with the cut.
The bangs. The bangs are the worst part. She used a texturizer and they are all uneven. I am all for an edgy haircut, but listen to what I’m saying to you! It looks like a 6-​year-​old who tried to cut her own bangs.
I asked her to keep the shape and just clean it up. What I ended up with looks like a weedwacker cut my hair. Once I told her I was getting married, she sent over their in-​house updo person. Are ya kidding me? I really did not appreciate this. The stylist knew I was upset with my haircut and color and was this an attempted distraction? I don’t really know. I don’t want anything to do with you and now you are sending over your updo person?
Part of the haircut was supposed to be a blowdry. She sent me out with a horrible blowout and TONS of product in my hair.
The color sucks. I’ve had bad experience with highlights and I’ve had good experiences. This is a bad one. I have dark eyebrowns and brown hair. I asked for a little dimension to my hair– nothing chunky, nothing blonde. Guess what I ended up with.
Hairy Situations, your free soda and wine will not fix my botched color job and funky haircut. Listen to your clients. I asked for the simplest of tasks and now I have to play with an odd cut and deal with a sorry color job.
And the blows just keep on coming: the cut and color took over 3.5 hours. I’ve never had that happen.
It was a very disappointing experience.
Parking is terrible (aka there is none).

This is for the non-​fashionable:
I am not a fashionista. I like jeans and T-​shirts. I often go a week without shaving. The extent of my professional dress is going to Calvin Klein and buying what’s on the mannequin. So, no, I am not one to generally care about the way my hair looks.
But, like some sort of follicle-​based addict, I can’t get enough of Amber at Hairy Situations. Ever since I started going to her I actually care about my hair. It’s an odd feeling… the new compliments, the girls winking from across the bar. I can’t explain it; not sure I want to.
But, for those of you like me (male or female), Amber does the one thing that you really want a hairdresser to do: she just does her own thing. I don’t have to say «I like it layered» or «work with my bangs», I just tell her to have at it and she does something awesome every time.
I have bought ten dollar haircuts my entire life, and I still would if I had not been pointed her direction. But I’m a changed man… grasping at the reality that I actually like my hair now. Cheers, Amber, you’ve made a fan. Thank you for your free «cleanups» weeks later and for penciling me in last-​second when I’m going on a trip. It’s all appreciated.

This review is for Pam at Hairy Situations. I decided to try her after reading a few Unilocal reviews, after a crappy way-​too-​many-​layers haircut i got somewhere else.
I think Pam does a great job of diagnosing problems and coming up with great ways to fix them based on your preferences. Like today, i went in and said something like «ugh, my hair, i’m not really happy with it, it looks really blah,» and she knew just what to do.
I’ve never been disappointed; I’ve always been really pleased. She confirms things throughout the cut as well.
Pam is a really cool person, and a smart and creative stylist I highly recommend

Nikki was able to fix my less-​than-​perfect hair cut without having to cut much more off. Hurray!!! I feel so much better!!! Go see her. She is wonderful.

Nikki G has been cutting my hair for the past year plus and before her I never really had anyone steady because I had never really been overly satisfied. The best part about Nikki is if I am feeling indecisive I just ask her to freestyle and I have never been dissatisfied by her choices. Dudes of Austin, if you need a good haircut at a great value make an appointment with Nikki G. at Hairy Situations.

Since I moved to Austin in 2001, I went to stylist after stylist AFTER STYLIST and couldn’t find anyone I completely trusted with my hair. Do you know how awful that is? I will admit I’m very picky when it comes to my hair, but who isn’t, right?
Any who, a friend of mine referred me to Nikki G. and I gave that a shot. I haven’t been to another stylist since. I’d say it’s been about a year and a half now and I see her every month. I have LOVED every cut and color.
So, in short, I highly recommend Nikki. I have always been extremely satisfied!

I have followed Nikki around for the past 5 years to have her cut and color my hair, from Dallas to Austin, and she even flew out to San Francisco while I lived there and needed a haircut. She always gets it right, even when I don’t know what I want. Seriously, all I have to say is, «Do something kind of awesome.» and she does it. I dunno how, but it happens every time.
I’m even more excited now that she’s at Hairy Situations, which is probably the best salon in Austin. Nevermind that its in the coolest location in the whole city, or that they offer drinks while you get your hair «did», but the staff is suuuuuper friendly and they have great product lines available for sale, too. All in all — its a fantastic salon. And then, after you get a stylish new hair-​do, you can walk out the door of the salon and BAM!, you’re struttin’ your stuff on the main street of south Austin.
If you’re new to the place, its best to call and book in advance, and always always always ask for Nikki (last initial is G, just in case there are 2 Nikki’s, but I don’t think there are). She does a great job, is very professional, and will work with you if you are super picky and neurotic — like me. I’ve recommended her to a lot of my friends, guys and gals and everyone has been very impressed.
Seriously, if you’re looking for a good haircut, go here. Problem solved.

The timing was right for me to get a new stylist. I asked around, and a friend very highly recommended Amber Silver at Hairy Situations.
The people in the front were friendly while I waited, although I know more about some of them than I probably should. No bother… they serve wine and blah blah blah, BUT they serve super cold Coke Zeros. After walking a few blocks to get there, that Coke Zero was damn delicious!
I got back to see Amber and told her what I wanted. … And I wasn’t even totally sure what I wanted! I said a bit of this and a bit of that and I really feel like she listened, but also brought out things I hadn’t thought of.
She was a lot of fun and very personable. As she styled, she told me what she was doing, which was very useful to me, since I do pretty much basics only.
A few stylists ago took me way blonder than what I had wanted and now I’m way dark… and I LOVE it! For the first time since I got maroon highlights, I absolutely LOVE my hair (rather than a «yeah, it looks good.»)

Whenever my hair starts to look a little too mad-​scientist-​y, I make an appointment with Laura to get a haircut. I have short, thinning hair these days, and you would think it wouldn’t be too difficult for someone to cut it properly, but over the past 3.5 years, I’ve had my hair cut in four different cities by 8 different people and only been consistently pleased with one – Laura. And I get to talk about good movies, bad movies, and German board games with her throughout my haircut. Even though I’ve moved further north now, I plan to continue going to Laura for my haircuts!

I agree with some of you and I hate to complain… but my friend Danielle told me to go there… the parking was hilarious… I ended up parking on a hill by the big cupcake.
I waited 30 minutes past my appointment… I was offered tons of drinks, which I took one, and then wondered why they would want me drunk and now I see why… my cut alone was 85 dollars… my hair is short to begin with, and I wanted the Victoria Beckham bob at the time, and the girl did not listen to me, made it uneven so I had one side longer than the other and no I was not drunk it was the truth…
The stylist told me to only use Preference by Loreal hair dye and said I needed to dye my hair which is strawberry blonde, and I was like, well, thank you, and she seemed so put out to even be there… she must have been having a bad day… I even left a considerable tip but kind of regret that now… some stylists were cool, the place looked very nice and very Austin, but I am never going there again… she made my bob crooked and of course tried to sell me every Bumble & Bumble product (which I already had but just let her go buck wild with the sales pitching) and the cut took like an hour and my stylist now can get it done in like 15 minutes…
I actually regret going there but I know how hard it is to find that right place but save your money! It is just hair and it will grow out in a few weeks anyway!
I know many of you are happy there, but I go to an amazing person that I found (and I searched high and low for months) out of all places at a freaking Fantastic Sams… just find what works for you but if you go here, drink it up, sisters and misters, because you are going to pay! :)
Good Luck! Hair a great day, I mean, have a great day…

When I left Austin for Boston, I went through four colorists before I found someone as good as Melody at Hairy Situations to do my color. FOUR. And I still think she is a bit better than my person in Boston. She is amazing with color, especially if you’re going blonde. She is also a person that will go the extra mile and work late to accomodate your schedule when you’re in a pinch. I don’t want people to take advantage of her flexibility/​kindness based on that comment, so if you keep her there after hours make sure to tip accordingly. She’s worth it!

Great place… having just moved here and not knowing where to go, the people here were friendly, inviting and a pleasure to deal with. I am making my 2^nd appointment so I guess I like it!
I went to Johann Escoabar the first time and I am going again. She gives great cut.

I don’t love Hairy Situations as much as I love my stylist, Lindsey! She is amazing with my hair, she know it perhaps better than myself. I’ve been seeing her for a couple of years now, and have referred several of my friends to her (men and women) who are also repeat clients now!
I don’t know how walk-in’s work in this kind of salon, but if you need a cut you should call ahead and ask for her.

I went to this salon upon the recommendation of a few people.
Granted these were all people I’ve met in passing, so it’s not like they were highly motivated to tell me the truth about this.
I made an appointment for a Saturday morning. I already had a haircut that I liked. A lot. I just needed to have it shortened, and I had to find a new placed since my old stylist is still in Dallas.
I walked in, and sat for twenty minutes past my scheduled appointment time. No one offered me anything. No one spoke to me, actually. When the stylist finally came to retrieve me (and she hadn’t had a prior customer, so there was no reason for her to be tardy), there was no apology.
Whatever, I can get past this crap if they do a good job.
I explained to her that I liked my haircut, and I liked the layers — I just needed everything shortened up by a few inches. Simple enough, right?
Two freaking hours later (during which she attempted to hard sell me on $ 40 hair products), I left. I was quoted the price of $ 45 on the phone, and found myself paying $ 55.
To add insult to injury, I got home and discovered that my hair was shorter. But only the bottom layers. She had just charged me $ 55 to make my hair one length all over, even after my explicit instructions to keep the layers.
What a waste.

I’ve been going to Doug for about 5 years now. Hairwise, I’ve gone long to short, and back to long again. The last time he gave me layers to remove some weight out of my long hair, and they grew out very nicely so my hair looks great even a few months later. Though I moved to Dallas two years ago for work, I still go to Austin twice a year to get my haircut by Doug because he is the best hair dresser!
I really enjoy the Hairy Situations location as well… good music, drinks, and a very friendly atmosphere. It’s at a nice location on South Lamar too so if you bring a friend or SO, they can shop around while you get your hair done.

The Good:
: the place is really interestingly run. each stylist rents his/​her own space, instead of working for the salon. cool! so they can set their own hours and their own fees.
: reasonable prices charged. you can pick who you want in whatever price range. i pay $ 40 – 50 for a haircut, which includes a shampoo, a cut, and a styling.
: the interior is really fun and feels open
: free mimosas and other beverages while you get your hair cut. sweet!
: great location off of south congress. when i am done, i go next door to the monkey store and waste money on cute stuff.
The Bad:
: if you try different people, you will get different results. i really like a couple of people i’ve tried there, and there are a couple of other people i am not as crazy about. they didn’t know how short was too short to go on my hair, so when they were done i ended up looking like a teenage asian boy. so find someone good and stick with that person as long as you can!
: my favorite stylist can be really really moody grumpy at times. makes me kind of uncomfortable. ack.
The Ugly:
: none.
Would I go back? Definitely. I’ll just drink more mimosas so I can better deal with my favorite stylist on her bad days. :)
This place is IN.

To cut a foot of hair off is a pretty frightening thing, but it was time for crazy cat hair lady to go and for a kid to get a wig. On a random recommendation, called up Hairy Situations and asked for a professional who was superb with short hair, and whoever answered the phone recommended «Brooke».
I must have had about 3 mimosas as she was lopping off my hair, but all the nerves were for naught. She is a professional and a perfectionist. I’ve gone back this past year about 3 – 4 times for cuts and colors and have referred 5 friends to her. Nobody has been disappointed and all come out looking magnifique!
I can’t tell you what a relief it is for someone like me who has NO idea about hair styling to go and tell a stylist… make me look great and make it low-​maintenance and they do exactly that. Word to the wise, if you have an idea of the type of haircut you want and she doesn’t think it will suit you, you’re probably better off taking her advice and you’ll probably come out with a better cut.
Last gems of wisdom:
Cost: Men’s (~ $ 30), Women’s cut (~ $ 50), color (~$ 100)
Make a reservation, but be on time! They may not be there if you’re 15 – 30 minutes late.
Flexible scheduling: i.e. They can meet you after work hours if you don’t work in the downtown area and can’t get there till 6 or so.