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Paparazzi Beauty Bar
Elevating beauty with precision and style for healthy, stunning hair transformations.
3.8(5 reviews)
hair-salon
$$$
Elevating beauty with precision and style for healthy, stunning hair transformations.
Paparazzi Beauty Bar is a premier beauty salon in Oakland, CA, specializing in custom wigs, braids, silk presses, and hair care services. We are dedicated to providing high-quality, personalized treatments to help clients achieve their desired looks with healthy hair as our standard. Our experienced stylists, led by Crystal, offer a range of services from intricate braiding to luxurious styling, ensuring each visit leaves you feeling confident and beautiful. We cater to individuals seeking professional hair solutions in a welcoming environment.
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Personalized wig creation with high-quality hair bundles and closures for a natural, flawless look.
Expert box braids, twists, and other protective styles installed with care for durability and comfort.
Professional straightening treatment that leaves hair smooth, shiny, and healthy with minimal heat damage.
Custom color applications and precision cuts to refresh and enhance your hairstyle.
Shampoo, conditioning, and styling services to revive and maintain custom wigs for longevity.
Overnight rental options for temporary wig use, ideal for special events or styling transitions.
Needed root coverage and a haircut. Didn't really know what to expect, but the color came out great and the shorter hairstyle has gotten me tons of compliments. And it was on time and didn't take 3 hours, which drives me crazy with my salon at home.
Be careful when going to this salon. I ordered a custom wig, where I got the service and hair all here at the salon, priced over 1100+. Expensive, but the quality was good, which is why I rated a 2 not a 1. I was going there frequently for a restyle, then I went to have my hair washed, which was supposed to be 3 hrs with a restyle. However I had work and couldn't come back until the next day, so I rented out a wig (that's a service that the salon provides) overpriced at that, it was over $130 for a overnight rental. When I went to pick up my hair the next day, I didn't notice that it wasn't my original wig, I noticed it was more sleek but I thought that was from the products she used. I ended up getting curls in my wig, and I asked her to leave them curled because I was going to work later and didn't want my curls to fall too soon. When I was leaving the salon, I told her that I wanted to add some color to the wig, to be done 2 weeks later. Crystal said that I could buy a bundle and we could add it in that way we wouldn't ruin the wig. When I let the curls out, they were falling and not laying right. I thought maybe it was because she didn't use spritz. The day after, I just noticed the wig looking a lot thinner, and I asked her "Crystal Renee" if she gave me a different wig by mistake. She stated that there would be no reason for her to do that and that my wig had a specific cut to it. I recall her cutting my bangs some when I picked up my wig. My wig had layers with 4 bundles, 2x20in 1x18in and a 16in 5x5 closure. The wig she gave me was really thin, all 1 length, with the only layer being the closure, it looked really horrible. She said clean hair feels lighter. That wig had all types of gaps in it. I went and had the wig appraised by another stylist and she informed me that I was definitely given a different wig as she couldn't see any hair that had been removed after I showed her my bundles receipt. She said that the wig that I currently had was clearly not 4 bundles. So I was extremely baffled and hurt that this lady would just take my wig. I barely had it for 2 months. I guess she thought that I wouldn't notice. So now it's 2 months later, and I need a quality wig, and I ask her how much one would be because I should have a discount because she stole my wig. Now she is acting like she doesn't know who I am, says she doesn't have a thread with me ( yes, because she most likely deleted it ). In a threatening tone, she suggests that I stop contacting her salon. I have my thread though, and messages, and receipts. My advice, never leave your wig unattended because you might not get it back with the integrity of this lady. (Now I know why she said that I could add a bundle, when she said it was with a serious undertone too. Now I know why.) Otherwise, you'll like your custom unit. Why would I go back? Well because the wigs quality was good, would I ever leave my wig with her again if we worked together? No, but paying for a service and receiving a service? Yes. A lot of people have problems, so now that I know what hers is, I know just to pay for the original unit and leave it at that.
Paparazzi Beauty Bar’s website claims "healthy hair is the standard," but my two most recent experiences have been far from that. In 2017 I had a GREAT sew in from Crystal and her team for my birthday, so I decided to splurge again in September 2024. Unfortunately my visit then for box braids left me with an inflamed scalp, tight braids, and hair loss. It took 10 hours, and the braider installed 7 PACKS of hair. To make matters worse, Crystal initially seemed to think it was caused by me not washing the braiding hair before ultimately offering a refund. Since I considered it a one-off given previous good experience, I did not leave a review at that time. In January 2025, I decided to try again, paying $390 for butt length twists. Crystal had seemed amenable and her previous work had been excellent. While Trish was a skilled braider, she was heavy-handed around the base of my head, and I started developing tension bumps after 2 days. When I reached out to Crystal, she was unprofessional and dismissive. She berated me about interrupting her vacation despite deciding to answer my call. Rather than address the source of my pain, she told me that I should consider whether I “was a candidate for braids” at all. But I’ve had braids from various stylists in the Bay for the last 15 years, so I was a bit confused. Crystal made it clear that helping me would be a waste of time & money for her to hire back a contracted braider to look into the cause/source of the pain in my head/scalp. On the phone she spoke with me as though I was trying to get her to help me for free when I was just calling to see what could be done. Honestly, I’m just glad I had this conversation on speakerphone so my friends could validate that this was an unreasonable response for a $400 service. While I am no longer going to be a patron of Paparazzi Beauty Bar, I hope future customers are prepared for the difficulty they may face if they too experience a small, fixable issue at this business.
I got a silk press for the first time in 8 years. Crystal was fantastic! I was in the salon chair within 3 min. of my appointment time. She did an amazing job and my hair feels so so healthy and clean. I love it! My only one thing is that it ended up notably more expensive than I anticipated. No points off though because after assessing my hair and situation, recommendations were made to me. I didn't ask how much each thing would cost, and I consented to everything done. I don't treat myself to things often, and I know I needed to get my hair into a healthier place. Worth it. I plan to come back with my kiddo for her first salon experience!
Let me just share with you my amazing experience at Paparazzi Beauty Bar and with @iamcrystalrenee. I bought my first (and only) custom unit circa 2018 and it was beautiful. I loved her (my custom unit) and I felt so pretty. Since then I have toggled between braids and my custom and really gotten my moneys worth! I mean folks its' been 7 years! I mean I really wore her and put her to the test. I finally decided it might be time to get her a total tune up and sent her in to @iamcrystalrennee who brought her back to life with a shampoo, condition and styling. I mean she looks brand new and I feel brand new wearing her. This is an investment well worth the money. I am anxiously awaiting my new unit but in the meantime...I look fly! And if you don't know, Crystal is a total sweetheart. She is kind, she is smart and she is talented beyond measure.
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