I went online and saw all the great reviews for Malaika so I decided to try her out.I have extremly long curly hair and am embarassed to say I had not had a cut in 3 years! My last cut was so bad I was just too afraid to try anyone else. Malaika was so sympathetic to my concerns. I did not want to loose much length but knew my ends were horrible.She compromized with me to make my first visit less tramatic and took off some of dead ends and reshaped my hair so it no longer resembled a carpet. I was so happy with the results and comfortable with her that I went back a month later to get rid of the rest of the bad ends.If you have curly hair that needs serious help go to Malaika she definitly takes your concerns to heart and will give you a cut that includes your input in the process.
Review Date: 06/30/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
Thank you ladies for recommending Erika! After several bad hair days as a result from a bad haircut and humidity, I went to this site and saw all of the lovely comments about Erika. I made an appointment with her and she was wonderful! When I walked in the door, Randy, the owner, introduced himself to me and was very nice. When Erika came and got me she was very comforting and genuine and took her time cutting my hair. My haircut is exactly what I was hoping for and looks great. I am going back to her for my color and I can't wait. I would definitely recommend going to see Erika as she completely exceeded my expectations!
Review Date: 06/20/08
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I'm so thankful I discovered naturallycurly.com! After moving to Atlanta, I had no idea where to get a curl-friendly cut. I made the mistake of walking into a mall salon and walked out horrified with the results. I immediately went home and started emergency googling in a desperate attempt to find a salon to repair the damage that had been done.
After reading all of the glowing reviews about Erika, I had to check out Helmet for myself. It really is true, she's absolutely fabulous. Not only is she an expert at cutting curly hair, she is so nice and friendly and genuinely listens when you tell her your hair woes.
I walked out thrilled with my new cut and wondering where she had been during the last 23 years of my curly haired life! I also loved how she was really knowledgeable about all of the products sold at the salon and made great suggestions of what products would work well with my hair, but never pushed products like alot of other salons I've been to.
The receptionists are all very nice too. Janine has curly hair and was really helpful with choosing products while I waited for Erika. Fantastic salon, I won't be going anywhere else!
Review Date: 06/05/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
WOW! Erika made my hair come to life. I have type 3b hair and lots of it. It curled well enough on its own but as she cut, the hair just sprung to life. I've been solely curly just over a year and trying to grow it out after fighting my curls for 40+ years. Erika gave it style. She is wonderful about teaching and showing. People always noticed my curls but now they are mesmerized by them. Thanks Erika - I'll definitely be back.
Review Date: 06/05/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
I made an appointment at this salon based on the reviews here, and I was very dispppointed. When Erika got out the thinning shears, I told myself, "She must know what she's doing." I now know to absolutely refuse to have anyone use them on my hair, no matter how cool the salon or how highly recommended. Six months later, the lower half of my hair is still a frizzy mess. It will not be the same until the all of the thinned part has been cut off.
Her styling methods (Aveda Be Curly, diffusing my hair while having me lean over in the chair) left me looking like a poodle. I ran home to restyle.
The only good news is that she didn't charge an outrageous amount for the haircut.
Review Date: 05/24/08
Stylist:
Malika
Review:
I couldn't see Erika one day and Malika was able to fit me in. I think she did a great job and really loved the color she did.
Review Date: 05/19/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
I tried Erika after seeing all her great reviews on this site. I like my curly 3b hair but have trouble with it becoming a triangle when it is long. Erika listened to what I wanted and took the weight off with out cutting it short or thining it too much. I really like what she is doing with it. Sometimes I leave with it curly and sometimes curly all over. Give her a try.
Review Date: 05/19/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
This was my second visit with Erika. First time a haircut (which was wonderful) and this time for highlights. I have graying hair and she was able to make me look like a natural sun-kissed blonde! Whoever wrote the bad review on Erika obviously has a problem. Just look at all the positive comments on the miracles Erika has performed on the curly girls of Atlanta!
Review Date: 05/08/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
I went to see Erika at Helmet in late March. She gave me the best haircut I have ever had in my life! I grow my curls for donating every 3 years. My previous stylist, knowing this, continually made mistakes by cuttting it too short or unevenly. The last haircut left me with a long, curly mullet!! Erika was able to help repair thjis with a sassy, shapely bob that I love! I went back two weeks later to treat myself to highlights and she did an amazing job with that too!
Review Date: 05/03/08
Stylist:
emily
Review:
I went to Helmet to get a consultation with Erika or Melika and when they were too busy to look at me hair, I was disappointed. The receptionist suggested Emily and said though she was new she had a lot of experience and was really good. I was skeptical. Then when she was analyzing my sad looking hair it was obvious she did know what she was talking about and told me that her training was with the Ouidad system. She had time to do the cut so I said Ok. It looks amazing and the way she showed me how to do it myself was totally different from what I have ever done.
I went from feeling like I had a big fuzz ball on my head to feeling sleek and sophisticated!!
Review Date: 04/25/08
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
I just got my hair cut at Helmet by Malaika a couple of days ago. It was great! I have 3B sort of hair. I'm biracial, half black, half korean. And well, the last haircut i had did NOTHING for me. Until! Malaika cut my hair and wow! She got my curls defined and beautiful! I'm still getting used to the volume...but other than that it's awesome! She also told me about products to use and whatnot and has a great personality. If you're in Atlanta, go see Malaika at Helmet for your curls!
Review Date: 04/20/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
After reading the wonderful comments about Erika, I knew she was the one to battle my damaged curly locks. Erika and the salon were wonderful. She worked very carefully to condition, cut, style, and instruct me on the proper way to take care of my hair. She said I am now in hair "rehab" and we can get thru this stage of damage. I have found that graying hair becomes more frizzy and brittle added with a previous hairstylist that used the wrong product to high-light my hair. I am starting to feel "healthier" already.
Thanks Erika!
Debi K.
Review Date: 04/16/08
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I went to see Erika based on the positive comments on this website. MISTAKE!!!! I had long curly hair, all one length. I told her I wanted to have shoulder length hair with some pieces cut around my face. I told her I wanted my hair to have curly ringlets. What I wound up with was a chin length haircut with severe layers and she also thinned my hair out. My hair does not curl now. IT IS A MESS! I did speak with the manager there and she offered to have someone else re-cut my hair. I hate my haircut. If you want your hair butchered go see her. She's not that pleasant or professional either.
Review Date: 04/12/08
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
New to Atlanta I checked out this website to see who would be the best stylist to try out after 12 years with the only woman I trusted with my hair, Ivonne Cascallares of Golden Scissors in Wheaton, IL (of all places!). I decided to go with Kristen James who is famous for her "C" cut for curly hair. She charged $100! The cut was good, she gave me conditioning treatment & decent conversation, but certainly not $100 worth. I decided to try someone else in a more reasonable price range and had heard of Malaika on here, but also got a reference from a friend of the family who used to live here in ATL, now lives in Chicago. So I scheduled the appointment. Malaika was running behind about 30 minutes, which was a bit irritating, but I hung in there. I was a bit thrown off by the straight haired weave or wig she had on and hesitant when I first sat down in her chair. She did a consultation and showed me some samples of what she was thinking - I told her I wanted something more fun/funky - I had 11 in. cut off in June '07 after 15 years of long curly hair - it was growing out to close to shoulder length and I was bored. She gave me a lovely fun cut and conversation that was actually interesting (without prying into my life). I've decided to stick with Malaika and encourage other weary curly haired Latinas to check her out!
Review Date: 04/12/08
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
I have long wavy/curly hair and I wanted a style that would soften my face because it is very angular. Malaika gave me the greatest cut ever that's softly layred with a sexy side swept bang. I feel like I have cool celebrity hair now and I get tons of compliments, even from men! I loved my experiecnce with Malaika and I want other women with hair like mine to know that there is someone out there that actually knows what they are doing.
Review Date: 04/07/08
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
I walked in and presented Erika with a stylist's nightmare: A severely overgrown haircut, made worse by me hacking away at it with dull scissors (yes, I know), which made my usually shiny curls morph into a frizzy wild mop-looking thing on top of my head. Erika fixed all that. My hair still needs another trimming session, but it looks 100 times better already.
I appreciate the fact that Erika talked me out of cutting off all my hair like I wanted to. She said we'd better work on getting the layers even, THEN we could work on going shorter if I still wanted to. I'm glad she did that.
After discussing what the action plan was, she got to work. She evened out my hair, styled it, and showed me a few tricks for styling it on my own. She didn't assume I wanted to straighten my hair, which is a first, and she did a good job of styling it curly , which is also a first. Usually when I go to a salon I have to run home and re-style it because it looks like a bad 80s perm. Erika knows how to deal with curly hair.
The salon is very nice too... it's actually an old house and has tons of charm. There is convenient parking too. I will definitely be going back.
Review Date: 03/26/08
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
Erika was awesome! She gave me the first good haircut I've ever had. She used Aveda Be Curly products on my hair which I love! My hair looks awesome. I'm so happy I can't stop smiling. :D
Review Date: 03/12/08
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
Malaika is wonderful! I was reffered to Malaika by a curly-haired friend who found her on the naturally curly website. I never even knew this website existed, but i'm glad I found out. I have shoulder length hair (when curly) and I do very little styling . Malaika consulted with me throughly to find out my lifestlye to ensure that she gave me a cut I could keep up with. My curls were transformed! I always felt I had a frizzy mop for hair but now I have beautiful ringlets that require just a little dab of product and a diffuser. I am so thankful I found Malaika and that she helped me to understand and appreciate my beautiful curly hair, so go see her so she can do the same for you!
Review Date: 11/20/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
Another great review for Erika! I went to see her based on reviews here & was not disappointed. My hair hadn't been cut or highlighted in a YEAR thanks to a really bad experience with another stylist. Erika didn't hesitate to take me on & the results are incredible. My hair actually curls like crazy with less frizz & the color looks great. I'm still getting used to the diffuser, but it has made a tremendous difference in how my hair looks. The salon is cool, no attitude like that found in some other Atlanta salons! Erika was very comfortable to talk with & really knows her stuff. Give her a call - you won't regret it!!
Review Date: 10/21/07
Stylist:
Erika
Review:
I Went to Helmut Hair Works and had Erika cut my hair she had me go for a much shorter style than Im used to but it is curly and cute. It has movement and she really understood how to cut my hair . I had found Erika from the other reveiws on Naturally curly and Ims so glad I went . I felt very comfortable there and Erika really seems to know hair . I will definatly go back. The hair cut was more than Im used to spending but it was worth every penny to have a hair cut I love rather than hate.
Review Date: 10/16/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I highly recommend Erika. I’d been going to the same stylist in Birmingham for years, and continued to go back to him even after moving to Atlanta in 2006. When I couldn’t get an appointment with him for over three weeks, I finally decided it was time to take the plunge and find a stylist in Atlanta. I read tons of reviews on this site, and had always been a little curious about the salon as I’d driven past it many times when I lived in Midtown, so I thought I’d give Erika a try. She did a fantastic job on my cut and brow wax. My curls are actually blended and seamless now rather than looking like steps! She gave me, hands down, the best cut I’ve had in YEARS.
By the way, the best curl product I’ve found is Bumble and Bumble Curl Conscious. I towel dry and pick out my hair. Then I apply a bit of Frizz Ease and a bit of Curl Conscious, and then let it air dry. My curls come out fairly frizz-free for Atlanta in the summertime. My former stylist started me on it, and HELMET recently started carrying it. I’d recommend picking up a sample size while you’re there and give it a try!
Review Date: 07/27/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
Erika has received alot of fabulous comment's on this site so I decided to go to her for cut and color. I am so happy that I did! She has the most amazing curly hair herself and it automatically made me comfortable with her. She gave me a very cutting edge haircut that I can wear straight or curly and the color is incredible. If you have had problems finding a stylist who knows curly hair I highly reccomend Erika!
Review Date: 07/17/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I've never written a comment before but I have to mention how great ERIKA at the Midtown Helmet is. I went to her yesterday after reading the comments on this site and she gave me my first ever good haircut. I was extremely pleased. Usually, I have to wear my longish hair up because it's frizzy and it's always been cut unevenly by stylists who don't know how to deal with hair that curls up as they're cutting it. Erika cleaned me up and gave me a super cute shorter style that I've always wanted that not only frames my face correctly but is not frizzy or uneven. She was also very accomodating of my low maintenance style despite her hipness. I am incredibly pleased to have found somebody who can cut curls. Thanks everyone for your guidance!
Review Date: 07/13/07
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
Malaika cut my long curly locks into a wonderfully shaped bob haircut. I told her what I wanted it to look like, and she created exactly what I had in mind. I'm so pleased with Malaika and this salon and am looking forward to my next appointment!
Review Date: 07/12/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I have seen Erika a few times already for cut and color, and always have loved her work. On my last visit though, she asked me if I had ever tried diffusing my hair. I didn't even know what a diffuser was! She assured me it would look great and give me some versatility with my style so I let her try it. My goodness!! I had NO idea how much curl was in my hair. I am so thankful that Erica was able to see the potential in my hair, and to give me a cut to work with it. I love my new found curls!
Review Date: 05/13/07
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
After reading a great review about Malaika on this website, I decided to schedule a haircut appointment with her to coincide with a trip to Atlanta, because my (formerly) regular hairstylist in New Orleans has been MIA since Katrina (Kesi Redd where are you?), which is about how long its been since my last good haircut. I have medium length 3C hair that was over-highlighted within an inch of its life by a stylist in DC, and I’d been growing it out with periodic “maintenance” cuts to get rid of the colored ends but needed a “real” cut I could wear either straight or curly, depending on how conservative the situation or event was.
When I walked into the salon and saw that Malaika had the most perfectly cut and styled head of shoulder length 3C hair, I knew I was in the right place. After we chatted about what I wanted and needed my hair to do, Malaika washed, blow dried and flat ironed my hair so she could make sure my cut worked when my hair was straight. Needless to say the cut was fabulous and my hair stayed straight for the entire weekend I was in ATL—which had never happened before. However, the big test was when I did the wet down and wash and put some gel in my hair to wear it naturally. And it STILL looked fabulous enough for me to get numerous compliments while wearing it curly to a political fundraiser. Unfortunately, now I’ll have to find reasons to regularly visit ATL to get a haircut. BTW, Malaika is quick, so I didn’t have to spend half a day getting a haircut.
Review Date: 05/08/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I am now a reformed flat iron junkie! I have battling my curls for years and finally have been shown a way to work WITH them instead of AGAINST. I'm extatic over my new hair! Go to Erika NOW....she is a godsend!
Review Date: 04/06/07
Stylist:
Malaika
Review:
I went to Helmet on whim because I live in Midtown, and I pass it almost every day. The salon is very warm and inviting and I encountered none of that snooty stuff you often get at high-end salons. I asked for a stylist that was good with curly hair and they set me up with Malaika. I was immediately at ease when I saw her because she has curly hair as well and could sympathize with my issues. Malaika gave me a great cut that supported my natural curl and got rid of that horrible Bozo the clown triangle thingy that all curly haired women are plauged with. She then explained the proper produts to use for my hair type and demonstrated the correct way to diffuse my hair. I never knew my hair could get as curly as it did and it looked awesome! If you have curly hair you can't handle go see Malaika, you won't regret it.
Review Date: 02/06/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I heard about Erika from the reviews on this site and decided to give her a shot. The salon is beautiful and unique and Erika gave me the best haircut I have ever gotten. She walked me through the styling process and tought me how to diffuse my hair and use the proper products. My cut and color are so amazing and anyone reading this should check her out. Hope this helps!
Review Date: 01/07/07
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I have been bouncing around from stylist to stylist for years hoping to find someone who could cut my curly hair properly. I finally ended up with Erika at Helmet and I could not be happier. She has curly hair herself so she knows first hand what works and what doesn't. I have never been happier with my hair and I would recommend her to anyone I meet!
Review Date: 08/17/06
Stylist:
Erika Audrey
Review:
I have had such a hard time finding a hairstylist who understands how to cut and color curly hair properly...until now! A friend told me about Erika at Helmet salon in Midtown. She has very curly hair herself which put me at ease because she knows first hand what curly hair needs. I was amazed at what a difference a few tweaks here and there made with my cut and color. My hair has never looked so good! I HIGHLY reccomend her to any of you out there who are going through the same thing I was. Hope this helped!
Review Date: 07/10/06
Stylist:
Tori
Review:
Tori does a great job with color and cut and believe me, I have tried a lot of salons. I have received so many compliments on my hair since I have been going to her. I get highlights and lowlights. I used to go to Siggers and they did a great job but my stylist left and Hairworx atmosphere suits me better...a little more funky, warmer, more relaxed and not so many prom girls.
