Unruly Studio Hair Salon London

I am new to this part of London so I asked around to find a good hair studio - not my favourite thing to do. A friend recommended Unruly and to go see Michael.

I loved the salon - fab décor and yes, the music is terrific. I needed to get my hair colour touched up and have a trim. It was Michael's day off, but the receptionist said that Heather was really good with colour and cutting (and is she ever). After an initial consultation, I got this wonderful head massage — I didn’t want it to end!

I have been dying my hair and trying to get that 'oh so perfect blonde shade that looks cool yet natural' for years. It was truly a mess when I went in. Heather evened out the shades (there were several) and toned it down. I love my colour! I also got a great lesson on the importance of using good hair products - my hair is very dry and I’ve used just a bit too much bleach over the years, I guess. Personally I always thought that hairdressers were trying to sell stuff, but Heather really understands the theory and science behind the products, which must be why she’s so good at colour too. So yep, I had to buy some Sebastian products!

Unruly Rocks! Can’t wait to go back and sit in one of those great massage chairs and keep up this beautiful shade of blonde!

by lydiadr, 09 Dec 2008

I just recently had an appointment with Michael to get a haircut. I was nervous at first due to the fact that I've had a few bad haircuts. After researching a bit and discovering his acclaim working with curly hair, I quickly made an appointment.

Let me say I was nothing but thrilled with the end result! His patience and concentration throughout the entire time was something I rarely see in a hairdresser. He was calm and confident and made me confident in his vision.

I definitely suggest taking an appointment and I will for sure be going back!

by hodgie001, 21 Nov 2008

Heather is the absolute best hairdresser in the business. She is the only person I will let touch my hair and has nothing but pure passion for her craft and executes the most superb professionalism. Go see Heather to have the best style and most fun getting your hair done. She makes you feel like you are a wanted, well-respected client who deserves to sit in her chair. Thank you Heather for all your hard work and dedication.

by kristie28, 14 Nov 2008

Have to say, by far the best hair stylist ever was Heather. She was not only professional and gave her best and honest opinions about my hair and what she thought would suit me, but was also enjoyable to talk to and made me feel like I was valued at the salon as a client. I will definitely be returning and encourage you to ask for her if you want professionalism and a great attitude.

by foxyloxy, 14 Nov 2008

I went to the Canadian girl, Heather, and she was terrific - very professional and gave me a great cut which I love. I have very curly hair and it is difficult to get the right flow. She spent time listening to me. Most hairdressers just want to rush you through, but Heather took a different approach and I was amazed at her styling technique. I have so many ways to wear my hair now, both curly and straight, and all of them look terrific.

I went back to ask her to touch up my roots. My roots are very difficult to colour and match. Heather softened my roots first to absorb the dye better and IT WORKED! She has a great eye for colour and the match was perfect. Wow! Thank you!

by lisa5307, 12 Nov 2008

Very unhappy. A half hour wait in a massive crowd of people with no explanations. A blow wave with the Canadian girl, who was an absolutely lovely person, but it was one of the worst blow waves I have had in a long time - bouffy, looked dead etc. I had to ask to have some straighteners put through it, and then she passed me on to someone else. Which is really, really poor service I think. Won't be going back.

by kitty1kat (3 reviews), 06 Nov 2008

Michael gave me, without a doubt, the WORST haircut I have ever had. My hair is a total mess. Im not actually sure how he can call himself a hairdresser after seeing the job he did on my hair. Please do not go to him!

by bp, 06 Nov 2008

I went there and had no idea what to expect. Anthony coloured my hair and he was very professional and thorough. My hair is darker than I hoped it would be but then again I didn't tell him precisely what I wanted. The service could have been a bit more personal though. Overall, people were nice and professional, my hair looks good and they have great music. I'd go back there again and give it another shot.

by siggao, 01 Nov 2008

Anthony is the only guy I've come across who can cut my hair well - period - and my hair is hard to cut. I like the laid-back environment of the salon, Michael is super-friendly and equally talented and I will continue to travel from NW3 to use this salon.

by Tamsin Bionda, 27 Oct 2008

I had a bad moment of horrible judgement when I decided to dye my hair from blonde to black. So, when I finally realised what I had done, I went to see Heather, when she was just going to training school to be a hair stylist. She was great. Good conversation, attention to detail, and overall very good at what she does. I couldn't believe she was a student - she was better than any hair stylist I had gone to before!

I really wanted to keep seeing Heather for my hair, but she left us in Canada to go to London to pursue her dream. It's a shame to lose her, but I am very happy that she's doing what she loves. She is a complete professional and knows exactly what is right for you. I guarantee that you will walk away happy and be completely in love with your hair.

by mcgee_angela21, 24 Oct 2008

Michael has been cutting and colouring my hair for about a year now. When I first went I was thrilled to finally find someone who really knows how to cut curly hair instead of trying to use the same method as for straight hair. As for the colour, he suggested something different to my original idea and it turned out to be so much better. Everyone I know said my hair looked the best it's ever looked. However, the last time I went he chose a different colour and cut my hair shorter than usual and now even people I don't know are complimenting me on a daily basis.

My only fear is what I will do if Michael decides to give up hairdressing... As for some of the other comments on here, who cares if he doesn't chat about inane subjects while he works, it's the end result that counts.

by noname, 22 Oct 2008

I'm not sure about the actual salon itself, seeing as I've never been there (living in Vancouver poses a bit of a logistics issue!), but I can honestly say that I cannot be more envious of London for stealing my hairdresser! Heather was my hairdresser while in Vancouver, and I'm sure others can relate to my disappointment when she left. Once you find a great hairdresser, you never want to leave! She was always so easy to work with, and always seemed to understand exactly the look I was trying to achieve, while still making recommendations on how to adjust the cut or colour to suit me best. I felt like she sincerely cared about the final product, and wouldn't ever settle for anything less. I could not recommend this girl more to you, especially as I struggle to find a new salon...

by Kristen2008, 07 Oct 2008

Had an appointment here back in May. After trawling the net for ages to find someone I would even let stand in the same room with a pair of scissors, I chose Michael at Unruly due to the number of times his name popped up in searches for curly hair stylist. However, I was VERY DISAPPOINTED with the whole affair (aside from the salon room itself and the music, which were both great).

In fact, reading the reviews written by Bee3 and ellyboo, they closely mirror my experience! Michael must reserve his customer service skills for his celeb clientele. I simply felt as though I was a total inconvenience to him throughout my appointment. He made a couple of small snips and sent me across for a blow dry with the most bored looking assistant. Michael also said that he was going to have another look at it once it had been dried but didn't. (I assumed that I must have misheard, but after reading bee3's review it seems this may not have been the case.)

This was not worth the £60 I paid this salon! Disgusting fee for such poor service and a poor cut. Not recommended.

by hairbear80, 27 Sep 2008

Ok, I can honestly say, it was an experience. Michael is lovely and the salon was amazing (reclining massage chairs etc). I have been battling my curls for 17 years and Michael totally understood that. He treated my hair like the curly hair that it is and embraced it.

Honestly, when I first looked in the mirror it was like "I look like a poodle!", and I was more than slightly hesitant. However, that's because I have been working against my naturally big and curly red hair, so it was a shock. But today (a day later) I wore my hair down for the first time! Most people really liked it, and it's growing on me too. Michael gave me a haircut that suited the natural shape of my hair, which was daunting. If you scare easily in the hair stakes, think carefully before going to his salon, as he isn't a normal hairdresser (in the nicest way possible). But if you're willing to accept your curls and stop fighting them, he is the man for you. Truly lovely. Thanks Michael!

by teresa_17, 22 Sep 2008

Best hairdressing experience ever, which was completely down to Michael. The haircut was great and I was comfortable just letting him get on with it as he's the expert after all. Michael is kinda arrogant but pretty sexy too. Will make sure not to wear my hoodie next time (really should have taken it off, thinking about it).

by anon 6, 10 Sep 2008

Wow! My curls are rocking. Michael was a pro with curly hair. It was the best experience I have ever had at a hairdressers. Great funky, friendly environment and happy people. The end result is fab. He didn't comb my hair to make it like a bifro as normal hairdressers do, he cut it amazingly. Can't wait to go back there. Curls Rock products are good and I even purchased the dryer, as I was impressed with the heat level and diffuser cup. Excellent. Money well spent and totally worth it baby!

by ladylocky, 16 Jul 2008

Fantastic! I was extremely pleased with my first visit to Unruly Studio. They truly do know how to deal with curly hair. For the first time ever my naturally wavy hair was turned into glossy curls which held without any extra work for two days after the cut. The stylist also gave me tips on how to manage it myself which are working. Polite staff and the massage chairs are a nice touch! Will definitely go back.

by rmp, 27 Jun 2008

I have curly hair and have been to many of the well known hairdressers, as I am not afraid to pay for a good cut and especially as it is often difficult to find someone who knows how to cut curly hair and knows how to handle the texture. Due to the recommendations on this site, I was excited to finally find a hairdressers that specialises in curly hair and so I called up immediately for an appointment with Michael.

Disappointed is an understatement... appalled may be more like what I am feeling. I've had better service in salons that have not subscribed to being so great and as for Michael himself, I was absolutely disgusted by his attitude.

The salon itself was in an odd location, and quite difficult to locate. However, this wasn't a problem at all, as this does not dictate how good a salon is.

However, when I entered the salon, I was told to take a seat and waited for what seemed like half an hour or more, without anyone offering to take my coat or approaching me to say a word.

When Michael eventually got to me, we spoke about what I would like briefly. However, he spent about 10 minutes (I'm not joking!) cutting it with me standing up. He must have made about 5-10 snips, as there was hardly any hair on the ground before a girl came to sweep it away. Then he said Grace would get it washed and dried, then he'll have a look at it again. Grace, as good as she is supposed to be at blow-drying seemed as if she really didn't want to deal with another customer. When she was blowdrying, I heard her sarcastically comment to another colleague, 'This is SUCH a great job' and before she had finished, she told Michael 'I am going to lunch after this'.

Anyway, I was told to sit in a chair and wait (again) for Michael to get to me. So this is when I thought the haircut would start! However, he asked me to stand up and then snipped at my hair FOUR TIMES and then looked at me as if he's expecting a reaction from me (I was still expecting the hair cut to start!) and he said 'Now you can tell everyone that I cut it. Because before it didn't look like I had cut it' And I thought well, that's because when i had walked in, you had never cut my hair before, so obviously you cut it. But it was hardly touched and for the 5-10 minutes of actual cutting, my hair did not look any different, apart from the blow dry. As I couldn't believe it, I said 'is it finished? I've never had a haircut that was so quick' and he said, 'Well haven't you seen how I work?' And he motioned to two other customers that was sitting in chairs, who he was working on at the same time as myself. I am very appalled indeed. I don't care how well known and good he thinks he is, I would've expected more from a hairdresser with so much experience and expertise. Hence I would not recommend them to anyone. What should have been a great experience proved to be extremely mediocre.

by bee3, 10 Jun 2008

The receptionist was lovely, the lady who washed my hair was a pleasure also, but Michael, my stylist, didn't bother much with me. He barely spoke to me - there was near complete silence till he was almost finished cutting my hair, at which point he muttered, "Sorry, what was your name?". I felt like cattle.
Fair enough, he's successful, I guess he doesn't need to put in the effort any more. But he's not the hairdresser for me.

He asked what I had in mind for my hair, said what he had in mind, then started chopping, having apparently decided to settle on what I can only imagine is a standard middle-of-the-road curly cut. It looked alright when I walked out of the salon, but two hours later when it had dried out properly it looked like a giant mushroom. The salon was beautiful, and in all fairness the lady who had her (straight) hair cut by Michael before me left with a gorgeous do.

Unfortunately, I shall once again suffer the life of a curly triangle head whilst I search for someone who's willing to put the effort in to making me look less like a demented upside-down mop and more like a human being. Fingers crossed!

Sorry about the rating guys. Might have given 'em three if the price they quoted me wasn't wrong as well.

by ellybooo, 31 May 2008

Disappointed! I checked out this site a year ago and was convinced that Unruly would be my salon of choice. But after two different cuts, one by Michael and the other by Claudio, I have decided to spend my money elsewhere. I have your basic wavy hair and I used to go to great salons in New York. I thought Unruly would be like the others, but I was wrong. The real test of a good haircut is whether the customer can work with the haircut on their own. That was not the case with Unruly cuts. The last cut I got by Claudio was so hard to work with that I went to Anthony & Anthony near Portobello to fix it.

by merr, 20 May 2008

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