Defining Image Salon

I’ve been a client of Nichole’s for about 7 years and I must admit I am not the easiest client. I love to make drastic color changes to my hair and with her expertise in hair color she always makes sure my hair is protected while we transition into my new color! My hair is also not easy to work with, but she always makes sure I leave looking amazing! I look forward to my appointments because the atmosphere there is always fun and up beat. It’s like seeing an old friend! I’ve seen the other stylists clients before and after and I would recommend any of them any of them with a basic color and cut to something that is a complete change! I can tell they are up to date on the best hair trends and the best products! Wouldn’t go anywhere else! I live in NE Vancouver and it’s worth the drive for me.

I feel among the lucky to have come across Defining Image and to have Maria as my hair expert. She always makes me feel completely at ease, answers every question thoroughly with her extensive knowledge, and always makes me look amazing (not to mention she is also really fun to talk to!) She saved me in time for my wedding when my hair was looking a mess and I had ruined it with prior bleaching and henna. I always get compliments every time she’s done my hair; thanks for being so awesome Maria!

If i could give this salon less than a star or no stars at all i would. Worst attitudes I have ever seen. In my personal opinion i feel that nicole who did my hair, is not as competent as you would expect out of somebody who does hair for a profession. I came in to get a keratin treatment. Nicole was really aggressively pushing for me to get the newer treatment that she said she has never used on anyone before but really wanted to test out. i declined and decided to go with the regular keratin treatment. she seemed very annoyed and only seemed to care about what she wanted and making a sale. after going home i notice that my hair is starting to fall out and break off into mattes. I call this salon up to tell them that my hair is damaged. Nicole tells me that its not possible for the keratin treatment to do any damage and then proceeds to actually give me the manufacturers phone number labeled on the back of the product as if its not her problem. she told me to call them and see what they say and then call her back. so even though i thought that was a strange way to respond, i called them anyways and explained what was going on with my hair. The manufacturers who happened to be located on the east coast, were confused as to why i would be calling them about this issue. They had me explain the steps that Nicole took while applying this treatment and then told me that it sounds like she overly straightened the product into my hair which would explain why my hair was fried and breaking off; but since they are not physically looking at my hair they cant say exactly what went wrong. After speaking with the manufacturers, i called the salon back, nicole tells me that all she was willing to do was have me pick up a couple free samples. then she told me that she had also called the manufacturers just to compare stories and that I was lying about what they told me! I could not believe she accused me of lying. I have never been so mistreated and disrespected by a business in my life. I live far away out in yacolt wa so i declined to come pick up a couple samples and asked to be re compensated. The professionalism instantly went out the window and suddenly she was yelling at me and talking to me like we were on the street ready to fight. She didn’t know how to handle the situation and did not want to re do my hair or re compensate me. Then she tells me that this salon is not for me and to never come back while hanging up on me. Not once did i raise my voice or call her any names yet she was extremely frustrated with the situation, over talking me and telling me that i didnt go to beauty school so i wouldn’t have a clue. I was left with fried hair while out 175 $. I guess this really was my fault for not paying closer attention. After witnessing how rude the stylist would all talk among-​st each other in front of clients, gossiping and cussing and even eating while doing hair, completely ignoring new people who walk in the door on time for their appointment and not acknowledging them until almost 25 to 35 min after their scheduled time when they could have offered a beverage and politely inform the client that they are finishing up and will be right with them, Switching stylist on clients and not asking them first when those clients specifically made an appointment with a specific stylist; leaving them in an awkward situation making the other stylist feel like the client does not trust in their ability’s, dropping combs on the floor and then using it on the clients head before sanitizing it or just grabbing a new comb, The fact that the salon was exceptionally empty and just an all out negative unwelcoming vibe, should have been enough to send me out the door and send Tabatha’s Salon Takeover in. This place needs help and needs a new crew. I really wanted to just try it regardless of the atmosphere because a girl who personally knows nicole who also came into my tanning salon is the one who recommended her for her hair color. My advice would be to not trust nicole. She does not take responsibility and she has a way of making it seem like its your fault. There is not enough room in Unilocal to explain in detail every single thing that went wrong with this salon on my visit but all i can say is I would rather go bald before ever coming back to this salon even if it was the last salon on earth.

Defining Image Salon is the only place I will go to get my hair done. Nichole has been doing my hair she’s been in the biz, I once cheated on her and will never do so again! All of the stylists are awesome, have a great sense of humor, friendly and are very welcoming. I recently went in for a drastic color change and I couldn’t have been happier. I got exactly what I wanted but 100 times better than I imagined… and received tons of compliments! They carry great products, give spot on recommendations on what will work best for your hair and wonderful styling advice. I usually hate sitting for long periods of time, but I always enjoy my time here and look forward to my next appointment. You need to check these talented stylists out, they do not disappoint!

I used to jump around from salon to salon because I couldn’t find someone who did an awesome job on my hair and made me feel at ease. I’m happy to report I’ve been going to see Maria for about 2 years now and she is amazing! She’s helped me get more confident in styling my hair and guides me in picking cuts that will work for my current daily styling time allotment (It’s an embarrassingly low amount of time folks) so I don’t roll into work looking like I only had 5 min to get ready. I recently went in for an up-​do and the end result looked incredible. I got so many compliments on my hair that night. I won’t be going anywhere else anytime soon.

I arrived in Portland and needed was in search of a good salon to manage my ridiculous hair. I found Defining Image, mainly because it was near my home in NE Portland. It was not only close, it was easily one of the friendliest environments I have visited. I worked with Nichole and she could not have been more professional, friendly, interesting and quite smart. Great conversation and great cut! If you are looking for a great salon in NE Portland, Defining Image will easily fit the bill.

My daughter and I have been a client for 7 years and keep coming back! Maria is AMAZING with color! Everyone here is professional, knowledgeable and fun!

Love the Salon setting and location. I always have Kaleena do my hair but all of the staff is very welcoming!

I had the best haircut I’ve had in years at Defining Image last month. I booked a haircut with Maria after reading a review about her skill with fine hair. I agree with every word of the positive review left in March. Maria is warm, intuitive, funny, and extremely skilled. I was nervous about working with a new stylist and she was patient and took the time to explain her process so that I’d feel at ease. She even gave me a few tips on easy ways to put my hair up. I haven’t had a bad hair day since my appointment and I’m looking forward to my next visit.

These guys are great! Maria gets my cut and style perfect every time. Plus, as an added bonus, she is funny. Each time I go in for my cut, I am politely greeted and offered a beverage. Can’t beat an adult beverage with my hair cut!

OMG Kaleena is the best!!! She cut my hair how I wanted and dyed it to the mark. Maria was super funny too. I will be going back.

This is by far the most informed, compassionate and talented Salon I have been to in all my years in Portland! I really mean that! My color weave is just perfect, and the cut for my fine hair is the best it’s looked in a long time. Costs are quite reasonable for the quality of services.
Maria is such a gifted stylist, and knows her product well. She is hysterically funny (as is the salon receptionist), lighthearted and takes care so that I don’t freak out while my sensitive head is being washed/​combed out! I’m such a baby!
If I’m über dumb about my next appointment, I have both an email and text to remind me.
Can’t go wrong with the location… candy store and pizza place in the same building! I’ve been good though; only bought Valentine’s chocolates!

Was really into getting my hairdo updated and happened into Defining Image! Loved the result I got from having stylist Nichole determine what I needed to update and give my hair pizazz!
She was really adept at giving me the right color and cut to match what I wanted! At my age, I really wanted a sophisticated look and something I could easily take care of myself. Would highly recommend Nichole at Defining Image!

Happy to have been a client for more than 8 years. Very well educated staff and easy to talk to. Everyone listens and offers wonderful suggestions on how to achieve the look you want. Great personalities make it a pleasure to visit. I couldn’t recommend this business more.

Love this place. Right in the neighborhood too… score! I walked in VERY last minute, begging someone to help me out with my hair (as I was about to be in my best friend’s wedding), and they really pulled through for me. To note, this is NOT a place where you just walk in… I would definitely make an appointment. However having said that, they were able to fit me in last minute and help me out… for which I will be eternally grateful, as my uneven hair will NOT live in infamy in wedding pictures! Yay!
I went in with pretty uneven color, blonde at the roots, darker red at the ends… they quoted me first, which I always appreciate… especially since I have very long hair (which translates into usually very very expensive). Marie did my hair, and did an amazing job… evened it out, gave me some highlights… I couldn’t believe how well it turned out! Yes, took several hours… but that is the price you pay when you have such a ridiculous amount of thick and long hair. I have never been to someone who really has an extensive conversation about what I want and my options… which was really helpful, especially as I am working on transitioning back to my natural hair color. I felt like she really understood what I was looking for before starting, and I was so happy with the results!
Overall– very impressed by their color work. I wanted to go to someone who knew what they were doing (not someone who just «does» color) and she did a wonderful job! I would highly recommend to any of my friends. Price is reasonable, people are very friendly, and they have great products for sale too (including some great products that won’t break the bank).

First I’ll start by saying that a friend of mine works here and she told me to check out their website to see if she had any open appointments. Holy cool website. Making an appointment online is a snap — it’s so great because I don’t have to be that annoying person on the phone, «what about Wednesday… um, no, Thursday… do you have anything in the afternoon… I mean evening… oh, never mind… what about Tuesday…» etc. I can do all that online!
Secondly, Christina gave me the best haircut that I have ever had (and I’m not just saying that). It was perfect. She made sure that it would look good air-​dried as well as all fancified — even though she knows that I’ll never do it! :) I would definitely suggest seeing Christina… she rocks.

I live in the Beaumont neighborhood, so this salon is very convenient for me to walk to. It also employs some of the best colorists and stylists in town. Edan has been doing my hair for a very long time and he always does a great job. He was the first colorist to color my hair and I’ve been having him color it ever since. Both Edan and Patty, the receptionist and aesthetician, are a hoot — super nice, but fun enough to joke around. The services are not cheap (at least Edan isn’t, being the owner and most experienced), but it’s worth every penny.

Oooo, I get to be the very first reviewer, well how cool is that? So, Defining Image is a salon tucked into the quaint neighborhood of Beaumont-Wilshire…I love this little ‘hood, reminds me of «Leave it to Beav» or something, but in a good way. Now, back to Defining Image… so, this place looks like it was decorated in the eighties. Or maybe the mid-​nineties (yeah, I’m dating myself) but hey who cares about the funky «sponge painted» floor (with gold sparkles), they can now be deemed «retro» and get away with it (although it might take a couple years to be retro enough to be called cool). The salon staff is FABULOUS. It is the only place where I will trust anyone to paint highlights upon my hair. It isn’t cheap, but my hair is long, (it’s got to be like 8 – 10 years old at the longest point), so – no offense, people – I don’t wanna «F» that hair up cause it takes a while to grow back. No really – they are nice, they are talented, and they gots mad skilz with the hair cuts and color. Give em a try. Plus, Beaumont-​Wilshire is so darned cute!