Can anyone recommend a really excellent London hairdresser? Price is not really an issue, as I see it as a good investment. I used to live in Manchester, and had a really good hairdresser there (Ethos). Since I've moved back down here, I haven't honestly found a salon which even comes close to Ethos. To give you an idea of what I would like:

- a really nice medium length cut (I guess like a long bob)
- natural looking all-over blonde highlights (preferably not brassy - I'm a natural brunette with pretty dark eyebrows)

I've been to some ok salons, one that was pretty good, and one terrible one. I'm prepared to travel to most places in London.

Also, the kind of highlights that I like are not 'uniform-looking'. I prefer when the highlights are different thicknesses, and sometimes think it looks nice to have flashes of a bright colour under the top hair.

Well my favourite is Pimps and Pinups in Spitafields. They were recommended to me because I was tired of going to hairdressers that never did exactly what I asked. If i say cut a millimeter it is to cut a millimeter, not chop all the hair off.

At P&P They are great, they will everything you ask them to.

http://www.pimpsandpinups.com/

Oh goodness - I know what you mean - I really hate when you have a very clear idea of what you want, then they pay absolutely no attention to what you've said. I think it shows a very limited range, to be honest. Thanks for the tip, Viridiana .

Can I ask what sort of style you have? What did you ask them for? The salon looks very reasonably priced, which is a bonus.

I have long hair, a fringe and a bit of layers at front. I didn't really asked, so i can't help you there, I just took this pic and ask them to do the same.

http://www.ilovemuffins.es/blog/wp-c...relli-2007.jpg

Burlingtons is good, just off piccadilly circus

That's a good idea to take in a picture. I've done that in the past, but my hair looked nothing like the photo .

Thanks for the suggestions!

Just tried to have a look at their website but it's under construction.

Does anyone have any experience of ESHK hair?

I go to a salon called JLT which is just behind oxford circus. Have never had my hair coloured but have had several cuts there. My hairdresser there actually always does what I want him to instead of giving me an uber trendy cut which wouldn't suit me anyway.

This is where I go, I think is one of the best in London:

http://www.michaeljohn.co.uk/

They have a range of prices with grades of trainees if you find the top price too steep.

I don't colour my hair but they certainly do fantastic natural looking, classy highlights.

Thanks again for the replies . It's always nice to have personal recommendations rather than try to look for reviews on websites. I'm always a bit suspicious of those reviews anyway, because often they're written by the company themself.

Another thing you could try (although I'm not sure if they do highlights), is to sit as a model for Toni & Guy. I used to do this up until a couple of years ago and you do get an excellent cut. If you tell them that you're after a re-style rather than a trim, you'll get a fully trained hairdresser rather than a trainee.

Feel free to correct me if I'm wrong but I think the way it works is that if any hairdresser wants to work for T&G, regardless of their experience, they have to go on courses to be trained the T&G way, so they're not all complete novices.

Also, it only costs a fiver (or it did a couple of years ago). On the downside, you do get treated a bit like cattle and it does take a lot longer than a normal appointment but they are all strictly supervised.

They're in New Oxford Street by the way.

Just thought I'd add that one of my sisters hadn't been to a hairdresser for years, due to a bad experience. I took her to the Toni & Guy Academy for her birthday (cheapskate!) and she had such a wide grin on her chops after she'd had her hair done. As a result, she now goes to a local hairdresser regularly and has even experimented with styles and colour.

Those Galvin people are renowned colour specialists, they have a salon down that there London I think?

Having changed to Trevor Sorbie in Manchester recently, I've been very pleased with my haircuts - I know the staff have to go through a lot to get the job there, including various haircuts/colours judged by Trevor himself!

Great feedback, everyone. I think I took my really good hairdresser for granted when I had one because for the last couple of years I've been underwhelmed at best, and really upset at worst. Hair is such a personal thing - if my hair looks bad I feel really down in the dumps. It's so difficult to regain confidence when you've been to a bad hairdresser.....

I completely agree MrsBambi, I've been in a right state many a time after a haircut. Good luck in your search.

Why, thank you very much grotbags (great username by the way). My real pet peeve is when you very specifically tell them what you want, and they don't do it right. I kind of understand if you're very vague about the style, or if you say "do what you like" (a mistake I have many a couple of times!) - you can't really expect them to be mind readers. I've even taken photos in for the exact colour and style I've wanted in the past, but still come out with the same, generic cut they give to everyone.

The one that I went to two haircuts ago (no matter how I said I wanted my hair to look) kept giving me a sort of 'Jane McDonald-esque' cut. They tend to cater for, ahem, the more mature customer, but are cheap, and so that's really why I went. Lesson is - you usually get what you pay for. (I know there are exceptions, but I'm yet to find one...)

I've heard of the Toni and Guy model things - my friend went to the one in Manchester (accademy), and her hair looked great. However, I have another friend who went to the same place, and she cried because it was so dreadful, so I think it's a risk I'm too scared to take...

Looked at Trevor Sorbie and Galvin websites - both look really cool, but as I want to get my hair coloured as well as dyed, I think they would be a bit out of my price range (unless I saved up a bit).

What salon did you go to before you went to Trevor Sorbie, grotbags? What was it that made you change?

I've been to several over the last few years, having not found that one that makes me happy, not being able to find the right one. I went to an independent salon for a good few times thinking he was doing me the most wonderful bob ever and at a reasonable price, but I think on the 4th or 5th visit when he did what he wanted (cut it too short) and used blunt scissors I knew I had to find another. Then I tried Urban Retreat at Harvey Nichols thinking this must be a good place, and although the front of my hair looked ok, the back was awful, too much a graduation which did nothing for my profile (not that I pay that much attention to my profile but hopefully you know what I mean!). So then, Trevor Sorbie had newly opened and I thought I'll give them a chance. I've just been for my 3rd haircut there and have been very pleased with each one.

Before the independent place, I went to a place called Razors Edge (you probably know it, the one on Fountain Street) for several visits and she just did what she wanted the last time I went, it was like she didn't care what she was doing, just chop, chop, chop and more chopping (this one made me cry ).

I should try this place in Manchester that you cherished shouldn't I?!

Oh my god - I've been to the Razors Edge on Oxford Road! Wasn't overly impressed, but needed a haircut desperately and had no dosh!

My worst was an independent one, too. They just don't listen!

By the way, I totally get what you mean about your profile. I'm always really paranoid that the back of my hair looks crap - and some hairdressers do nothing to help this! I seriously hate when they say something like

"we're just going to have long layers, aren't we?"

and then proceed to hack into the back layers so they end up being about an inch long - it's such a joke. The thing is - the cheap ones (if you have your hair coloured) aren't even that cheap - if you pay good money for something you should expect to be pleased with the result!

EDIT Please do go to Ethos - I love it so much - I'm actually considering going up for the day to get my hair done there coz I'm scared to go elsewhere! There's one in Chorlton as well I think - I've only been to the one on Oldham Street.

Sorry to bump this thread but did the OP actually visit any of the hairdressers suggested - I'm trying to find a decent hairdresser in central london so that I can go on a lunchtime my hair is driving me round the bend and I need to get it cut but I want a hairdresser that can tell me what would suit me rather than me having to tell them as I haven't got a clue what I want - I'm getting seriously tempted to have the whole lot off as it's annoying me so much at the moment

Hi

No, I haven't been yet - I'm probably going to try the MichaelJohn one - I'm in the same boat as you - I want something which will suit me, that I love, and which is easy to maintain, but stuck for ideas. When I go I'll let you know

You could try Grace at Comptons in Covent Garden. She came highly recommended to me and I wasn't disappointed. Don't cut off your hair just yet! A good tip is to visit the salon in question and just have a blow dry. You can then gain your impressions of the salon/stylist without having to have your hair ruined and without having to shell out too much cash!

I always get stuck with knowing what "style" to have my hair done in - I'm very lazy when it comes to my hair I like to wash it comb in and leave it - I haven't used a hairdryer since the days of me having a Farrah Fawcett flick

lol. I was much like that myself until about two years when I had it cut short short short. Amazing how liberating this was. I wash it every day, it suits me and it's a breeze to look after but it does need regular cutting. Very short hair usually suits most people, for a sake of caution I have to add usually. Good luck.