This is the most overpriced, awful hairdresser I have ever been to. I paid $250 for highlights that were horrendous. I had showed the owner of the salon 5 images of the look I wanted and it was nothing like that, she did not listen to me at all. It ended up platinum blonde streaks in my naturally dark hair. She said oh I didn't realise your hair was a natural colour that the coloured parts would come out like that. I left broke and crying.

So I went there to get my bangs trimmed, they were like zoey deschannel style, shaped, curved but really overgrown. Just wanted a trim. They were cut straight across, now well above my eyebrows, depite me saying I wanting them to have the curve they had before. They aren't even, they look worse than what I went in with (bear in mind I had a friend try and trim them down a little) and they have no shape, so they no longer blend in to the rest of my hair, and the nice tendrils I had when I was in ponytail mode.. thing of the past.

I paid $5, but I didn't have cash so asked to pay by debit, she said "Oh Then I'll have to charge you more" I figured, cool no problem... places do that, usually 50 cents to a dollar more. She rings it in again... $10.50!! so over double the original cost to pay by debit!?!? Seriously? Went to a bank machine gave her the $20, got my change and left the business card behind.
I believe the owner cut my hair, had she taken a moment to actually listen to me, and what I wanted done BEFORE cutting the centre of my bangs this might not have happened.
Crying my eyes out.
Merry Christmas.

My sister used to frequent Poison Ivy so when I moved to the city a few years ago I started going myself. I look forward to it as a Saturday experience. The place is friendly and I enjoy the clever wit that zings about as they turn me from toad to princess. I'm always happy with the work and I've been to several of the stylists. I would definitely recommend Poison Ivy.

I have had my hair done recently at Poison Ivy and felt that it was one of the worst places I've been to for customer service. The haircut and color was averaged but nothing really interesting was done as I ended up with a few streaks of color(which I paid for a full head) had my ends layered but my cut lacked a good shape. Anyways not the end of the world but the atmosphere in the salon was very disturbing. **** There was also an awful smell coming from the towels and gowns which I later found out from my stylist that the towels/gowns are recycled/reused which I didn't find hygienic. I paid my bill and couldn't wait to leave. When I mentioned to some of my friends that I had been to Poison Ivy I was told that this salon actually has a very bad reputation and that they knew various people whom had been ripped off and also felt that the owner is a bit of a bully. I do not recommend this salon .

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I have been to Poison Ivy a few times and had my hair done by Ember, I have to say she was fantastic, not only does she have a fun and great personality she is also an amazing colourist. I myself like colour that is a little on the funky side, which she does very well but also my best friend goes to see her who likes her colour more natural and Ember has no problem pulling that off too. So if you want a great colourist go see Ember at Poison Ivy....whes great!!!

I have had my hair cut and coloured many times by both the owner of Poison Ivy and several other staff members. In fact, I've been a loyal patron of this salon since they first opened in Kensington Market. I have always received professional and quality services prompting me to refer many friends and family members to this salon. All have enjoyed their experience and have been very satisfied with their results not to mention the very reasonable prices. The owner of Poison Ivy is almost always on site ensuring the quality and consistency of everything from your greeting to final style. The vibe is fun, contemporary and casual. Both the staff and owner are friendly and always happy to recommend a style, product or the latest College St. gossip. It's like having your hair cut while out with a group of girl friends. Hair styling is a subjective art. I question if the author of other reviews clearly communicated her expectations and/or sought to abuse the owners' offer to change the colour. You said you got a deal because it was for charity. Perhaps you should consider that you yourself are not a charity and expecting a salon to provide free services after an extended period is unfair. Escalating such a complaint only reflects your poor judgement, not that of a salon or owner. For my money, a trip to Poison Ivy is always a fun and gratifying treat to my glamorous self!

I had my hair coloured there a while back by a visiting colourist who was doing it for charity around Christmas time. I paid over $100, but there was no perceptible difference after it was finished. When I complained, the owner said that I could come back and have it re-done, if I waited until after the busy holiday season. When I tried to make an appointment to do that about three weeks later, she accused me of waiting so long so that I could have my roots touched up for free! Of course there were no roots then or at any time, since my hair colour had not changed. I was so shocked that I didn't really know what to say, but I spluttered something about being outraged, not coming back, to which she replied something like "That's the wonderful thing about having a successful business, is that I don't have to care about people like you!" There's a website called Ibegin that has a bunch of reviews, and her response to all the people she accuses of being competitors, jealous and disgruntled ex employees. I would have posted this there, but the site's buggy and I can't. She traumatized me so badly-- I mean the exchange was really ugly-- that when I saw that there were others I was moved to come to this site and post here.

**Editor's note. This review has been moderated by site admin.**