Thursday 24 April 2014

Hair Salon Review (Late December post)

For an updated review (October 2016) click here in order to be properly informed of the current status/service of the salon. Thank you.
To Read my August, 2014) review on this salon click here.

The post below is the 1st post/review i did on the Lumo Naturals Salon from my visit there in December 2013 and  January 2014. They have since improved immensely and were transitioning as at the time this post was written as contained in their rejoinder. You can visit their blog as well.


A popular Nigerian natural hair blog i frequent and the Dealdey site linked me to Lumos Naturals blog & salon. After going through the blogs i was super eager to try them out! I found a discounted deal on Dealdey and jumped at it. I bought 2 of the deal which covers 4 people in total. I was about to be thoroughly disappointed, i was totally unimpressed with the salon after an early morning trip all the way to Gwarinpa. There weren't enough chairs for customers and i had to sit on stacked broken plastic chairs, there was only one hair dryer which had no front cover to prevent the air from escaping and they had to improvise using a towel. There was only one steamer available so d queue was long for use of both appliances. There was no signboard outside so I had to walk into where the cardboard post with pencil was placed n ask if i was at the right place, as did other customers that came in after me.
There were just 2 face sized towels available for customers to make use of. The customer service was quite poor and only one of the stylists seemed to know how to handle natural hair properly (Precious) and I waited for her to work on my hair. There was no source of entertainment for the many waiting customers (neither TV or Radio). They do not sell weaves or attachments. Honestly I wouldn't willingly visit this salon again except to buy Natural Nigerian hair products.
2 customers complained about their time that was being wasted, 1 of d kids who got twists noticed her hair was loosing after being creeped and when it was brought to the attention of the stylist she sed dey dnt usually creep twists but she did 'cos dat was wat the customer wanted. The customer replied dat the stylist shld v informed n advised dem accordingly instead of just goin ahead wen she knew the hair would loosen, she left, visibly upset, with her kid n sed she'd cm in January to redeem her  own coupon. Luckily I had a novel n music on my phone to entertain me during all of this, at 12:24pm 1 customer left n I noticed one watching d TV series 'revenge' on her fone while anoda 'picked' her attachment herself to avoid any delays wen it was her turn. Only 1 adult had started twists, we were nw 5 adults left standing while the heavily pregnant mother of 3 of the kids came in with d last one complaining 'bout how slow d stylist was (very true) and after ranting for 'bout 10mins left saying she'l b back soon and would scatter d shop if her kids were not done by den (serious hormones!).
They did not keep to the normal first come-first served scheduled appointments 'cos no tags or number were given to customers to indicate who arrived first and they were quite slow. Although the shop is small I think the shop can be better managed to efficiently cater to more than one client at a time. It was rather easy for me to locate d plaza which is a plus since i'm not familiar with the Gwarinpa environs. I got to the salon by 8:10am 'cos when i called to book an appointment, i was told to come earlier than 9:00am which was the indicated opening time on the deal i bought. I had to wait till around 9:00am when one of the 2 stylists present came to put the coconut cream treatment in my hair n I had to wait for the person in d steamer to be done then I steamed my hair. Around dis time d owner left leaving only the 2 stylists there to attend to 4 kids and 5 adults making 8 individuals in total. I finished steaming ended round 9:45am around wen d 3rd stylist came around. I had to sit around till 11:30am to get my hair washed n get in the dryer. At 11:48am only 1 adult (she fixed) and 1 kid had finished their braids while anoda kid was rounding up her twist. The 3rd kid n 1 adult took the places of the people that had finished and started their braids n twists. 8 adults were now waiting including myself as my hair was now dry.3 people were ahead of me 'cos dey came earlier than i did (7am).
2 pairs of people had to sharing 2 chairs while the remaining  managed the stack of 2 broken plastic chairs while anoda sat on the chair at the washing area.I noticed no one was keeping an eye on the products on display and anyone could have easily nicked one.
The customer dat left earlier cm bk with drinks n snacks n asked for her position on the queue. this was when the stylists bothered to try to recognize the order in which we came we cm. She left n sed she'l be bk wen she feels her turn would be closer. Anoda customer left round 1pm (the lucky ones). At 2pm,another adult n kid started their twists as one finished n complained dt she shld v bin informed dt her hair cannot be packed in d style she wanted instead of being told it can be done and dey end up doin crap. 2:20 pm I'm still waitin, d customer dt asked her turn is bk n visibly frustrated n complainin dt she's still gonna v to wait a while b4 her turn. 2:30pm dey conceded washed her hair,put d treatment n put her in d steamer. 3:00pm pregnant mum came back, luckily her daughter's hair was done so we never got to find out if she intended to carry out her threat. I dozed off after that. 5:00pm the lil girl n 1adult hav finished deir twists n d last kid has taking her place. The lady previously under d steamer has had her hair washed and is now under the dryer. The 2 other stylists take a break to eat n resume work bk not long after while d last stylist took her own break. 2 shower caps were being alternated and reused in their unwashed state for all the customers that had to steam (quite a no. of people).5:43pm they started washing the hair of one of the ladies waiting and then put her in d steamer while they washed her friend's hair. 5:58pm they started the twists on the lady dt got out of d dryer after she complained her attachment wasn't mixed well.All this while I just sat waitin with the head wrap being used as a towel on my shoulders, observing all the drama.
I finally started my hair @6:26pm after the stylist finished twists n used her hand to pack d dirt/hair on d floor to sort of clean out d salon (brrrr). Water n rosewater was used to detangle my hair. 6:52pm d last kid finished her hair n dey washed d hair of d girl outta d steamer since 6:00pm as well as dat of her sis who was don steaming by dat time, deir oda friend cm bk around den washed her hair n gt in d steamer while d 1st of d oda 2 got in d dryer.few mins later she cm out to make her twists while her sis gt in d dryer.The stylists begged her to not do the long braids she wanted to 'cos dey were tired and dey felt her hair was too short bt dey finally agreed to do wat she wanted. 7:13pm NEPA (PHCN) strikes but luckily dey brot it back around 7:20pm n tk it again by 7:33.Finished my hair around 9:00pm and i wasn't a pleased customer.

2nd trip(January, 2014),gt dere by 12pm n left 10pm. dey v a sign, dts d only change.
I'm furious at this salon because it has a lot of potential, i don't know any other 'Natural Hair' salons and there is a high natural hair community in the FCT from the last NITC meeting i attended.
What can change?
The salon arrangement
The scheduling process for customers
The seating provision for customers
The no. of staff
The no. of appliances,shoulder towels, shower caps, etc. for customers to use
The customer service
The provision of entertainment for waiting customers (can be looped Natural Hair Youtube videos-hairstyles, advice, products, etc.)
The storage of hair products for sale (against theft)
I believe these changes will take the salon a long way!

Toodles!XooX









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19 comments:

  1. Hello Jemima,
    Thank you for your review on our salon. Kindly accept our apologies for the events that occurred in December.
    We were clearly overwhelmed and everything seemed to have fall apart on that day.

    However, I am pleased to inform you that a lot has changed at the salon now. And we are always open to customers giving us feedback on how to serve them better.

    Farida,
    Lumo Naturals manager

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    Replies
    1. Hi Farida, apology accepted, sorry the review is not good. I'm reeally glad that you say a lot has changed at the salon and i will definitely be paying a visit soonest as i really want to do an updated 'glowing' review on the salon and the improvements that have been made.thank u also for taking time to comment on this post and taking it for what it is (my candid review from my visits to the salon)

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  2. I don't agree with this review. It's too loop-sided. My niece was there recently to fix her hair. Though a "No Entry Salon" for men, I've followedLumo Naturals from it s old location, to the bigger one. I visit the salon on Mondays, when it's closed for maintenance and cleaning. There will definitely be some reasons for customers' dissatisfaction, but not as gross as you paint it! Sorry, this post I'll assume is meant to tarnish the brand name.

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    Replies
    1. Hi kenneth, It is ok for you not to agree with my review and your loyalty to the salon is understandable from your movement with them from their old location. This post is however not aimed at tarnishing the brand name of the salon as i have nothing against the salon or its owners nor do i know them or have any connection to them. This post is my candid opinion of my experience at the salon on 2 different occasions which is why i made it clear how i got to know about the salon (through Dealdey). I was grossly dissatisfied as well as my friends i took along as a part of the deal, i also added pictures to elaborate my view. The post was typed in the notepad section of my phone during my long wait for you to know how upset i was. I also outlined ways the salon can be improved and the potential it has to show that i am not bias towards it and i plan on visiting the salon soon and doing an updated review.

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  3. Yes "DECEMBER" thank God you mentioned the period cos i dont know where you are from, but december period is usually chaotic. even if you live in America. those broken seats you were taking about does not even belong to Lumo Naturals, its for the Plaza. in order to help cater for the overwhelming crowd. You have also taken unathorised pictures which are breaking the terms and agreement with google and blogging in its entirety. you donot know how to blog basically. and i personally think that you are NOT A NATURAL. no natural will listen to the rubbish you just posted or even post such a thing. you are suppose to be a community.

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  4. Mr. Usman, u saying i'm a natural won't change the fact that i am and that other readers of this post can read and see other posts and pictures to prove that i am natural. Whether i am from America or England is not my problem, I don't know if the broken seats belong to the salon or not, all i know is that i came for a service in the salon and that was what was made available to me. Being part of a community does not mean i should shut my eyes or mouth to service i do not consider good especially when i have paid for it. This is part of the reasons this country hasn't moved forward, we always have to butter things up, instead of telling things as they are to aid improvement. I admit i was very upset (and rightfully so having wasted more than 8hours on 2different occassions that i visited the salon moreso as i had paid for friends to come along as well) when i wrote this post but i still found it in me to highlight the things that needed changing in the salon. Also i went there both in December and January not just once. You think i can't tell the friends i brought along to post their comments as well about the service we received from the salon? I will not succumb to your bullying comments and i DID NOT take any unauthorized pictures, the pictures were taken with my phone and NO ONE (Employee or Otherwise of the salon) stopped me from taking the pictures, neither was there any sign or notice restricting taking of pictures inside or around the salon so i did not break ANY terms of agreement and why bother visiting my blog if u think i don't know how to blog? LOL. so ridiculous, anyways whether i know how to blog or not,its my blog. You guys even bullied the popular Nigerian blogger who i checked out the salon on her sit to the extent that she had to call and plead with me to remove her blog name from the post. *smh. Despite the last 2 comments i will be visiting the salon soon and will do an updated review on the changes that have been made if any. The salon manager's comment was really decent and i believe the salon deserves a 2nd review because of that. Being a voltron for someone u know or a business u support is fine and good but not when they were clearly in the wrong. Cheers.

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  5. Dont worry, the day i hear you opened any form of business, i will come to write my own reviews about it, take pictures ( without you stopping me) and will come in EVERYDAY to document every single flaw. hmm even if its a single fly or cockroach i see.. you shall suffer for it. Amen. #Naturalwannabe

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh by all means do, you won't even have to 'hear' about the business. I'll inform of it via a post here and will welcome such criticism whether negative or positive because it'll only make my business better eventually and hopefully u'll have the decency to commend the improvements made via your criticism. who am i to stop you? *shrugs. Who would wanna condone a fly or cockroach in any place of business anyways?! lool! abeg take ur empty threats elsewhere. "you shall suffer for it', 'naturalwannabe'. u're ridiculously hilarious, are those supposed to be insults? or supposed to get to me? Wrong gal Mister.oh and by the way that's not how prayers work. Amen *smh. i can't mahn lool* i can't

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  6. I wish I could say Im going back to this salon (because I really like the way they’ve been doing my hair) but I don’t think I will. Okay—- I just moved back to Nigeria in October 2014 from the states where I have lived almost all my life. I do my own hair. I’ve been doing hair since I was very little. Weaves, braids, twists, faux locs– you name it, I can do it! (or will attempt to with the help of YouTube ;p) I do other peoples hair as well and get paid to do so. Im no stranger to hair styling but I am fairly new to hair care. I had been transitioning for 4 years and just big chopped June 2014. I’ve only ever been to the salon in the states maybe 3 times in my life because 1. its expensive and 2. why would I pay someone to do something I can probably do better myself? Since I’ve been more careful about my hair, you can only imagine how excited I was to come back to Nigeria and find out that there are a lot of hair salons that now cater to only natural hair AND THEY ARE AFFORDABLE! I did a bit of research and stumbled upon Lumo Naturals. Since I found out about them in December 2014, I have been to the salon 3 times. Here’s my problem– Like I said before, I really did like the way my hair was cared for by two stylists (Esther and Blessing) but on 2/3 occasions I have been there and their “Madam” was there, she has never said anything to me. The first time she came and I was there, she greeted the other 2 customers that were in the shop but did not greet me. Now, I never thought much about it because I was actually on the phone at the time she came in but soon ended the conversation. The second time this happened (which was last week) the shop was full with about 5-6 other customers. She greeted everyone, even engaged in conversations about their hair asking questions such as how long had they been natural? what products they use? what they are trying to achieve with their natural hair regimen? etc. and said absolutely nothing to me. Not even a common hello or welcome. In actuality it seems really petty, but it comes off as extremely rude especially as a business owner. Because I’m able to do my own hair, I have very little tolerance for anything that I consider sub par– whether its the customer service or actual product. I guess it’s just like going to a restaurant where you love the food but hate the service. The sad part about this is this really simply petty act will now deter me from going there again. I will look for another natural hair salon in Abuja. Any suggestions?

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    Replies
    1. UPDATE: I received a friendly message from the owner apologizing for the encounters and assuring me it was unintentional. I really do appreciate the fact that she was able to reach out to me about the situation. I will be returning to get my hair done there soon.

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    2. hii, i'm glad u were able to get it resolved, that happens to be the only natural hair salon i know of in abuja and that i've visited. I believe that's just how she is, she was probably more friendly with the other customers 'cos she knew them(maybe from natural hairmeetups, etc), this also happened to me when i visited and it felt kinda weird but i shrugged it off 'cos she's the owner and the manager i met there on my most recent visit there was quite friendly and asked about my hair care. The only other person i know of that handles natural hair well in Abuja is NaturalMane (www.deepbrownkinks.blogspot.com) and i've only done home service with her and she also did my wedding hair.

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  8. The review you have given about the hair salon is great. "There were just 2 face sizedtowels available for customers to make use of" this is a good thing.Thank you for sharing. Great article!!

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