Cynthia’s Professional Hair Stylist

I wold really agree with Jennie T.
I went to this salon due to the Unilocal ratings. Cynthia did come across friendly and nice.
But then started the whole obsession with Unilocal ratings and how some people are giving her a bad name etc.
Secondly the salon is not exactly v clean, seems like some old barber shop and especially for the price i had to pay — almost $ 65 with the tip for the hair wash and cut — i didnt think it was worth it.
The cut was okay.
All in all it was a let down based on the ratings — I didnt find the service as well.

Update: I’ve been regularly getting my hair done by Cynthia for 2 years now, so I wanted to update my review. Never have I gone this long with the same hairdresser (unless it was family). I love how Cynthia is always thinking of news ways to freshen my standard bob. She is the only hairdresser I’ve ever had who actually studies a photo you bring in when you say, «I want this.» Most other hairdressers just throw the pic to the side and do what they want anyway. If you’re looking for someone who is not only local and affordable, but also thoughtful in the way they style your hair then you should check Cynthia out.

She was very nice and did a great job on my hair. She also took the time to teach me how I could style my hair. It was really nice. I’d go there again. I’d give it a perfect 5, but for some reason, everyone else at the salon was a pretty old person, and for some reason that bothered me…

I made an appointment with Cynthia for highlights and a haircut after reading positive reviews from Unilocal.Highlights were good, but the cut wasn’t very good. I wouldn’t go back to this salon for the following reasons:
1. Cynthia asked me at least 3 times to provide a positive review on Unilocal.As someone else mentioned here, a positive review is earned, not asked for.
2. It took just a little over 3.5 hours to get highlights and a haircut. I was very surprised by this since it usually takes about 2 hours total at other salons. Cynthia said she «takes her time» — that’s for sure.
3. 2 of the 3.5 hours were spent on Cynthia «preaching» about God and Jesus to me. While I actually am a Christian, I didn’t care to listen to Cynthia’s preaching.
4. Someone mentioned that the price is reasonable. For the highlights and a cut that’s below average, I was charged $ 250.
5. The salon is old and not very clean.

I’m a guy and my hair texture is a little thick. For me, Cynthia’s cuts are definitely expensive ($ 35 for men’s cut), but after getting my hair repeatedly messed up by $ 8 haircuts available throughout Camino Real, I decided I had to spend the money and maybe alternate a cut from her with cheap haircuts where I tell the stylist to keep the same style. (If you know a less expensive place in South Bay that won’t mess up my head, please let me know…)
My first haircut from Cynthia turned out awesome — the best it’s looked in a long time. I was very happy with that cut. This stylist has solid skills. I had asked her not to cut my hair too short, so that it would look good right away — so my hair grew out fast after that.
The second time, I said she could cut it shorter, so that the haircut would last longer. The place was busier then. That haircut was good — not as good as the first time, even after it grew out, but still better than most other cuts I’ve gotten in the area.
I found Cynthia a very pleasant person to talk to. Haircut took a while (like an hour).
Regarding the review that starts with «Be wary of any five star reviews by ‘critics’ that only have 1 – 5 reviews!!!»:
It’s too bad she got a so-​so cut and paid more than she expected. But just because some other reviewers who liked Cynthia have written only a few reviews, it doesn’t mean their reviews are biased. Not everyone spends their life writing reviews. Even that reviewer currently has no other reviews of hair salons on Unilocal besides the one for Cynthia.
As for myself, I am deifnitely going back.

I made an appointment with Cynthia after reading reviews on Unilocal.I was her first appointment and she was 20 minutes late due to a family emergency. Luckily the shop was open and I could wait inside. I don’t think she is normally late though.
Cynthia is a very warm and loving person. In fact the whole shop feels like a happy place. There are very elderly customers there who have come regularly for years and years.
If you go, Cynthia may lay on some religious talk, so if this is not your thing, be warned. With all the talking and sharing I realise now that we did not discuss the actual haircut and color treatment in enough detail. I do not remember being asked what color I wanted for my roots. I ended up with a severe black (obviously from a bottle) when I normally get a mixture of browns. Cynthia combed the dye through my highlights, done 3 months before, and they were gone. I did not know this was going to happen. The cut was just ok.
At the end of the cut and color I asked her to style my curly hair with fingers to prevent frizzing. She told me that the cut would prevent frizzing and went ahead with a brush and comb. Anyway, my whole life no stylist has ever listened to me about using fingers. GROAN. Needless to say none of them had naturally curly hair.
The final blow was the price US$ 125 (excluding tip) for cut and color. My friends laughed at me when I told them what I paid. For this price I would expect a less shabby shop and maybe a cup of green tea! I had gone with such high hopes of finding a stylist, but now in retrospect I will not be returning.
UPDATE: For the same price go to Allure Salon in Mountain View for cut and color. Allure is bright and airy, organised and modern. You’ll get drinks and snacks. If you have curly hair, ask for Tara who is trained in this area. She did my hair in half the time too.

I was looking for a no-​nonsense, value + quality cut. I found it here. She works at Hair World (yes, in a strip mall). There’s no elegant salon feel but I didn’t care — I get haircuts too frequently to want to factor ambiance into the price of the haircut!
My cut was $ 40 (I asked her what my haircut would cost before I came in and she said $ 40 — so no surprises here). She charged me an additional $ 20 for straight ironing my hair. Had I known about this extra cost, I would have foregone the straight ironing and just done it myself. This time, however, it was okay since I was going to a friend’s party that night and I looked fabulous!
The other thing I didn’t really care for was all of the religious talk she engaged in. There were little religious knick knacks on the counter as well as religious books. Eh…
p. s. I was fine with the 1.5+ hours she spent on my hair but my poor bf had a long wait. Ouch!

I’ve had several weeks of good hair days thanks to the great cut Cynthia gave me. She really knows how to cut curly hair, does not overcharge and does not push products (she does offer, but I did not feel she pushed at all). I’ve had far worse haircuts for far more money– so what if the place is not a spa? She knows what she’s doing and my hair has been looking great since I went to her. I’m definitely sticking with Cynthia.

I went to Cynthia last week based on the Unilocalers’ reviews. She really does listen to what you have to say and checks in with you throughout the cut and color process. She did my cut, color and brows for a wedding and I’ve received a lot of compliments on the color since then. She is very conscientious and uses good products.
I would say that if you are having your brows waxed, let her know if you find it painful, since she told me she doesn’t think waxing is painful when she has it done to herself. Also, in my opinion, the products are rather expensive ($ 55 for shampoo, conditioner and gloss), but I know that’s kind of typical for salons. FYI, the location is kind of dingy, strip-​mallish but Cynthia’s work is really great, so don’t judge the product by the location. And the prices are just as high as nicer looking locations: I spent about $ 260 with tip for my products, color, trim and brows (with tint).
Overall, if you want someone who uses good products, listens to you and does a good job, I thoroughly recommend Cynthia.

NOTICE: BE WARY OF ANY FIVE STAR REVIEWS BY ’”CRITICS” THAT ONLY HAVE 1 – 5 REVIEWS!!! I don’t mean that the opinion of people who don’t review often don’t count… I just want to make sure it’s a real person and not Cynthia or a friend of hers.
She Says:
I have to say… that I tried not to judge Cynthia by the cover. The location is a strip mall (There is a smoke shop and bar in the same plaza.) and the actual establishment is reminiscent of a Super Cuts. Cynthia was wearing a padded vest over a long sleeved pink tee, and sported white and blue sneakers and French acrylics (there were floral designs and silver glitter accents at the edge of her tips). Still, I read all the rave reviews and hoped that her skills would surpass any of the aesthetics.
I love getting my hair shampooed and scalp massaged. I was treated with some nail scratching at two points, a rinse (with cold water, BEFORE conditioning), and a quick condition. Perhaps I am spoiled, but I’m used to a double shampoo, a thorough massage, and a complete condition. What added to the cringe-​ful experience is she placed the wet towel bunched up over my shoulders.
The haircut itself was okay. I went for a trim/​reshape of layers as I am trying to grow my hair out. I did not go home crying but I wasn’t impressed by her skill set or style. She would explain everything she was doing which at times seemed repetitive. At the end, she kept asking if I felt comfortable with what she did.
Cynthia did seem nice but I felt it was a bit forced. She continued to ask me questions and attempt to up sell me (getting a wave perm, conditioning treatment, and hair products). She talked a lot about hair and asked a lot of personal questions (Did I have a bf? Where did I work? Where did I grow up?) and I just wanted her to concentrate on the work at hand. She complimented my shoes and proceed to ask to see the soles and then TOUCHED it. Of course, she did not wash her hands after my shoe and before touching my hair. Yuck. I know it’s my own feet but I still find it unsanitary.
Overall, I thought the cut was okay, the service sketchy, the décor and location even sketchier, and the price over stretched. I remembered Em K. saying a women’s cut is $ 25. I do have long hair but did not expect her to charge me a whopping $ 50+tip! That’s DOUBLE… does that mean I have double the number of strands??? I’ve spent less at far more swankier and profession salons. I used to go to FX Salon in San Carlos but recently moved to Sunnyvale.
It’s true that you shouldn’t always judge a book by it’s cover… but when you are getting something that affects your personal style, you should hope and expect a similarity of style from the artist. I am young and trend conscious and would like someone that’s more current with fashion and technique.
I would not go back.

I found Cynthia on Unilocal and decided to go to her to have some highlights done. After some other disastrous encounters with hairstylists I was a little nervous, but the photos from other reviewers convinced me that she knows what she’s doing.
I am so happy I went to Cynthia. The highlights she put in are beautiful– they look natural, only better:). Cynthia was great at listening to what I wanted, understanding my hair type, and also just making me feel comfortable and completely ease. I recently had a very poor haircut, and she was able to blend all my layers beautifully and fix what I thought was a lost cause. I left feeling fantastic, and my hair looks better than it has in a long time. I came home and my brother (not someone prone at all to compliments) said. «Wow, your hair looks great!» I already made my next appointment with Cynthia for a trim. She is awesome, and I highly recommend her.

Based on the Unilocal reviews, I made the appt. with Cynthia at Hair World (my stylist of the past 10 years had moved away). I made the appt. only one day in advance and she accommodated me on this short notice. I was in need of a cut and highlight — for reference, my hair is long (mid-​back), fine, straight, and dark blonde.
I arrived about 5 minutes early to my appt, Cynthia greeted me at the door, sat me down to have a look at my hair and discussed what I wanted. She is indeed a stylist that is passionate about her work, enjoys working with hair, and I felt very comfortable with her from the beginning. She talked to me about different types of highlighting (ie, whether I wanted finely weaved highlights or chunky)…she told me that it looks as though my prior highlights were finely weaved type (ie, more natural) and suggested using slightly chunkier highlights for more dramatic effect. I went with her suggestion and the color came out very well! She spent lots of time cutting my hair — reshaping it after 3 months without a haircut or highlight (roots were dark!). The cut was really fantastic — walked out of the salon without having to re-​style it when I got home!
Long story short — I will definitely go to Cynthia again… be sure to ask for her when you make your appt at Hair World!
The salon is no frills (ie, it is NOT a spa — if that is what you are after). But, her work is excellent!

Cynthia did a great job with my asian hair. She took her time with my haircut and she has great product knowledge. Definitely will be going back again. highly recommended!

After reading some very positive Unilocal reviews, I thought I would get my next haircut from Cynthia. She did a great job, and I highly recommend her. She really took her time with me and gave me some great tips to boot. She’s very nice and gave me a great haircut. I’ll be going back!

Went to Cynthia for the first time today, after reading all the great reviews about her on Unilocal.I have very curly hair that does whatever it wants, so I’m very apprehensive about trying new stylists (have had some very well-​meaning people do some frightening things with my hair). Cynthia was fabulous. First of all, she greeted me when I came in the shop (embarrassed to say I didn’t even get her name right — I called her Karen — duh), remembered my name, did a quick assessment, nodded her head and said, oh yes, you DO have curly hair (so she really paid attention and noted our phone conversation from earlier this week, which is more than I can say about myself). What a nice, sweet person she is, too! She talked to me about what I wanted, reminded me that you have to be very careful when cutting curly hair (thank you!), then really took her time and gave me such a nice hair cut. It’s like she knew exactly how I wanted it, and she didn’t do a lot of foofy styling afterward, just kept it very natural, which is what I like. She’s a perfectionist. Her prices are EXTREMELY reasonable, too. I really felt like I had a spa service without the spa prices and the phony spa atmosphere. (Honestly: someone once gave me a gift certificate for La Belle spa at Stanford, and they did a great job, but I felt Cynthia did a better job!) All the other people there were very nice, too. One client who was waiting with me said she’d been seeing her stylist for over 20 years.
!

I don’t cut my curly hair too often, so I’m usually pretty close to ‘fro status before getting a cut. In the year I lived in Sunnyvale, I had four or five haircuts and this was by far the best. It was like comparing a Geo Metro to a Ferrari. She took the time to learn how I wanted my hair cut and what needs to be done so I don’t end up like the other times I had my hair cut. She’s fantastic! It really was the best haircut I’ve had in my life.

Sorry to be the first to have a not so great review of Cynthia. I headed to this place based on the reviews here, and maybe my expectations were too high. I don’t know. Anyway, went there for a haircut ($ 50 with tip). Wasn’t that impressed with the result but decided to try it out. When I got home I noticed that the layering was jagged and uneven. So I called Cynthia up and she agreed to have me come back to fix the cut. I went back and she started cutting away. When she was done, I noticed it was still uneven and she told me that sometimes hair cannot be cut evenly. Yeah right. Then she charged me another $ 20. It’s probably the most expensive worst cut I’ve ever had. People who have never looked at my hair have commented on how «bad» it is. :(I gave her two stars because she seems like a nice enough person. I won’t go back.

I made a last-​minute decision to highlight my hair before going down to vegas for memorial day weekend. I tried making an appt with Kim at Z Salon but she was booked. Looked around Unilocal and found Cynthia. I was able to make an appt for 2 days later.
Me: 20-​something asian female with A LOT of stiff/​coarse hair. Hair was previously highlighted with 1″ of grown out roots.
Salon: Hair World, small place with all independent contractor stylists, most with elderly customers.
Cynthia was great. She’s very friendly and personable, knew what I wanted right away, and was very thorough. She gave me really beautiful blond highlights that were not skunk-​y at all. She highlighted my hair all the way down to the bottom layer, and it wasn’t easy because I have sooo much hair. So much that she had to go back and mix more color while coloring my roots, and another 2 times while doing the highlights — where other Unilocaled stylists just gave me partial highlights and I didn’t know better.
We chatted, and she offered me free deep-​conditioning ($ 20) for my wait (15 – 20 minutes after appt time). She thought I was going to get a cut as well, when I told her I didn’t want one, she offered a free trim! She didn’t rush at all, I don’t even know what her hours are, but we got out at 10pm that day. I’ve gotten lots of compliments on my hair and a couple of people have asked me for her info. I just hope she doesn’t get too busy for me!
Total cost: $ 135+tip
Note: No credit cards! I had to go into a bar next door to use their ATM. Don’t expect to be waited on hands and feet. She is a one-​person crew, from shampoo to cut, color, and answering phone calls… but she is working on hiring someone to help out.
UPDATE 7÷26÷07
I just went back to Cynthia for a haircut — a dramatic BOB. I was a little nervous because it’s a big change and takes skill to pull off. Cynthia and I talked a little about the style, and I told her I wasn’t sure if I wanted bangs with it, etc, so she said we’ll try it without the bangs first and then cut them if I wanted them after. She made sure to cut «safely», asking for my opinion at each stage of the cut. I had told her I wanted «blunt», and she took her time and alot of effort to make sure my mound of hair came out even, and then when I didn’t like the blunt, she then cut layers at the ends and it turned out soo great… it ended up taking close to 2 hours for a cut. I’m so thankful for her effort and she really really wanted to make sure I was happy with the cut. Cynthia’s great, try her out!

I decided to visit Cynthia because Kate. W’s hair drama was identical to mine. I chopped off my long mane two years ago and has been sporting short cuts since then. Lately, I’ve been trying to grow it all back but lacked the patience or the tolerance for the mullet.
Today, I went to Cynthia and left absolutely satisfied! Cynthia is wonderful! She has a contagiously delightful personality and a very caring stylist as well. Although she doesn’t look like one, Cynthia is a sweet grandmother and unpretentious. The salon is bright, warm, and clean with no frills, which is exactly what I wanted.
Cynthia understood my situation and asked questions about what I’m looking for and made suggestions that are best for me. With a plan in mind, we headed off to the shampoo stations.
Cynthia was also very knowledgeable about my hair type and hair products. She informed me about chemicals present in popular hair products, how to keep my hair healthy, how my hair should be best styled, and how I can accessorize my new haircut.
Throughout my stay, Cynthia and I chatted about ourselves, sharing many laughs. Never in one moment of my stay did I feel uncomfortable or feel pushed into a cut that I didn’t want.

UPDATE
— — — —
I was really suprised to see the negative review for Cynthia by dw in June so just wanted to update to say my experiences have continued to be good and my hair is progressing nicely! I have had 3 more visits (always have the great $ 20 conditioning treatment), booked my husband in, recommended a friend who was very happy with the results and even took my Mum when she was over from the UK (very happy too). After my last visit I felt one side of my hair felt a little heavier than the other (I had not noticed in the salon) and when I went back, Cynthia immediately agreed and made it right in less than a minute by thinning it out slightly more. Perfect — and obviously no charge. We are now discussing color –I have never dyed my hair, even as a teenager, and this is a huge step for me — it says alot for Cynthia that I am excited about it rather than terrified!
I am sorry that dw’s experience did not match mine and Cynthia’s other Unilocal clientele but I stand by my earlier review.
— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
Some background… since I cut my long hair short last January (2006) I have had a nightmare trying to get it cut and have gone through 7 to 8 stylists in 13 months! On more than one occasion I have dashed home with a bag on my head to wash and re-​style. I have spent a small fortune (in one year more than four times my usual annual costs) and I have never felt comfortable. No-​one seemed to care how I wanted my hair but just what they thought was trendy or chic. (BTW I had short hair most of my life until 2001 so this was not just a long hair /​short hair panic attack!)
Last December I gave in and officially started to grow my hair back. In my dream world I would not have visited another hairdresser until it was at least shoulder length but in the real world by the end of Jan my hair was basically growing outwards and upwards and desperately needed some TLC. I reviewied Unilocal and decided to try out Cynthia as it sounded like she understood her clients and was also cheaper than most — after spending upwards of $ 60 a pop (maxed out at $ 110 for a cut) and hating every cut I figured that at least if I hated it then I would only be $ 30 down.
I did not hate it. I loved it! Cynthia did a great job. She listened, suggested and finally implemented what we had discussed. She was very empathetic and at one point I was seriously tempted to have one last go at «short» but decided I was too traumatised and would persevere with growing it out. The resulting style was the trim I had requested but cut so my hair will grow out in some sort of style. The previous stylist on hearing I wanted to grow out my hair had simply left the longer pieces at the back like some sort of 1980’s mullet. Cynthia trimmed everything just enough so I looked neater and sleeker but didnt cut off the last 8 weeks worth of growth.
For the first time in a year I left a salon feeling attractive and well groomed and for a mere $ 30 ($ 25 for subsequent visits).
If you want a trendy salon with head massage, whale music and incense well, Cynthia’s place of business will not be for you. But if you want someone who listens and who cuts accordingly this is your stylist!
Thank you Cynthia and see you in a few weeks!