Find Houston-area hair salons, nail salons and beauty studios.

Finding a hair salon in Houston

Cosmetologists and salons are both licensed in Texas by the Department of Licensing and Regulation, and licences are required to be displayed. TDLR also enforces the sanitation standards that matter in a salon — implement disinfection, clean capes and linens, and proper handling of tools between clients.

Colour is where the money and the risk are

A cut grows out. Colour does not, and correcting bad colour costs several times what doing it properly cost in the first place. Two things worth knowing:

• Ask whether the stylist does corrective colour. It is a specialisation, not a default skill, and the salons that offer it are the ones confident in their colour work generally. It is also the service you will go looking for in a hurry, from someone you have never met, on a bad day — so noting who does it now is worth more than it sounds.
• A consultation before a big change is normal and usually free. Any stylist making a significant colour change should be doing a strand test and talking about the condition of your hair before booking the appointment.

Booking and structure

Many Houston stylists rent a chair or a suite rather than being employed by the salon. Practically: you are hiring a person. Prices, booking systems and cancellation policies can differ chair to chair inside the same address. Ask who you are booking with and book with them directly next time.

Levels are common — a senior stylist costs more than a new one at the same salon. That is a real difference in experience, not a sales tactic.

Questions that prevent the common disappointments

• How long is the appointment? A full colour and cut is several hours. Blocking the wrong amount of time is how a rushed result happens.
• What does the quoted price include? Toner, gloss, a blow-dry and a treatment are frequently separate line items.
• What is the redo policy? Good salons will adjust within a week or two at no charge. Ask before, not after.
• What is the cancellation window? Increasingly enforced with a card on file, and entirely reasonable — just know the number.

Bring photographs of what you want and what you do not want. The second set is more useful than the first, and stylists say so constantly.