5 /5 Lena T: Annika is the first person in the states that Ive ever trusted with my natural (3b/c) hair, and the first person anywhere to ever color it, other than myself. And I couldnt be happier with my results! I never write long reviews, but this feels warranted.
Backstory: Ive been highlighting my own hair sporadically since 2020. Recently, though, I got a bit too careless with my technique, which resulted in some serious banding and brassiness. Unfortunately, I dont have any "before" pictures because I couldnt bear to look at it, let alone capture it on camera. But to visualize, the banding was so bad that in some parts it almost looked like leopard print. Needless to say, it was absolutely nowhere near the slightly chunky balayage I had in mind. & I knew I needed professional help.
Back to the review: Annika was very knowledgable during our consultation, and I felt so safe putting the fate of my hair in her hands. She explained everything we would do with full honesty, telling me what styles would and wouldnt work for my hair.
After the actual appointment, I can tell you one thing for certain, she KNOWS what shes doing. My tragic DIY "highlights" are now completely unrecognizable, and I finally feel confident wearing my hair out without needing to style it just to hide the banding. Plus, my hair still feels healthy and strong.
Shortly after my appointment, I went out to run errands and ended up garnering compliments on my hair color at almost every place I stopped — which, was a fun bonus to the overall great experience I had that day& also a testament to the quality of Annikas work.
I do know that shes incredibly skilled with a variety of hair textures, but I especially want to highlight this for my fellow curly hair folks. If ur looking for a stylist in the Santa Monica/West Los Angeles area who truly understands curly hair (which genuinely feels like finding a needle in a haystack) — congratulations, you’ve just found one in Annika. Book the consult girlll