It's all in the hair.
Put your best head forward with the best cuts, color, blowouts and more to keep you looking salon-fresh year-round in the Bay Area.
Best Haircuts in the Bay Area
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Edo SalonThe It Shag
Edo cofounder and stylist Jayne Matthews is the undisputed queen of the "new" shag, currently taking over Instagram to the tune of 59,000 followers (and counting). Now working primarily out of the salon's new Oakland location, Matthews customizes her tousled sexy cuts for all types of tresses—extra long, curly, fine, you mane name it. The good news: Education is a big part of Matthews' MO, so all Oaktown and SF stylists are fluent in shag. —Gail Goldberg // Haircut with Jayne at Edo ($300; other stylists $95+); 4245 Piedmont Ave (Oakland), and 601 Haight St (Lower Haight). edosalon.com
DiPietro Todd Salon: Tried and True
When it's time for a chop, we need to know whom we can trust. At this mainstay salon, the dependable team of well-trained stylists has a warm chair-side manner and deft scissor hands that effortlessly style magazine cover-worthy hairdos. After 30 years in Union Square, the salon recently moved to a hip and gorgeous spot in Jackson Square. Also look for locations in Pacific Heights and Mill Valley. —Michaela D'Artois // Haircut ($115+) at diPietro Todd Salon, 520 Washington St (Jackson Square), 2239 Fillmore St. (Pac Heights), and 250 Camino Alto (Mill Valley); dipietrotodd.com
Cowboys & Angels: Precision Haircut
With more than 20 years in business, Cowboys and Angels has amassed a serious cult following for their chic cuts and team of international stylists, including owners David Tolls, Louise Baranowski, and Tracey McAllister. The bright, airy salon and laid-back vibe belie their precision haircuts, designed to help even the most unruly strands fall effortlessly into place. Imagine that—a salon-perfect style that mere mortals can replicate at home. // Precision haircut ($110+) at Cowboys and Angels, 207 Powell St., Suite 400 (Union Square), cowboysandangelssf.com
Spoke & Weal: Celeb Tresses
A haircut from sought-after celebrity stylist Jon Reyman is akin to a religious rite: He has a deific instinct about what our hair needs and how its shape can take your look up a few notches. His unusual practice of lightning-fast dry cuts is easily the best thing you could do for your locks. Can't get an appointment with the in-demand JR? No worries, all the stylists wield a mean pair of scissors. Carly Sperbeck and Christy Gylo get consistent props from discerning clients. —Sarah Medina // Haircut with John ($800; other stylists $75+) at Spoke and Weal, 701 Sansome St. (Jackson Square), spokeandweal.com
Pony Salon: Individualized Cut
Corinna Hernandez opened her salon in Oakland this year, but she's been chopping the locks of cool Bay Area babes for two decades. Known for her razor-sharp skills, her special sauce is a knack for creating cuts to fit a client's face shape, hair type, and lifestyle. We're partial to her French Girl bobs and endless option of bangs (baby, curtain, choppy, blunt etc.). If you're considering a big hair change, she's your girl. The rest of the Pony cut-and-color crew are ballers, too. —G.G. // Haircut with Corinna at Pony Salon ($185; other stylists $95+), 6012 College Ave (Oakland), pony.salon
Best Hair Color in the Bay Area
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Archer SalonBalayage
Archer Salon is a quiet haven just off bustling Grant Avenue. But don't let the cozy vibe fool you—expert colorists, stylists, and aestheticians run the salon like a well-oiled machine. For baby blonde highlights, owner Gari Cuevas is the pro; for the balayage experience, Jo Ann Custodio knows best (plus she's a pro at keeping Asian hair happy and healthy when lightening up).—M.D. // Balayage ($250+) at Archer Salon, 33 Grant Ave. (Union Square), archersalon.com
Barrow Salon: Color and Styling
Adorned with art by local Lena Wolff, this salon is a mecca for good hair. Proprietor and stylist Michelle Snyder has cultivated a talented team with experience from New York Fashion Week and beyond: Eileen McCarthy is our color expert of choice (plus she gets props from Allure mag). Sit back with a made-to-order cup of coffee or a generously poured glass of bubbly while she does all the work. —Kristen Philipkoski // Color and styling ($95+) at Barrow Salon, 256 Sutter St., 4th Floor (FiDi), barrowsalon.com
Madison Reed: DIY + Color on the Go
Glorious home hair color that doesn't leave you smelling like a lab rat? SF-based hair care brand Madison Reed's ammonia-, resorcinol-, PPD-, and paraben-free colors leave our hair soft and silky, not stinky. One of our favorite products is the color reviving gloss—you don't even need to color your hair to go crazy for this $30 shine-boosting treat. If you're coloring your hair at home but aren't yet a Madison Reed convert, give their color translator a try: Simply enter your current brand and shade, and MR will match your hue...only without all the smelly toxic chemicals. Not a fan of DIY? MR now has several IRL salons in the Bay Area so you can leave it to the experts. —Chloé Hennen // Color kit ($22 for subscribers, $26.50 for one-time orders); in-salon root touch-ups are just $40; Madison Reed, madison-reed.com
Veer & Wander: Color + Artisanal Products
Salon-meets-apothecary Veer & Wander is our go-to for expert hairstyling and artisanal skincare products, makeup, and aromatic candles. (Strike a match to the 6 Brady Street wick, redolent of black tea and sweet tobacco.) Owner and stylist Connie McGrath is a known expert in both cut and color: Pick up some of her tricks of the trade during public workshops on Tuesdays. —SM // Women's Cut ($90+) at Veer & Wander, 6 Brady St. (SoMa), veerandwander.com
Cinta Salon: Balayage With Shadow Root
Whether it's balayage or pastel tresses they seek, trend-conscious style mavens look to this Grant Avenue mainstay to keep their locks au courant. Ask for a shadow root to update your usual balayage—a multi-textural effect achieved by painting or foiling both cool and warm tones on each strand of hair—or go a little wild with any of Aveda's bright new shades. —C.H. // Balayage with root shadow ($170-$300) at Cinta Salon, 23 Grant Ave. (Union Square), cinta.com
Brand Benjamin Salon
Longtime Spoke and Weal hair color specialist Teddy Benjamin went off on his own to open Brand Benjamin Salon, a boutique space located in Cow Hollow. His staff is known for hair color that will win you compliments. // Balayage ($275 and up); partial Highlights ($200 and up); new growth hair color ($100) at Brand Benjamin Salon, 2848 Webster St. (Cow Hollow), brandbenjamin.com.
*Thanks to our partners at Brand Benjamin Salon.
Best Blowouts in San Francisco
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Dry Bar
We book our appointments through DryBar's easy-to-use app. The upbeat Pac Heights salon has pop music on the stereo and classic chick flicks on the flat screen. Choose from 10 styles in their look book, including the wavy Dirty Martini (a favorite). Sleek and straight types, go for the Manhattan. Enjoy coffee or champers while the stylist works on your locks for a $49 flat fee. It's as easy, and addictive, as that. —Emily Holt // Blowout ($49+) at Dry Bar, 1908 Fillmore St. (Pacific Heights),thedrybar.com
Bloom Blow Dry Bar
Bloom Blow Dry Bar (say that 10 times fast!) is our go-to when only beachy waves will do. Summon your inner surfer chick and chill out during the shampoo—only Unite's cruelty-free products will touch your tresses in this salon—and read magazines on an iPad while they give you that perfect, tousled blow dry. When you emerge, beware of catcalls. // Bloom Blow Out ($49) at Bloom Blow Dry Bar, 819 Ulloa St. (Forest Hill), bloomblowdrybar.com
Best Brows + Hair Removal in the Bay Area
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Marilyn Jaeger SkincareSpotless
Those pesky in-growns have met their match in Marilyn Jaeger's Spotless, a green tea–infused miracle potion that relieves skin of evil red bumps post-shaving and waxing thanks to the patented molecule called Qusome, which penetrates deep to dissolve the bacteria that causes in-grown hairs and blemishes. // Spotless ($19-$99) at Marilyn Jaeger Skincare, 3384 Sacramento St. (Presidio Heights) and 5257 College Ave. (Rockridge), marilynjaegerskincare.com
Benefit Cosmetics: Brow Bar
Benefit's brow bars have become famous for their fast and flattering signature wax. Its countless Bay Area locations (SF, Marin, Oakland, Burlingame and beyond) are staffed with licensed professionals, all highly trained in the art of brow shaping and makeup application. Get groomed and dolled up in one quick go. // Brow Bar @ Benefit Cosmetics (multiple locations), benefitcosmetics.com
Habit: Sugar Waxing
San Francisco's first wax-only salon, this gorgeous Cow Hollow studio offers sugar waxing—a favorite among Habit's dedicated clients. The treatment is slightly more expensive than a standard wax, but gentler and less painful. We appreciate Habit's unparalleled discretion: Upon making an appointment, we received a code for the private entrance. —K.P. // Sugar waxing ($20-$75) at Habit, 3212 Fillmore St. (Cow Hollow), waxhabit.com
La Tira: Waxing
This four-room specialty salon eases the physical and mental pain of waxing with its cheerful decor, a soothing Enya-free soundtrack, and a friendly staff who experlty applies (and strips away) quick-drying hard wax for minimal redness. Wax on. —E.H. // Bikini waxing ($28–$68) La Tira, 1301 Church St. (Noe Valley), latirawaxstudio.com
Blink Eyebrows and Cosmetics: All-Around Brow Needs
A focus on all things brows—meticulous shaping to threading and tinting—makes Blink a go-to for gals in the know. Founder Anna Lee and all the aestheticians (we heart Dede McNeal) are arch artists of the highest order. The eyelash tints are also excellent, and last a long time. —G.G. // Brow Design ($50+) at Blink Eyebrows, 166 Geary St, (Union Square), blinksf.com
