Houston Woman Went to a Salon for a Collaboration. They Cancelled It Without Finishing Her Hair.

Getting free services in exchange for a review is one of the greatest perks an influencer could have. But Pinky (@heypinkshey), a content creator from Houston, Texas, didn’t think that a collaboration she had with a hair salon would take a turn for the worse halfway through.

She went on TikTok to talk about her alleged experience with Jalia Walda America’s Express Braiders, a local salon in her area. Instead of finishing the service, Pinky came out of the salon with half-finished braids on her head.

Pinky explained that last year, the salon’s owner supposedly reached out to her for a collaboration. At the time, her hair was still too short for a braid, so she held off until this year. Pinky messaged the salon owner, asking her if she was still interested in a collaboration. The owner agreed, and Pinky came in sometime later in the week with a bag of hair for braiding.

She showed the lady at the front desk her inspiration picture, and they agreed. After filling out the influencer agreement form, Pinky was matched with a stylist. Pinky said that the stylist probably thought her hair was too short but said that it only needed to be washed and blow-dried at first.

The stylist started working on her hair. After a few braids, she asked Pinky if the sizing was to her liking. This is where the disagreements started. Pinky thought that the braids were bigger than the inspiration photo, and she wasn’t a fan of the knot at the start of the braids either.

The stylists started arguing

“I can’t do knotless. Your hair is too short,” the stylist allegedly complained. But another hairdresser in the salon said that knotless was possible for Pinky, but it would be “more expensive.”

Since Pinky was already doing a collaboration for the salon, she didn’t care about the cost. Nevertheless, the stylists started debating—with one saying she could do Pinky’s hair knotless and the other saying she couldn’t.

“I can’t do knotless. Your hair is too short,” the stylist allegedly complained. But another hairdresser in the salon said that knotless was possible for Pinky, but it would be “more expensive.”

Since Pinky was already doing a collaboration for the salon, she didn’t care about the cost. Nevertheless, the stylists started debating—with one saying she could do Pinky’s hair knotless and the other saying she couldn’t. At this point, Pinky was starting to feel anxious about the situation. She decided to get a third opinion from her sister, who was going to cosmetology school.

Her sister said that it was possible for the stylists to do Pinky’s hair knotless, but it wouldn’t look as natural as she’d hoped. Pinky’s sister also agreed and said that the braids looked bigger compared to the reference. But the matter wasn’t settled, and the stylists still went at the back to talk about the pricing for Pinky’s hair.

Nightmare salon experience

While they were away, the manager came up to Pinky and asked her if there were any problems. She was taken aback because she didn’t think there was any major issue to begin with. Regardless, Pinky explained that she just wanted the braids to be smaller and for them to be knotless. He walked away, seemingly without issue.

But then, the receptionist approached Pinky not long after.

“Hi, they want me to come tell you that we’re no longer proceeding with the collaboration because we can’t ensure that it will turn out correctly,” she allegedly informed Pinky, who was still sitting on the chair. The influencer thought that it only meant that she should pick out a different style.

“We’re no longer interested in proceeding with the collaboration,” the receptionist allegedly reiterated. That’s only when the reality sunk in for Pinky. She claimed that the salon owner didn’t even come and apologize, despite having filmed content with Pinky upon her arrival.

“I am flabbergasted—I cannot believe this happened to me,” Pinky said. She was hoping for the owner to apologize and work with her. Instead, Pinky alleged that she was told to leave with thirteen twists still in her head.

“I don’t want to slander or bash anyone, but this is an honest review of what happened,” she claimed. Pinky’s clip went viral on social media, with some people saying that they’d cancelled appointments with the salon because of her review.

(featured images: heypinkshey)

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