Head of the Pride

"I had a wonderful experience with KC and Sarah. They are very knowledgeable in what they do. I am very happy with my hair that KC used her artistic abilities with. Both ladies are very good at just dusting a bit off if you do not need a full haircut..."

"Vince Licari has is THE most skilled barber when it comes to blending and necklines. HIGHLY RECOMMEND. Bring a picture of the hairstyle you want and his skills will do the rest. He has been cutting hair for over 50 years and his level of mastery is amazing. Vince has cut my hair for 3 years and barbers all of my brothers' hair as well."

"First salon experience and I didnt realize shampooing could feel so good haha. My stylist was great, her personality was very fun and upbeat and geniuninely listened as we talked. They have a huge range of products available on the shelves too if your into that i know the ones they used on my hair made it look fantastic even if id never heard of them before."

"I have been getting my hair cut by Kaycie at Head of the Pride for the last 18 months or so. She has done a wonderful job with both the haircuts and beard trimming. The experiences have always been fun. The establishment is clean, lively, has a great atmosphere, and all of the stylists have been very personable and warm. I highly recommend this location for haircuts and beard trimmings, or especially if you are curious in trying a new salon."

"Don’t go here for beard barbering. Trust me - from and experienced beard grower. Price: Haircut - $45 Beard trim - $20 For Grand Rapids these are premier service prices. I didn’t not receive premier service on beard. Poor beard service. Haircut was good. See pictures: This is how my beard and mustache looked immediately after leaving the shop. I got a haircut and beard shape/trim. The barbering on the beard was very bad. I didn’t realize how poor the mustache trim job was until I left. I came here because when looking online it seems they are the experts at beard barbering. Tons of pics of guys with nice beards. What I deciphered afterward is that most (probably all) of these pics are from a staged fashion show event. Not pics of monthly cuts from regular clients. I have had a beard for six years. I have trimmed it myself, and saw many barbers. I have had some great trims, and some poor trims. My barber for the past three years in Portland, OR was very very good. We discussed beard barbering each visit and he taught me a lot about properly trimming and shaping a beard. Sarah (owner and person in many of the beard pics) committed several of the don’t does of beard barbering. She didn’t trim with the natural shape of my beard, she added product right before trimming (adds weight, changes natural shape), she rushed, didn’t listen to what I wanted (trimmed the mustache WAYYYY! shorter than I wanted. I said “Off the bottom lip, but covering top lip), didn’t account for symmetry (even though I attempted to explain how it grows differently side to side), she pulled out on the beard as she trimmed it (a big don’t as the hair will spring back to its original/natural position). And the worst of it, I left with a mustache over-trimmed on one side, and barely touched on the other (see pictures. Really bad. I can’t believe they let me walk out like that). She spent no more than 5 minutes on my beard trim for the price of $20. Way overpriced. That’s not even an acceptable rate for this level of service in a major city, let alone Grand Rapids. Overall she rushed through it far too quickly, didn’t listen to me at all, and didn’t put in effort I would have expected for even a $5 trim. Sarah mentioned she has a ton of beard experience. It didn’t show in my service. She mentioned she does beard competitions. I believe she might. But from what I saw I am thinking she relies heavily on the use of product rather than trimming and shaping as a barber for natural day to day wear. I really don’t know. I didn’t get anything close the a competition level trim, I have a pretty easy beard to trim. It’s big, full, and has a great natural shape. I’m guessing maybe they do a good job on one-time beard styling for competitions or weddings, but I didn’t like what I got for daily wear or for a monthly trim. My appointment was originally scheduled with Sarah. I came in and she said she was switching me to Kaycie due to schedule. I didn’t mind as it was my first time in. Kaycie was great. She listened intently and gave me a very good haircut with a solid fade. When we got to the beard I asked her if she had much experience with barbering beards like mine. When I started explaining what I needed for a trim it became apparent she did not feel comfortable and didn’t have the experience. Sarah jump in and started doing the trim. She didn’t ask what I wanted or needed. She approached it with the attitude that she knows best. As I said earlier, nothing she did was in line with best practices of beard barbering. As I said before. I am no beard rookie. I have had a very nice full beard for six years. I’ve had very very good beard barbers in cities like Seattle WA and Portland OR. I’ve also done my fair share of self trims and studying beard trimming. This salon is not a beard barbering expert shop as they portray in their marketing and social media. This critical review is not necessarily to put anyone on blast. It is meant to inform others so they do not make the same mistake. You’re better off attempting your own beard trim."