Hair By Fairy

I have been going here for many years now. And like someone previously stated tried to keep an open mind as cuts in London are so overpriced. However I have had a great streak of luck for a while and managed to be able to ask for the same persons while they were there as they were very skilled.

Recently however about a year now, I have had the very new and as it happens very unskilled persons. They say they are listening and will cut to a length but then they all cut my hair the same way and it is not what I am asking and explaining. I am patient and kind and I appreciate their English is often not great but I am just tired of getting a cut that is not what I want and with bits I need to fix later. Recently I was given a straight drastic short fringe when I did not even have one! It happened before I could stop them. Not cool. 
Also last visit I kept trying to explain that I put my hair up a certain way and the stylist kept thinking I wanted it cut short. Scary!

The owner makes me very anxious as I have tried to be nice to him for years but he continues to be quite cold and rude to me, I guess, he must not like me like some of the other patrons. I get the feeling he does not think I am 'trendy' enough for the place or something despite putting in the effort to look nice and be nice. I think that he knows I care about who cuts my hair but he puts me with the rookies always. I'm disappointed as I am very loyal to businesses I see care about and that are good to me and I referred many to them. 

I'm not unreasonable but I cannot keep getting cuts that the stylist feels look good on me, I have a certain image, I am 36 and I get a little girl cut every time. I even brought in pictures this time, was shown the length they would cut and I still got a short bob. Sigh, farewell Hair by Fairy. It's been a mixed bag....

good haircuts, reasonable prices!

This is an awful place. The information is not correct, they do not take card. They held my handbag hostage while I had to run to a cashpoint.
They charged me 45quid for low lights, and wouldn't even blow dry my hair fully, she told me she would only dry it enough for me to see the colour. They forgot about me, left me in the corner, so I had to remind her to wash my hair out. While washing my hair she was rough and nasty- told me she was washing my hair the way my mother used to- not funny- painful. Then she threw the ends slap onto my forhead and wet my face and clothes.
Basically it's pretty horrendous if you can pay 45pounds and not even qualify to not have to leave with half dry half wet hair. The colour she gave me is not bad, but my hair looks like a drowned rat.
This place cares nothing about the money. Not with what you look like or with your custom. Avoid.

i love this place, i've been going here for over 10 years, and now it;s the only place i go for a haircut; everyone is really friendly, i get greeted by my first name and i get a great haircut that is a bargain and mostly better than any of the expensive haircuts ive ever had...i switched on lots of my friends to this place, no need to book which makes it really convenient, they always try to accomdate however busy it get....i hope it never changes!
alpa

I love Hair by Fairy and have been coming here for around 6 years now, for a cut and colour at a fantastic price, especially for central London. It annoys me that other hairdressing salons would charge at least double the price. My stylist does a great cut and has helped me get the right colour – she listens to what I want and always does a good job. Nice friendly atmosphere in a very pretty bit of Covent Garden. Stop being ripped off by other salons and get your cut done here!

It's not fair to cal the price 'budget' because that makes it sound crap. Excellent hair cuts and excellent price. I love this place been going for 10 years.

Ive been going here regularly for 11 years and the last three of those years ive been living in Switzerland. Ive always been a happy customer, coming out feeling fabulous! The convivial atmosphere is awesome and the hairdressers friendly and professional.  Ive had nails done, hair cut and hair coloured. Its a SUPER place and being right in the centre of town is just one of its added bonuses, amongst the many others.  

I was recommended Hair by Fairy by a friend around 10 years ago and I’m still going there and always is it a highlight of my day. The hair bit is very good, undoubtedly, else I wouldn’t keep returning. There’s always at least as many female customers in there as male, so this is no barber shop, except for the prices. But far more, it is the United Nations of hairdressing and this for me makes it impossible to think of going elsewhere, even in a city such as London. Run by a very friendly Iranian guy, the stylists at any one time will be from Iraq, France, Japan, Spain, Lithuania, South Korea, Italy, everywhere bar Britain! Being English, I love the 30 minutes of mutual learning and understanding that unravels and never have I gone away disappointed by either the haircut or conversation. Some people choose to moan and rare is any experience truely 100%, but for £13, the location, ambience, quality of service and the friendliness, I know of nowhere better in any city. Johnny

One of the secrets of Central London has to be Hair by Fairy in Neal’s Yard, Covent Garden.

There’s none of the usual faffing – you can’t ring ahead, you just rock up and wait. It usually goes something like this:

Speak to Crazy Receptionist – he is always on the phone to his mates: don’t be offended, it’s not just you;

Wait with 3 or 4 other people to get your hair washed (top marks for fragrant shampoo);

Sit back down (yes, with wet hair – hot stuff) and wait for stylist;

Tell English speaking head stylist what you want, they then translate it to your stylist;

Snip snip, mirror, money, door.

It’s very quick, and very cheap. Shampoo and Cut is £13 – styling after the cut is a bit more than that, but this is brilliant if you literally just need a tidy up. Compare that to what it normally costs for a woman’s haircut in Central London! Tell Crazy Receptionist what you want and then clarify with him how much that will cost – he rules the roost. Without ever taking a breath.

I usually sing praises about Hair By Fairy - I've been going there for about 3 years and there is no better price in London. The quality is very inconsistent - I've had some great haircuts there but also some not-so-great ones. I've sometimes had to tidy up my fringe at home because they missed it in some places.

I went yesterday to just get a slight trim and got a pretty awful result. My hairdresser butchered the bottom (even though I just asked for even length all the way around), leaving chunks of longer hair hanging below, and the fringe was not cut straight. I have to actually go somewhere else now to get it fixed! I was quite upset about it and consequently I think this is the straw that broke the camel's back, and I won't be going back there again.

So basically: go there if you need a cheap, simple cut but don't expect that it will always be a good one!

I wanted to keep this one a secret, but knowing how many bargain-loving Qypers there are out there makes me feel like I'm doing my duty to share it with you all.

If there's a cheaper hairdresser than Hair by Fairy in Central London, it has to be some sort of front for sinister Sweeney Todd-style criminal activity, because £13 for a wash and cut is a total steal.

If you go after 4pm you'll be in for a long wait, you can't pay on card and make an appointment, and you'll have to listen to happy hardcore and sit in in the waiting area with dripping we hair while you wait for a stylist, but the chirpy service, the bright colourful salon and the tiny price tag will more than make up for it.

Just keep it to yourself, yeah?

"What's the difference between a really amazing haircut and a good haircut?"

"About two weeks."

Although I lived in DC for five years before moving here, I never did get used to the price of getting my hair cut and highlighted there as compared to Utah. The same has been true here.

When figuring out the optimal solution to my dilemma, the thought has not escaped me that getting my hair done here could be used towards a very large chunk of a plane ticket across the Atlantic--upwards sometimes of 200 pounds at a fairly good salon, or $350--no joke.

I have tried coupons, but still have felt as if I was being taken to the cleaners, so I have taken to booking my hair cut and color in different months to spread out the pain. Although I appreciate the need to develop a relationship with a hair dresser whom you trust, I have kept feeling like there must be a way to get a good hair cut at a decent price and not pay for the extra two weeks to have it absolutely perfect.

Yesterday I found my solution. In the midst of the brightly-colored, delicious, organic restaurants of Neal's Yard (also home to the famous Neal's Yard Dairy and Neal's Yard Remedies) in Covent Garden, is a raw sort of salon called Hair by Fairy.

The prices are almost as good as they are in Utah, so I booked an appointment. I admit to being just the tiniest bit scared of putting my hair in the hands of someone who was not top flight, but I was pleasantly surprised. I love what she did. I'm not adept (nor care) enough to know the miniscule difference throwing more money at it might have made for those extra two weeks, but, as it is, I'm an exceptionally happy customer. The edginess of the salon meant I had to put up with disco music for two hours, but it also meant that my stylist was not stuck in the era in which they went to beauty school (or high school), and I might look like I belong to this decade.

What made the experience even better was her speed. My hair has taken some professionals upwards of
5 hours (I lie not). This time, I was in and out in two hours. At the end, the head honcho told me I didn't even need to make an appointment. Perfect. Here's to simplifying my life and keeping money in my pocket.

I love Hair By Fairy i am going there for many years getting colour & haircut cheap and good great stylists always happy with my hair the manger never forget any body names always nice. try it out

I came into the shop it has a wonderful look and when i sat down i immediately was called to wash my hair i was surprised that i didn't have to wait long and after i was seated at this italians guy chair and although he didn't know how to speak very well english he gave me the best haircut i ever had. I will come back because it didn't take long and the price is only £13!!

I finally plucked up the courage to visit Hair by Fairy yesterday having heard about it from a friend weeks ago. I wish I hadn't waited so long to go as it was great. Service is speedy but I didn't find it brusque or rude. I was in and out in half-an-hour having had my hair cut, exactly as I wanted, by a lovely Italian woman. I can see that this is not the place to go if you want to be pampered, but for someone like me - who hates chit chat and fussing - this place is fantastic. I also like the fact that you don't need to make an appointment and the price - £13 - means it's a huge bargain.

Wonderful energy, great stylists and the decor inside is ubercool. I've been going for 5 years and have not had any complaints.

I love this hairdressers!

I have gone here for a few years now, and have been satisfied every time. The style of your cut does change between hairdressers here, but it always ends up great!

At the £13 price for a wash, cut and blow dry, I have no complaints at all! Neither does Peaches Geldof, who supposedly gets her hair cut here!

The hairdressers are also really nice, and help you out alot if you are unsure on what kind of cut you want.

Try this place out! go on!

Super speedy and stress free. No you can’t book an appointment and no you can’t pay by card. But who needs all that. Yes, it’s lovely to go to a top notch salon and drink champagne and have a head massage but sometimes you just need a haircut without the frills. For a set price of £13 you get in, washed, cut, styled and out again. This doesn;t mean that the cuts aren’t good, I have always been happy with their work.

I would recommend taking a picture with you if you can, some of the hairdressers struggle with the language so visuals are much easier if you know what you want.

It took me years to find an affordable, decent hairdresser in London! Before Hair by Fairy appeared I used to travel to Brighton to get my haircut, as it was cheaper. Now at last we have a Brightonesque hairdresser to ourselves! You don’t need to book an appointment, as long as you turn up by about four there is usually space, although you might have to book to get a favourite hairdresser rather than whoever’s available. I’ve noticed that one’s hair seems to end up in the style of whatever country that particular hairdresser hails from, so reflect on whether you like a neat, straight Japanese or a furry Spanish mullet. But usually they’re great, I promise! And at £13 a go…