Salon 168

Service done: Permanent straightening and haircut.
Pros:
— Vivian was very friendly and a good conversationalist. She gave tips on how to maintain my hair. She was not pushy on products. Especially in Chinatown, this type of service is unexpected but very appreciated. It seemed to be with all stylists too. A definite plus.
— Calm atmosphere. Very atypical for a salon in Chinatown or in general.
— She was very accommodating in straightening my hair since I’d only made appointment for a cut. She would stop to cut hair of other appointments but this was really my fault for changing my mind about my appointment. When she stopped to work on someone else, it was almost always at a good stopping point, like someone else washing the chemicals out of my hair or putting me under the dryer.
— Very reasonable price. Other places charge separately for straighten and cut but her total price for both was below the quotes I got from other salons.
Cons:
— I had a 9:30 appt but Vivian didn’t show up until 10.
— They could have been more efficient. Lots of stylists were standing around not doing anything. Felt that they could have had multiple people helping during certain parts, like working multiple flat irons on different sections of my hair.
— Had previously gotten hair permanently straightened years and years ago. This time was straight but not as flat as usual. Usually when I get hair permanently straightened, they have to run the straightening part twice. She did it once. Maybe it’s an improved procedure, I don’t know. I’m skeptical therefore on how long it will last. I’ve already washed my hair a few of times since and already notice that it stays straight but is already not as straight/​flat as previous experiences.
— Not impressed by the haircut. Was a straight cut with no style at all. This was the most surprising since many Unilocal reviews praise her haircuts. I had also asked for it to be shorter. The length is fine, but bit longer than I wanted. I had another function so had to leave.
Overall: Price, cut, friendliness combined were good enough that I would go again.

I recommended this salon to my sister because I thought that this was a decent salon, but boy was I wrong and very dissappointed. My sister came in with an ombré and all she wanted was an ash brown color but clearly didn’t get that color. I’m no cosmetologist but aren’t you supposed to have a consultation, check the hair if it’s in good condition and explain there is a process? Any ways the hairdresser literally bleached her whole head for the longest time… only to have her hair breaking. (No chemical release form nothing people) My sister is literally a platinum blonde wtf that’s crazy! No sorry nothing just a fat $ 180 for her hair to fall off and for what? The hair color she didn’t even want. WORST SALON EVER STAY AWAY STAY AWAY.

I’ve been a customer for a long time (more than 3years) and it never fails me! Holly is professional. And prices are affordable!

If I could give no stars, I would. I called days ahead to make an appointment with Thuy. I said I’d be there from 3:00 — 3:30pm. She told me to give her an exact time. I told her 3:30pm. I got there early (3:00pm) and waited. (I am not holding anyone else accountable for me getting there early).
3:30pm — My appointment time. I give or take 10 minutes.
3:40pm — Thuy tells me to wait «a little bit more.»
3:50pm — Thuy tells me to wait «10 more minutes.»
4:00pm — A male customer comes in. Thuy takes him in and makes him wait while she’s washing someone else’s hair. I ask her how much longer I have to wait. She says «a little bit more.»
Time is valuable & is a privilege to me. I don’t like to waste other’s time and I don’t like to have my time wasted. I hate people who cannot keep their word. If you don’t want to waste your time, cut your hair somewhere else.

Only come for cuts, not for coloring. I asked for an ombré from Vivian & walked out with botched highlights & and orange roots for $ 160, bargained from $ 165. Giving this place 2 stars because my moms friend is a loyal customer. Vivian works at a very fast pace and it’s hard to come to an agreement/​understanding of what you want.

Vivian is awesome!

I been coming to Salon 168 for over a year now and they have been great. They are polite, professional, great style, and affordable.

I saw a lady at a store in Galleria and couldn’t resist asking where she did her hair. And guess what! Vivian is the way to go, been almost 3 years that I’ve been coming to her. I’ve had a tornado run through my hair when I first moved to Houston, and took me years to get over the phobia of disastrous hair. Vivian advised me to let my hair grow out for at least an year (It was a long wait) before I plan on doing anything further, that was the most honest advice (I had consulted many other hair salons where they offered many more chemical treatments to just make money). She is a perfectionist when it comes to hair cuts, wear your patience hat on as she will spend time on your hair and won’t stop until it’s perfect. I’ve tried keratin treatment, highlights, hair cuts, and even an up-​do for a wedding. She’s just amazing, and very accommodating. I highly recommend her.

I hated my hair dresser! She cut my hair to my satisfaction but then she was so pushy in getting me to buy extra services that I didn’t want or need. I was disgusted with her and nearly stormed out of the salon today. I will never go back to that salon again!

Theresa was such a sweetheart! This was my first time going to salon 168 and I loved it. I came in with purple hair and was looking for a brown color to start the fall off. (Keep in mind purple is hard to take out if not done correctly) I walked in and she greeted me quickly and took me to her chair. I asked her for a swatch book and she showed me the colors I would want to go for, once we picked out the right color, she dyed my hair so fast! After she gave me an amazing shampoo and a neck massage, she also did a hair treatment to help out those damage ends! She then did a blowout and fixed the previous haircut that I had (which was uneven) lol loved my cut definitely going back!

I’m of mixed race (Af American/​Asian) and flat iron my hair before any haircut to make it easy on the stylist. I always get my hair cut by Asian salons because they are great at thinning hair. I seen all the great reviews so decided to come here. I called as soon as they opened. The lady gave my directions to get there. When I get there she tells me nobody can cut my type of hair. Remind you, I flattened my hair bone straight. I was so appalled. While she was in the mirror styling her own her hair. She proceeded to tell me to try another place that can work with my type of hair. All I wanted was a simple trim and my hair thinned out. Needless to say, I will never go back. The Asian salon next door did my hair with no problem.

Holly is amazing! She colored and cut my hair perfectly. Super friendly stylish and definitely knew what she was doing. I really wanted darker hair for the fall instead of my blonde/​light brown coloring and she suggested I do a darker brown versus the black and I’m glad I took her advice! She did a great job and my hair looks and feels amazing after the trim. Definitely recommend holly for your next visit!

I only came here for a trim and I got Nancy, I don’t know what she did maybe sprinkled unicorn tears on my hair but it looks so much cuter and manageable. I watched her the whole time and it really only looked like she snipped here and there. She’s also really friendly and personable I highly recommend her!

I love love my new hair. My long hair was mostly damaged and so i was concerning if i should have it cut. Vivian made me very happy with my decision. She was very helpful showing me how to style my new short hair. This will be my new hair salon. I’ll wait till my hair grow healthy and come back for new styles n colors

They are the best I’ve been coming to this Salon for haircut for over one year now, and every time they become better. I strongly recommend this hair salon for men haircut. I usually choose Nancy she’s very skilled.

If I could give 10 stars, I would. I have been going to Salon 168 since 2008 (and probably should have left a review long ago), and I will not go anywhere else. Theresa always takes care of me and is so meticulous with her cut and styling. She takes her time shampooing and conditioning my hair and also gives a nice little neck and shoulder massage after the wash. It’s so relaxing.
She is so detailed when cutting my hair, even when it’s just a trim, and I really appreciate it. She will also blow dry and style it however I request. All of this for a whopping $ 20! You simply cannot beat this kind of attention to detail, service, and price.
Today I took off about 12″, and, per my request, Theresa wrapped up my hair so that I could donate it.
I definitely recommend anyone and their mom to go to Salon 168!!!

I’ve been shopping around this huge city looking for hair salon. One that doesn’t break the bank to style and cut my long thick hair. I’ve been to a few where I used to live and stuck with the same for years. So when I moved here, I was lost. Didn’t know where to go. So I asked the lady who does my nails in the Heights and she recommended Salon 168.
I walked in the salon and was greeted by all the ladies. Right away I was in a chair. My stylist was Holly. I adored her hair so I asked for a similar cut and color. Mind you my hair is halfway down my back. She was very professional quick and precise. While I was there I also got an eyebrow and lip wax. Cut color, style and wax was $ 85. I’m SOLD!!! Will come by here in the future as well as recommend others.

I’ve been going here a year now. Funny thing is, I found this salon on Unilocal when I got sick of waiting an hour at Beauty Express for Tracy.
I found Vivian, who is the owner. She has an amazing memory. It took two trips before she remembered my name and exactly how I like my hair done. She gave me honest feedback about the color dyes I chose and the best thing is I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes.
The salon itself is small. They have 6 stations. Vivian and Holly are in the front. They are the best workers here so naturally they will be in the stations closest to the door. The prices are pretty cheap. $ 19 for a long hair cut. $ 17 for medium. My cut and dye for long hair is $ 50. Vivian does a pretty good job. Although she’s no Tracy, I know I’ll never get a bad hair cut with her.
I’ve seen her do makeup for a bride though… This is a hair salon… Not sure what that bride was thinking. Lol get yourself a makeup artist.
Overall 4 stars!

After reading a few (but stellar) reviews of Salon 168, I decided to make an appointment with Vivian on a Wednesday afternoon. Making an appointment was fairly harmless, but Vivian can get pretty busy sometimes.
Upon arriving for my appointment, I was kindly greeted by the staff as they asked me to wait until Vivian was available. One of the stylists even offered to wax my eyebrows while I waited, but I respectfully declined while I wondered if my brows were really that hidious…
Although I had to wait 15 minutes, Vivian was very friendly and prompt in her services. What I like most about her is that she is very honest in her opinions. I told her I wanted to grow my hair out for my wedding and color my hair to hide my bright highlights, and she gave me great suggestions on what hair style and color she’d recommend. I must say that I love my hair now — it’s a beautiful color and at the right length. And a color & cut for only $ 50? That sounds like a great deal to me!
As I was chatting with her while she was cutting my hair, I found out that she was an original staff member of Beauty Express (you can read my review on them) and a close friend of Tracy. While we both sang praises of Tracy’s talent, we also both griped about the long wait and terrible scheduling at Beauty Express. In fact, that’s why Vivian left and eventually started Salon 168. I personally think Vivian is just as talented as Tracy is, but I don’t have to wait 3 hours to get my hair done! I was out of there in under 1.5 hours!
I highly recommend Salon 168 if you’re looking for an affordable alternative to an otherwise expensive 4-​star salon. It’s clean, the staff is friendly, and the services are great. I’ll definitely be back to see Vivian in the future!

I was recommended here by Lesley-​anne L :]
Vivian is MY GIRL! I love her. She has a great memory and knows how I like my hair, and I don’t even come in THAT often. She gave me my first ‘boy’ hair cut and has made me fall in love with short hair. She reassured me it would look great on my face frame and especially for my age. I’m so happy I trusted her because she ended giving me one of the best hair cuts. I couldn’t go anywhere without getting compliments on my hair. I even went back to her salon to grab some of her business cards because people wouldn’t stop bugging me on where I got it done. Price is very good too. I’m thinking of going blonde and considering going to her to get my coloring done.
If you want to get your hair done by her, you definitely need to call in advance and make an appointment. This woman is too busy for walk-​ins!