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171
A popular Islington salon offering extremely well-priced and reliable cuts, colour and blow-dries. From £35 for women and £27 for men.
171,171 Upper St, N1 (020 7354 2266/www.171hairandbeauty.com) Highbury & Islington tube/rail.

NEW STRAIGHTENING SYSTEM
Andrew Jose
This small, friendly salon perched at the end of Charlotte Street is known for delivering excellent cuts and colour. New this summer is Matrix, the latest permanent straightening system to hit the UK market (from £400), and Godiva hair extensions, which we are told are much kinder than traditional extensions (from £750, maintenance sessions every four months cost from £40 per hour). Wash, cut and blow-dry from £41.
Andrew Jose, 1 Charlotte St, W1 (020 7323 4679/www.andrewjose.com). Tottenham Court Road tube.

Anita Cox Hair & Beauty
Just far enough away from the centre of town to avoid ear-bleedingly high prices, but close enough to be accessible, this respected salon also has branches in Chelsea and Loughton. Highly attentive staff and consistently good cuts are what marks this salon out from local competitors. Cut and blow-dries from £26 for men, £39 for ladies.
Anita Cox Hair & Beauty, 40 Battersea Rise, SW11 (020 7223 8888/ www.anitacox.co.uk). Clapham Junction rail. Feature continues

EXCELLENT CONSULTATIONS
Brooks & Brooks
Jamie and Sally Brooks and their team of stylists have won London Hairdresser of the Year three times in recent years. It’s not hard to see why; the team is made up of consummate professionals. Consultations are thorough, taking into account skintone and face shape. Prices are reasonable, starting from £35 for a ladies’ cut and blow-dry while new ‘express’ treatments from Kerastase address specific needs of different hair types, and start from just £12.50.
Brooks & Brooks, 13-15 Sicilian Avenue, W1(020 7405 8111/ www.brookandbrooks.co.uk). Holborn tube.

Bloww
If it wasn’t for the ranks of swivel chairs and drone of hairdryers, you might think you’d wandered into a minimalist bar. Decked out in dark, sensual colours, glossy granite and carefully chosen furniture, a trip to Bloww is never humdrum. Matt Harrison (formerly of Michaeljohn) is the snipper-in-chief; an expert of long-standing whether you’re after big, blown-out glamour or on-trend kookiness. Cuts and finishes for women are from £60 to £110. Fabulous beauty treatments take place downstairs.
Bloww, 4 Regent Place, W1 (020 7292 0300/www.bloww.com). Piccadilly Circus tube.

'Cup of tea with that?'

Charles Worthington
Officially named the ‘House of Charles Worthington', the Great Queen Street salon (there are four others) has kept the original Georgian townhouse layout, with small rooms over five floors, making for an intimate, unintimidating experience. Good, solid cutting is from £50 (£45 for men) and for the latest innovations in colour, Carolyn Newman remains at the helm: her pioneering dip-dyeing technique creates natural, sun-kissed locks (£130 for Newman). The flagship Percy Street salon (020 7631 1370) also has a vastly loyal clientele and is a favourite among Time Out staff.
Charles Worthington, 28 Great Queen St, WC2 (020 7831 5303/ www.cwlondon.com). Covent Garden tube.

Cobella Ac
With a main salon in Kensington, its West End concession in Selfridges is no less prestigious. Hair-cuts and colour here are consistently good. Prices for cut and blow-dry start at £55, rising to £99 for more senior stylists. Soon to be launching the latest Nanomax hair treatment (from £80) which steam injects nano-sized protein particles into the hair shaft, apparently improving hair condition by up to 80 per cent.
Cobella Ac, Third Floor, Selfridges, 400 Oxford St, W1(0870 900 0440/ www.cobella.co.uk). Bond St or Marble Arch tube.

Daniel Hersheson
This long-established salon (Daniel’s son Luke is also in on the act) predicts trends rather than follows them. The pair pioneered ceramic-ironed hair before anyone else; now it’s all about laidback waves. Cuts start from a reasonable £55 (£70 for afro hair), though Hersheson senior will set you back £250. Colour is a strong point: try some baliage (hand-painted strands for natural lights) from £40. There is another salon in Harvey Nichols as well as a compact concession in the basement of Topshop, Oxford Circus, boasting its very own Hersheson blow-dry bar.
Daniel Hersheson, 45 Conduit St, W1 (020 7434 1747/ www.danielhersheson.com). Oxford Circus tube.

BEST FOR UNRULY HAIR
Errol Douglas
The award-winning Errol Douglas, who swoops through his Knightsbridge salon in head-to-toe white, knows a thing or two about creating show stopping hair – just ask the ridiculously celeb crowd he attracts, including Uma Thurman and Gok Wan who sneak in via a private entrance. However, this classy but comfy salon is unintimidating, and rather than faff about with fashion shows and a hair range, Errol and his team concentrate on giving great cuts, quality extensions, and superb afrocare. Cut and blow-dry from £50-£185
Errol Douglas, 18 Motcomb Street, (020 7235 0110/www.erroldouglas.com). Knightsbridge tube.

Glamourous hair at Pimps & Pinups

ESHK
Owners Meg Liu and Fernando Lopez are veterans of the London Fashion Week hair circuit, and pride themselves on being at the forefront of trends with their directional and individually tailored cuts and colour. Their cosy Clerkenwell salon is decked out in an eclectic blend of antique and vintage furniture and all staff have more than ten years of experience – a fact that’s not reflected in its reasonable prices. Mens’ cut and finish from £26, ladies from £40, colour from £45, and extensions are available with price on request.
ESHK, 156 Goswell Rd, EC1 (020 7253 9592/www.eshk-hair.com). Old St tube/rail or Barbican tube.

Fish Soho
This former fishmonger celebrates 21 years in business this year. Donna and Angie (both from New Zealand) are outstanding cutters. It’s relatively cheap (£43 for girls and £34 for gents), informal and flanked with retro hairdressing photos. Everything a good Soho salon should be.
Fish Soho, 30 D’Arblay St, W1 (020 7494 2398/www.fishsoho.com). Oxford Circus tube.

Fordham Soho
Founded in 2002, this upbeat Soho salon has a team made up of session stylists who aren’t short of edgy ideas. Prices are reasonable, starting at £40 for a wash, cut and blow-dry with a graduate stylist.
Fordham Soho, 47 Greek Street, W1 (020 7287 8484/ www.fordhamsoho.com). Oxford Circus tube.

Hari’s
A pioneer in a number of ultra-indulgent treatments such as the golden-strip wax (warm wax with pure molten 24-carat gold) the enriching caviar hair mask and strictly for the non-squeamish: Haris’ own ‘Aberdeen Angus Organic Bull Sperm Treatment’ which is hailed as the ‘ultimate rescue for damaged hair’. Euck! An appointment with Hari himself costs from £75 for a mens’ cut, £150 for a women’s cut and blowdry, while a wash and blow-dry with a junior stylist will set you back just £25.
Hari's, 305 Brompton Rd, SW3 (020 7581 5211/www.harissalon.com) South Kensington tube.

BEST FOR COLOUR
Jo Hansford
Jo Hansford opened the salon in 1993 and colour has become her area of expertise (though an appointment with the grande dame herself will leave you £150 out of pocket). Her smart Mayfair salon in atmospheric Mount Street is everything an upmarket salon should be: professional, plush but not intimidatingly posh, friendly in a laid-back kind of way and brilliant at delivering no-nonsense hair-cuts and colours. For a more affordable option ask for Jacklyn (from £95 for a tint) and go to Steve for a natty new hair-cut (from £75). We’ve been to this salon many times and genuinely can’t fault it.
Jo Hansford, 19 Mount St, W1 (020 7495 7774/www.johansford.com). Bond St/Green Park tube.

Karine Jackson in Covent Garden

BEST VALUE FOR MONEY
Karine Jackson
Karine Jackson is an expert in colour, and is something of a pioneer when it comes to organic dyes. Try out her bright, friendly salon if you don’t like the chemical odour of ordinary dyes – hers are derived from beetroot and liquorice, and smell lovely. Treatments come with a glass of fizz, fancy crisps, and a gossip mag. Downstairs are two top-notch beauty rooms for treatments and all manner of grooming. August heralds her annual colour festival, with complimentary treatments and consultations awarded to hundreds of customers. Ladies’ gloss colour highlights are from £42 with a graduate stylist and a cut and blow-dry is from £35.
Karine Jackson, 24 Litchfield St, W1 (0207 836 0300/ www.karinejackson.co.uk). Leicester Square tube.

The Lounge Soho
This ten-year-old salon has built a reputation for being friendly, creative and with reasonable prices appealing to everyone from Berwick Street market stall-holders to trendy media types. The complimentary beers, coffee, videogames, and wi-fi make it stand out from the sea of Soho salons. Prices from £40 for a cut and blow-dry for men, and from £50 for women.
The Lounge Soho, 26 Peter St, W1 (020 7437 3877/ www.theloungesoho.com). Piccadilly Circus tube.

Michaeljohn
A Mayfair classic, equally popular with ladies who lunch and local office workers, delivering great cuts (Max Coles is known for his wizardry with the scissors) and colour (see head colourist Steve Cope for immaculate colour) as well as the in-demand permanent blow-dry (from £200 with Gil Goncalces). Wash and blow-dries start from just £30, rising up to £153 for more senior stylists. Downstairs, indulge in quality treatments such as manicures and facials as well as threading and eyelash extensions.
Michaeljohn, 25 Albemarle St, W1 (020 7629 6969/www.michaeljohn.co.uk) Green Park tube.

BEST FOR EXTENSIONS
Nyumba
The friendly flamboyance of owner Michael Charalambous makes Nyumba – ‘home’ in Swahili – an unusually friendly and effusive salon. Getting a cut with the great man himself is pricey at £300 (wince), but plenty wouldn’t go to anyone else. Charalambous prides himself on finding the most flattering cut for each face, and takes nature’s slight asymmetries into account as he chops. Think groomed glamour rather than directional. Cuts from £95, superior hair extensions cost from £450.
Nyumba, 6-7 Mount St, W1 (020 7408 1489/www.nyumbasalon.com). Bond St/Green Park tube.

BEST FOR LONG HAIR
Patrick Lüdde
The eponymous Lüdde has 20 years’ experience of private clients and session-styling alike. His salon is down-to-earth and good value for the location, with a cut and style from £52 (from £110 for Lüdde), and half a head of highlights from £85. The UK’s only George Michael Long Hair Clinic is also here, showing long-tressed clients how to wrap their hair for straightness (no wielding of the hot irons in here), create an elegant up-do, and dry-trim split ends (£40).
Patrick Lüdde, 22 Maddox St, W1 (020 7495 9040/www.patrickludde.com). Oxford Circus tube.

Pimps & Pinups in E1

BEST FOR AMBIENCE
Pimps & Pinups
With black brick walls and dressing room-like mirrors framed with light bulbs, Pimps & Pinups has all the glamour and grime of 1950s Hollywood plonked into E1. With a penchant for tattoos and beehives, stylists offer a cut and style for £40, half a head of highlights from £70, and a speciality retro hair-up service (£40 per hour). Gents can expect cuts (£34) as outlandish or as subtly cool as they like. Frenetically busy at weekends with a searing indie-rock soundtrack, the excellent customer service makes a potentially intimidating experience a hugely pleasurable one. Soon to open in New York.
Pimps & Pinups, 14 Lamb Street, E1 (020 7426 2121/ www.pimpsandpinups.com). Liverpool St tube/rail. Mon-Fri 10am-8pm, Sat-Sun 10am-6pm

Sanrizz
With five salons in London, including Knightsbridge, Covent Garden and Muswell Hill, Sanrizz has built up a reputation for being both friendly and professional. They recently did a brilliant job on our tester’s botched hair-straightening job courtesy of another salon. The Schwarzkopf permanent straightening system comes recommended, from £350.
Sanrizz, 134 Brompton Rd, SW3 (020 7589 4531/www.sanrizz.co.uk). Knightsbridge tube.

Sejour
One of the first salons to move away from practical but faceless décor, Sejour looks like a girlish boudoir in a chi-chi mews house – which is more or less what it is, tucked away in the residential streets behind the Kings Road. There are luxurious touches aplenty: shiatsu massage chairs at the basins, silk kimonos instead of nylon gowns and an on-call chauffeur, but the actual hairdressing is top-notch too. Cuts from £60; half-head highlights from £90.
Sejour, 3-5 Bray Place, SW3 (08448 848 400/www.sejour.co.uk). Sloane Square tube.

Best for colour: Jo Hansford

Taylor Taylor
Decked out with chandeliers, chaises longues and a huge bird cage, this Shoreditch salon adds a much need dose of glamour to its E1 neighbourhood. Offering affordable cuts and beauty treatments, it’s the kind of place you’ll want to hang out in afterwards thanks partly to the inviting leather studded bar.
Taylor Taylor, 137 Commercial St, E1 (020 7377 2737/ www.taylortaylorlondon.com). Liverpool St tube/rail.

Windle
Drawing a hip local crowd, this 20-year-old salon is known for its original haircuts. As a result consultations are thorough so the stylists can establish exactly what is right for you. Cuts start from £50, with colour starting from £55. It boasts low-key decor, friendly staff and comfy hair-washing seats – how many of those are there in London?
Windle, 41-45 Shorts Gardens, WC2 (020 7497 2393/www.windlehair.com) Covent Garden tube.

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