XO Salon

I had a regular salon I went to. However, the person who regularly does my color wasn’t there one fateful day, and I put myself in the hands of someone I had never tried before. Horrors! I looked like Draco Malfoy. Brassy blonde. Ugh. I wore a hat for two days, then called XO Salon for an emergency color touch up, as this place is five minutes from my house. I went in expecting to be satisfied (meh), and instead left thrilled (wheeee!). My appointment was with Rebecca. She was extremely nice, listened to me, explained everything to me, etc. I got a trim while I was there, and I even loved my trim. I have thick wavy/​curly hair with which I’m extremely lazy, and it’s nice to come here and a) know that I’m getting a cut and color which will look good in spite of my laziness, and b) know that I will get a magical 45 minute blow dry. Curly blow dry? Amping up what I got! Straight blow dry? Gentile for a day!
I’ve returned twice, and each time I’ve been struck by the neighborly good vibes emanating from this place.

Amie Zimmerman is the thinking person’s haircutter. Seriously, she is super competent, knowledgeable, and honest. Honesty may not seem key to a haircutter, but it is because she really talks things through with you, which allows her to get a full understanding of what you are thinking. She will then balance what you want vs what she can do, and what she thinks would be the best decision to make. (hint: you can trust her judgment! how refreshing!)
For curly/​wavy/​thick hair this lady is a genius. Seriously. It doesn’t make sense that people with cury or wavy hair would go to «normal» haircutters because those people don’t understand (AT ALL) our hair. They only cut hair in set patterns that are designed for the way thin, straight hair is… those set patterns look really bad when cut into wavy or curly hair. I now actually kind of appreciate the wavyness of my hair, but when I was stuck getting haircuts from incompetent haricutters who tried to treat my hair as if it was stick straight and thin (my entire life until I met Amie!) I hated the wavyness of my hair.
For the actual demonstrated skill and thought Amie puts into cutting my hair, I feel like her prices are a more than fair.

I am 25 years old and recently moved to Portland. For the past 25 years of my life my mom has been the ONLY person to even touch my curly hair (she is a curly stylist as well). Amie was not only a wonderfully understanding individual with my anxiety, but a joy to talk with, and an AMAZING stylist. Her attention to detail and obvious talent especially when it comes to curls is beyond wonderful. On top of that, her use of eco and animal friendly products help you look great while feeling great about supporting quality products. I will definitely be seeing Amie again for my curly hair needs. THIS WOMAN ROCKS!

Rebecca! Fantastic! I don’t ever get a bad cut from this awesome girl! She is someone that totally knows how to work with short hair too! She’s a shortie herself and knows about the weird grow-​out that can happen with short hair so she always seems to cut it in a way where you basically get compliments all through the different phases of your hair growing out. That’s what happens to me at least. She doesn’t just do what she wants with your hair and is very good about asking questions to make sure that you are loving what she’s doing and knowing how much she’s actually cutting off. I honestly have never in my whole short-​haired life found anyone better.

Amie is the go to gal for anyone who has naturally curly hair!

I just had my hair cut by Diane a week ago while I was in town for my wedding, and she did a wonderful job. She really listened to me, was super patient in the consult part (I’ve had my hair jacked by another stylist recently), and took her time with the cut, doing just what we agreed on. Not only that, but her price was super reasonable given her talent, AND she’s super cool and sweet. I’ve been to many top stylists in San Francisco and haven’t found someone better than her. What’s not to love? I’ll see her again next time I’m up!

My boyfriend and I have been going to Diane for years and years and she’s our hairdresser for life! We both have tons of curly hair and we’ve never met anyone who can work magic with our mops like Diane can. I’ve recommended her to so many of my friends and they’ve all become regular clients. She’s also one of the coolest, nicest women I know. You won’t be disappointed.

I love Diane!!! She’s been styling my hair for several years, and I’ve loved every cut. She’s super talented with the scissors, listens well and has an excellent eye for style. Not to mention, she’s sweet as hell. Recently I went in for a trim and some shape (I have a ton of hair). When I got home I realized the trim was good bit I needed a little more… I called her up, asked if she could touch it up, and she said yes, happily. I am now the proud wearer of the PERFECT hairstyle. Seriously, in one day several people have asked who cuts my hair. It’s Diane at XO. :)

I’m always hesitant to try out a new hairstylist. I have naturally curly hair and thus far have received hair cuts that I was satisfied with, but the last couple of cuts have been sub par so I decided to go looking elsewhere. Through some google searching, I found Amie from XO Salon and decided to take a chance. There were so many high reviews that I wanted to discover it for myself. And… I found out that everyone was right. She has a unique talent for cutting curly hair. It was actually a bit profound the way she was able to balance the length and the layers and help the curls develop. I was pleasantly surprised and impressed with her talent. Thank you Amie for sharing your talent with us. I wish there were more talented stylists like you out there.

Wow — the new salon is awesome! I’ve been going to Amie Z since back in the Dirty Little Secret days and I’ve never once been anything less than thrilled! I believe I may have even been the very first client in the new location…
I have long and naturally straight hair that is very, very, very thick. I am lazy and I refuse to put products in my hair or even blow dry it. It has been said that my hair has the feel of a five year olds because of these things. But, to the point, Amie works with my hair and my lack of desire to destroy it. She thins my hair once or twice a year and manages to give me phenomenal cuts that air dry beautifully.
She always listens to my likes and concerns. I wouldn’t know but I’ve also heard over the years that she’s a genius with color and curls. Check her out — you will not be disappointed!