Blondie’s by T Harris Salon

I loved my stylist but the owner made very inappropriate comments that was intended for the entire salon to hear. Comments that were offensive to me and others around me as you could see by the look on their faces.
The front desk staff was very hard to communicate with and was very unorganized and unprofessional. They couldn’t seem to schedule a simple appointment.
There are better salons in the Des Moines area that will certainly get my business moving forward.
This salon is hardly worth the one star I gave it but I couldn’t give a «half star».

I have always bounced around from salon to salon until I found Blondie’s. Tyson is the only one I let cut my hair however, I feel welcomed by the entire team. They create a total salon experience that you will look forward to time and time again. Not only do they create a great environment, but they know hair! Tyson is always making recommendations on what would look best with my «look», and is always helping teach new and upcoming hairstylists which I think is great.

Let me see — I have a lot to say about this fabulous salon.
I’m an incredibly picky client. My hair has always been my «thing». I’d leave the house in ripped sweat pants before I’d leave the house with messy hair. So finding a good salon is tricky. I try to be a reasonable client, not too high maintenance. I also have trouble verbally expressing the look I sometimes want.
With all that being said, I moved to Des Moines one year ago and with moving comes the joy (or pains!) of finding a credible salon. I «chair hopped» to a few salons and the results I was getting were mediocre at best. I had reached the point of frustration when I saw a friend with killer hair one day. I asked where they went & they told me Blondie’s.
I was nervous and had thoroughly checked out their website before even calling to make an appointment. They have a feature to book online!!! This is service. (Note: It’s currently down for maintenance, but they put a note on that link so you know ahead of time).
They didn’t include any base pricing, which I generally like to see before calling since I’m budget friendly, but that still didn’t stop me since it was so highly recommended.
I called — They were able to get me in with two weeks notice! Pretty good for such a popular place. My first visit was a color correction & I saw Tyson (the owner, Mr. T. Harris himself!). He was personable, friendly and very clear in explaining what kind of service he’d be doing, how long it would take and what price range I’d be in.
I also appreciate that you get a reminder phone call from the front desk, as well as a text for your upcoming appointment. Payment can be done by their swipe system on the iPad and a receipt mailed to you. They are also THE place to find Surface (or Kevin Murphy) hair care products — both of which have saved my hair over time.
If you’re looking for a place that’s clean, organized, cares about their clients, has stylists who are knowledged on today’s trends — then this is the salon for you. Take a risk if you’re scared to try somewhere new. They will make you feel comfortable about your choice & you will leave with an exciting new color or style.
Fun fact: I hear they are also the leading salon in the metro area to style dread locks! SO COOL.
Go in & check it out. I’m not getting paid to say all this, PS. I just think recognition should happen where it’s deserved.

Just moved here from South Carolina and was so happy to find this place! I see Ansley, and within my first visit I felt like I’ve known him for years. It was also great that he was able to match my red right from the beginning and that he comes forward with fun/​new ideas to try. I highly recommend this place; good people and great hair!

What an amazing experience! I went for a color appointment and it was scheduled for the following week. I was extremely sad as I needed color badly! Tyson asked Miranda if she could squeeze me in and she did! Miranda is an amazing stylist. I have been to very high end salons in Des Moines and she did a MUCH better job coloring my hair than the others! She was quick and knew what she was doing! She also has an amazing personality! I am beyond happy that after two years in Des Moines I have FINALLY found a wonderful stylist. I highly recccomend visiting Blondies! Thank you Miranda for a fantastic job! :)

I guess I would go with 1.5 stars if I had that option. Here’s the book I wrote regarding my experience:
So Blondie’s had me schedule the trial wedding updo appointment for two weeks before my wedding, which seemed really late to me in relation to what most guides say one should do for timing between trial and actual wedding day. But I went with it, because hey, they’re a salon, they’re the professionals, right? Right. So I went there on Saturday and talked with the stylist assigned to me for quite a while. He seemed a little inexperienced with updo’s right off the bat based on how he was discussing them and his experience doing them, which worried me, but I brushed it off. When he started working with my hair, I knew I should be concerned. I’ve had a fair amount of updo’s at this point in my life, and everything he was doing to prep my hair was just wrong. He had told me at the beginning he’d be having another stylist peek in on the progress of my style, and this happened more and more as other stylists around my stylist saw that A/​I was obviously getting upset and B/​he was doing everything wrong. Multiple times, people stepped in to help or made half-​hearted suggestions about «what to do next time.» It was like I was a training dummy. Meanwhile, there were two women around me getting updo’s and looking fantastic.
I was literally holding back tears at least four or five times. When my stylist handed me a mirror and asked me what I thought, I just stared dumbfounded in the mirror and found myself forced to say that I was really unhappy with it. I HATE complaining at businesses of any kind. I always want to thank people for doing a great job and make anyone who served me happy, because they’re on the job and being on the job can suck, even if you like your job. So it was a pretty bad situation when I had to express my unhappiness. A guy who had been working on another trial wedding hairstyle and finished before my stylist came over and took over – literally undoing all the work. By this time, I had so much product that had been thrown into my «unruly, extremely fine hair” – again, hair that holds curl beautifully and while absolutely IS fine in texture, I’ve literally never had a problem having someone give me an updo – that it was getting to the point cotton-​candy-​unworkable-​gross. He put my hair up into a much more acceptable style but frankly, I wasn’t wowed by it. I don’t blame the second stylist for this, because he and I hadn’t sat down at the beginning and discussed my desires, but I was honestly so upset to the point of being somewhat catatonic by this portion of the appointment that I just quietly expressed more approval to get the entire situation over with. I was told that the original first stylist would be doing my hair on my wedding day with «lots of help available from the other stylists.» Ok, nope, that’s not happening. I found another salon.
It’s worth nothing that at this visit, the first stylist was really happy to give me a bit of a trim before we started with the updo as well as a rinse for brassiness in my fairly old ombré. Major props for that. I bought product from the salon – I was badly in need of new shampoo and conditioner that doesn’t suck – and I tipped for the services rendered at the beginning of the appointment. I don’t want to bash this place, but I cannot express how distraught I was with only two weeks to my wedding to have such a bad experience. I’m still shocked that I would be assigned a stylist with what seemed like so little experience for my WEDDING. A prom updo, ok, because while a dance you go to when you’re 16 years old is certainly significant, the day you’re marrying someone for life is arguably of more import. Maybe I’m wrong about the first stylist’s level of updo experience, but my gut says I’m not.

Definitely the spot to get a quick cut. I was able to get in for an appointment on a couple days notice. My stylist was engaging & did a thorough job with my quick trim request.
Bonus: They accept appointments online. And street parking is always easy (and free!)

I moved to the area with bleached but fairly healthy hair. Unfortunately in my search for a local hair stylist, I made a wrong turn & my hair ended up fried and breaking off at the scalp. The stylist at Blondie’s was wonderful… she first determined what my goals were with my hair and after discussing the pros & cons of various process’ then walked me through what she was going to do.
My hair is still damaged, but I’m on my way to healthy hair once again. Best of all, I now have a salon that I’m comfortable with & am confident in. The cost was affordable & they were able to see me without making an appointment weeks in advance.
Anyone who is looking for a new salon would feel comfortable at Blondie’s regardless of age, sex or style.

I have been a client of Blondie’s since the day they opened. I have had the privelege of being Kristen Van Hauen’s client for nearly two decades now. I adore the service and quality she provides me in her chair, but I’d like to further rave about the service and quality the rest of her crew provides:
I recently had to reschedule my appointment and to expedite my haircut, (which was a hot mess and in need of being cut in a 911 way) I took an appointment with one of Blondie’s newest stylists, Matt Carpenter. Not only does this man give a shampoo that leaves you feeling like you had a full massage, he gave me a rockstar haircut which earned me numerous compliments… and how many people actually notice a man’s great haircut? Not too many… HUGE thanks to all my friends at Blondie’s salon.
This place is the real deal!

After going to many reputable salons with varied success, I had the good fortune to get a recommendation to see Kristin, one of the owners of Blondies. Many colorists had difficulty getting my hair the right color (I don’t like orange), but not Kristin. She also does a fantastic job cutting my hair, and gives great advice about what will and will not work for me. Just book ahead!

If you want your hair looking fab, this is the place for you! They do everything from edgy to traditional. Once you get your tresses pampered here, you won’t go anywhere else, but make sure to book an appointment… spaces fill up fast!