Essentials Beauty Spa

I’m natural and I Got my hair done and had it straightened, deep conditioned, trimmed and curled. It cost me a whopping $ 100. Add a bit more and that’s braids or a full head of weave that will last two months. I can’t afford to go to this salon on a regular basis. She did my hair really well but I’m certain I can find someone else to straighten my hair really well for a cheaper price. Back to my weave I will go after this style is over. Tamara is a wonderful stylist and she knows hair extremely well. Love her!!! I just can’t afford to go the salon often at this price point.

I have been going to essentials for years. I have been through 3 owners. Beware! The present owner will hire any person to do hair. They have a very high turnover of women that can not do hair. I have never been so disappointed in my service. I will not be returning.

I visited this salon after purchasing a Groupon, which was $ 29 for wash, condition, and 2 strand twist style. I had no expectations but was willing to take the risk because I needed my hair done something crazy. My appointment was at 8am on Saturday morning with Shawna. The shampoo and conditioning were standard. However, when it came to styling, Shawna was great! I had no idea what kind of twist style I wanted. Never had one and didn’t do any research beforehand. Shawna and I discussed many options and what she thought would look good. I ab-​so-​lute-​ly loved the style she gave me. I got sooo many compliments on the style. She did a really good job with my hair and I definitely plan to return with my daughter! This was back in November and I will try to find some pics.

Michaela is a gem! Great twist n go. Convenient locale with free parking available. One star due to poor service.

Essentials is THE place for natural hair care and styling. I commute from upper Montgomery County to Laurel, in traffic, to get my hair done. I love Tamara, but all of the stylists are great. The new owner is so talented! I get complimented on my hair all the time from both women and men. From iron outs to natural styles to lock maintenance, Essentials does it well!

I have been a faithful customer of Essentials for about 6 – 7 months now and I love it! Let me start with that I did not like… I was not too fond of the former owner or her work on my hair. She was less than personable, LATE (which I do not tolerate), barely spoke to me while in her chair and uses the worst product ever. I don’t know what it was called but it did nothing for my hair. I even had to ask if she was using any product at all. I have a lot of hair and it is thick and needs lot of attention as I sweat in my scalp. She left me thinking this was not the place for me. I am so glad she is gone!
Apprehensively, I returned as they take walk-in’s, same day call in’s and are around the corner from my house…
I saw Tamera and she was a dream. She dyed my hair and although the color was not what I wanted it was still gorgeous and the time and patience Tamera had were undeniable. She was sure to protect my hair and explain the process to me. We chatted as if we were girlfriends and she even offered to dye my hair again to the color I initially wanted. She undid my experience with the former owner.
The next month I saw Tonya (Tamera was booked) and Tonya is absolutely delightful!!! The way she shampoo’s my hair with delicate balance of scratching and massaging… puts me to sleep every single time. In addition, when Tony does my hair she takes her time (even though she’s quick) and does it right. She’s even realized she was locking my hair the wrong way and taken them all out to redo them the correct way. Tonya uses her own product that has my hair growing like wildfire. My hair has grown at least4−5 inches in the past 3 months. She is full of great wisdom and insight and has the utmost respect for all of humanity.
Last night one of the newest stylist, Joy, did my hair as Tonya was out. Joy is an absolute Joy. My hair is LAID!!! Without asking, she gave me a hot oil treatment as my scalp was extra itchy. She really took her time with my hair. She explained how she would have done my hair had I not been getting a style and how to keep my hair healthy and where I could go to find the said products. Additionally, Joy gave me all kinds of make-​up tips (she does make up too). I can’t wait to buy the list of products she suggested. She is looking forward to doing more than just hair in the shop too.
Although the new owner, Kerri has never done my hair, we have spoken on a few occasions and she is as sweet and friendly as they come. I am so excited she is going to take this salon to the next level. I can’t wait to see how she grows this business.
Essentials is where I’ll be getting my hair done for as long as I live in the area. Please go check them out. This is truly a business of excellence.

I’ve been natural for about 9 years and I’ve lived in the DMV area for about 8 years. It’s been a tough journey trying to find a salon that really cares for natural hair, but Essentials Beauty Spa is a keeper. I’ve been getting my hair done at Essentials for about a year and a half. I’ve gotten, two strand twist, two strand combo, blowout/​iron out, highlights, full color, and flexis. All the stylists are talented. The wait time varies, but I’ve never waited more than 20 minutes. If you can get an early morning appointment, go for it. Parking is easy. The location is a straight shot from DC. The atmosphere is relaxing– free Wifi! I always get compliments about my hair. Renee did an excellent job with my color.
Also, Essentials has a punch card for repeat customers. I was finally able to use mine– $ 25 off my service. Every now and then, there are specials on the website.

I dont remember the name of my stylist, but my experience was OK.
First off, if you are reading this, then you probably already know the strange epidemic of a lack of good African American salons in the DMV area. Since I have natural hair, I decided to try this place. I wanted a cut and I was extremely nervous about letting just anyone cut my hair.
The salon is very clean and spacious. I found it to be very professional. My stylist did a great wash and deep condition before she cut it. I brought a picture of the cut I wanted (a picture of myself) and she said OK.
When she was finished, the cut was much shorter than I anticipated. Also it had a completely different shape from the picture that I showed her. All-​in-​all, it wasn’t bad… just not what I wanted. Moreover, I was not impressed with the products that she used when she tried to style it. As most naturalistas know, my hair has different curl patterns throughout. Whatever product she used was not compatible with my hair type.
I would go again (when my hair grows back) for a style, but if I wanted another cut I would go somewhere else. She did not do poorly (and I have received a few compliments of encouragement), Im just not thrilled because its different from what I wanted. But it wasn’t worth arguing about — especially now that I’m home and Im using the products that my hair likes.
Also, the price was very fair. That’s another reason I would go back.

I went to Essentials to get a curly cut and was pleasantly surprised! Upon my arrival, I wasn’t so sure about the place because I waited about 25 minutes to be shampooed. I was nervous about my cut because cutting hair while its wet and curly can be a challenge, so I asked to see my stylist before the shampooing began. Renee (the owner/​stylist) came over and reassured me that everything would be ok and she would look at my pictures of the style I wanted when I hit her chair.
The young lady that shampooed my hair was the best! She scratched and massaged my scalp so good that I fell asleep, something that normally doesn’t happen to me! After being shampooed and conditioned, she put a hot towel around my head to seal in moisture and that sealed the deal. I was knocked out!
Once I sat in Renee’s chair, she calmed my fears by looking at the pictures and reassuring me that she would get as close as possible to my desired style, and explained that all curl patterns were not the same but she would try to get as close as possible. The cut only took about ten minutes and after she ran some mousse in for volume. I was astonished at the result! My hair was full of curls and bouncy to be short. I was so happy that I made a follow up appointment to have my hair trimmed in about three weeks.
All in all, this is a great salon for women that wear their hair natural and need a person that can cut wet, curly hair properly. Renee is great at this and I would recommend that anyone in the area seeking to find a natural hair care salon to check her out.

Went here for my big chop after reading some reviews here and other places on the web. I may have had a very emotional response to the hair but i had a good response to this place! Brittany welcomed me when i arrived and shampoo’d me she was pretty amazing with keeping me comfortable and informing me about my new natural hair! Shes the type of person i wish i could keep around me at all times because she was so uplifting and happy!
The woman that actually cut my hair I dont remember much. probably because she barely said three words to me. but Brittany more than made up for her in making my experience a good one. I will return so that I can be shampoo’d by Brittany again and i’ll try out one of the other stylist as i saw some amazing hair walking out the door.

So I have been natural for many years now but had never really went to a natural salon. I knew I was in need of a trim and wanted to try some highlights to brighten up my hair for the spring/​summer. I called on a Friday night just before closing and was able to get an appointment for Satuday morning. I explained to the stylist that I knew I wanted a trim and highlights and possibly a two strand twist style.
Upon arrival to the salon at 12:15 for a 12:30 appointment. I was given the color book to choose my highlight color. The assistants were very helpful in helping me to select a color. I told the stylist that I was apprehensive about color having never really done it before and wanting to choose something that would compliment my skin tone. She spoke with me briefly and we decided on a color. We also discussed my trim and whether or not she trimmed on wet or dry hair (I have only ever had my hair trimmed on dry/​straight/​blow dried hair). She said that she cuts on wet hair (I have a curly texture that «was just above shoulder length wet/​unstretched). Trusting her and the fact that this was a natural salon I allowed her to do it as she preferred on wet hair. I also decided against the two strand twist. I waited until 1:30 before she actually began to work on me. She mixed up the color and began applying. It took a while but ultimately she finished and I was left to process for a while. Washed out the color and I was taken to the chair for my trim.
Could slightly see the color but not really at this point. She begins to comb out my hair and trim. By the time she finished my hair was now in a mostly dry mega fro at which point she thanks me for my visit and intends to send me out the door. I have NEVER went to a salon and left out looking worse than when I came in. I asked if we could rewet my hair and put some product in it, which after a while she agreed to, but promptly let me know that when scheduling an appointment if I wanted my hair styled I had to request a «finger style» so that time was allotted, but mind you I had scheduled two strand twists initially so im not sure how the time was not allotted for a finger style which would take significantly less time.
Anyways, I left went home (it was 6:30 before I was out of the shop… for highlights and a trim… really!!!) and began examining and realized that the highlights were more like chunky streaks heavy on one side of my head and light on the other and the trim was A HOT MESS! She took about 2 inches off but when i blow dryed my hair to get a better look at the cut in one section it was long and then short and then boxy… no blending at all. I wanted to cry.
I called to speak with the owner the next open business day, which was a Tuesday and when I asked what her name was she kept just asking me, rudely, how can I help you? over and over without giving me her name. I told her that i was in the shop on saturday and had some issues to discuss with my hair, at which point her tone changed because she said she thought I was a telemarketer. I am sorry I dont care if I was a telemarketer, the rude manner in which she answered the phone was VERY unprofessional and I would expect more from an owner when I just put out nearly $ 100 for highlights and a trim! Nonetheless she scheduled me an appointment to come out and have the color checked and the trim fixed. The new lady did her best to fix the trim (on blow dryed hair) and said there wasnt really anything she could do about the chunky highlights but try to cover them and/​or add more to the other side, but also that she didnt have time for that today. So once again no effort to style my hair, but to her credit she gave me a brush and some gel of some sort to put my hair in a ponytail, I left, went home and straightened my hair and found that my cut was still tragically uneven and choppy.
It is hair… It will grow back, styling is difficult (twist outs/​braidouts) because of the uneveness. I could probably cut my hair more and lose even more length to get some sort of evenness/​flow to my hair but if i do, I most definitely will get it done on straight/​flat ironed hair at a regular salon.
It may be a good location for twist outs and or updos, but NEVER NEVER NEVER would i trust them with neither color or trim/​cut. Horrible experience. Think I will try Natural Kinks in DC next time, they are pricier sure, but would rather pay the price if the results are worth it.

I have been a customer of Essentials since August 2012 and find myself returning about every 3 weeks. When I did my Big Chop nearly 2 years ago, it took awhile to trust anyone other than myself with my new texture! I had relaxed hair since I was 7 (I’m much older now :)). So, needless to say, I was hesitant.
The atmosphere at Essentials is professional! The owner, Renee, maintains a modern, spacious, clean atmosphere that is comfortable and efficient. Her staff is friendly, prompt, and knowledgable (I’ve never waited more than 10 minutes and do not find myself booked at the same time as another client). I am always pleased with my styles which vary from color, blow out/​flat iron, trim, two-​strand twists, braids (with added hair), and flexis — they can do it all! When I leave, my hair feels well cared for.
I always look forward to returning and readily recommend the salon to my fellow naturalistas!

I’ve lived in Laurel for almost 3 years and didn’t know of this place until I randomly happened to be walking past one day and discovered this place.
I recently got tired of my naps and decided to cut it all off, and get some color. My stylist was Tonya and she did a really good job. I initially did not like the way the color came out, and she was really nice enough to re-​do it. Renee (the owner of the salon) did the big chop, and she did a pretty good job as well. I got my cut and color for $ 95…which is pretty good compared to some of the prices that other salon owners quoted for me.
All in all, pretty good stuff. I would go back here… and it’s literally up the street from me.

I had an appointment at this salon last Friday for 5:30. I arrived at 5:25, I was being shampooed at 5:30. I was very impressed! I went in for a big chop and was walked through the whole process. I had watched you-​tube, but there is nothing like a face to face. Thank you Brittany! I enjoyed my first experience in this very professional salon and was very satisfied with the end result. Thank you Tamara! I knew my hair would be short, but a precise cut made me very happy as I took my first glance in the mirror at my very twa.

In search of a natural hair salon, I scheduled an appointment at Essentials.
I’ll start with the good. I had no problem getting an appt when I called on Thurs for a Sat appt. Parking was a breeze, plenty of free parking directly across the street. When I entered the salon there was no wait and I was immediately introduced to my stylist. There are a few coupons on their site that you can use with your hair service and as a new client I used a coupon to get a free jar of Miss Jessie’s baby buttercreme (trial size).
Now on to the not so good. Products… they’re a natural salon and the stylist proceeded to use a Design Essentials shampoo that was not sulfate free — umm okay. I’m used to sulfate free shampoos — Trader Joe’s, Giovannis, etc. and really expected that out of a natural salon. After my shampoo, conditioner, and blow dry the stylist offered to apply a light oil to my hair. When I asked what kind of oil, she said Design Essentials. I declined and she asked what kind of oils do I typically use on my hair. Natural oils — coconut oil, jojoba oil, olive oil. They didn’t have any of those.
Now to the bad — I showed the stylist a picture of a style from their website and then she proceeded to do my hair completely different. When I told her that from what I could see in the mirror this wasn’t the style that I requested she huffed and then went to get the owner, who agreed with me that the style in the picture was a bit different from what she was doing. Ultimately I had to hold up a picture of the style so that she could reference as she was doing my hair. It took a while for us to get on the same page, and ultimately I would say that the style was 70% there.
However, the overall experience was just okay and I probably wouldn’t go back. I’m looking for a natural salon that uses a good mix of natural products (at least some shea butter in sight) and that combined with the experience with the stylist, it’s not worth the $ 100 I paid. And I hate saying that because I’m desperately searching for a natural hair care salon to commit to, lol.

A gem of a salon… especially for natural hair
trendy & classic styles
skilled technicians
comfortable environment
relaxed atmosphere
large product selection
easy to get an appt.
reasonable prices
warm/​welcoming personalities
good customer relations

Great customer service! Wonderful hair wash and deep condition.