The California Cuts

I just signed up for this because my experience here was SO disappointing! HORRIBLE customer service. I brought my 5 year old son in for a trim. We were not greeted… In fact ignored by Marissa. There were three ladies that were working there and one customer. They were more concerned of changing the channel on the TV (which after 15 minutes) couldn’t figure it out… and we left.

Usually when it comes to men’s haircuts, you get what you pay for. In this case, I never got a better haircut for $ 16.95. In fact, the quality of the haircuts surpass many places that charge more. Ask for Shannon!

I swtiched from my old salon person who I’d used for 10 years to Caitlin at California Cuts. She gives great hair cuts and does an amazing job on my color. Not only is she very reasonably priced, but from day 1 she mixed the perfect color just by looking at my hair. And, recommended products that enhanced my hairs texture.
Whether you want highlights, lowlights, color, or cut, just tell her what you want and she can do it, plus save you quite a bit off the hoity toity salsons. Another thing I like is that she works 5 days a week so it’s always easy to get an appointment, While they take walk ins, book in advance to get your preferred time slot.

Caitlin was incredible! I came here to cut 10 inches off, and we specifically asked for Caitlin since she has other great reviews. She started off by showing me where 10 inches would be, and made sure I was happy with the length I had left. Also, I told her I had two sensitive cartilage piercings and she made sure to stay clear of them (even when shampooing and styling!). I showed her a picture on Pinterest of a haircut I liked, and she nailed it! Furthermore, we talked about scandal while she was cutting my hair. I appreciate that we had something to talk about instead of awkward silence. I absolutely love my hair! Bonus, it only cost 16.95 to cut my long hair and style it! And she offered to mail the hair for me!

Amazing service at a fraction of the price those salon/​spa places charge. Yeah it’s in a strip mall and u don’t get foo foo drinks, but i am hooked. I finally found the best stylist ever. I almost don’t want to say her name but Caitlin is a magician when it comes to hair. I have a ton of hair, and Caitlin takes the time it needs to get it done right. (3 – 4 hrs for my mane) I love punky colors and Caitlin makes my color pop. I get tons of compliments on my hair. You’ll most likely need an appt for Caitlin, but walk ins are welcome. The other ladies are really nice too. Check this place out u won’t regret it :)

Cute little place tucked away in Poinsettia Village. Fernando is AWESOME, friendly, and makes exceptions to try to fit your needs. He has been cutting my son’s hair for years!

Great place for an affordable cut. The gal that gave me a wash and trim was so nice and was giving me great hair advice, she even hooked it up with an extra deep condition.
I will be going back in 6 weeks.

I have been coming here for years and always get great service and an amazing cut! Today I got my first color done by Caitlin and it was amazing! Love my haircut too!

I have been coming here for years! FERANDO is great spike his first Impression. Love him.

If you are in a time crunch either make an appointment or go somewhere else. Walked in with my two kids at opening on a Friday morning. My daughter was taken right away and I was told my son would be next. When my daughter was done I was told the stylist needed to help someone else so I should come back in 20 minutes. Since she was so patient with my daughter and her haircut looked good, I decided to run errands and come back. When we returned, they told me the stylist had to help another customer and I could wait another hour or make an appointment for another time as no one was available to help me. Understand it was my fault for not making an appointment in the first place, but the business should give an accurate estimate of how long guests will have to wait.
Quick note — the haircut my daughter got from Larisa was worth four and a half stars. She was patient with her and gentle brushing out her hair.

Caitlin shocked me. I went in to have my hair done by Kathy Gregg. Unfortunately Kathy has been out due to an illness. Caitlin helped me instead and I so love the cut, style and color she gave me. Kathy has been so good and the prices at California Cuts is so good. I was just so pleased how Caitlin continued to give me such wonderful service and value. Thank you. I’ll be back!

Got a fast hair cut from Fernando.
It was fast because he got a call from his son to bail him out of a jam.
The result was a lopsided hair cut.
The price was $ 15.95 plus the $ 3.00 tip i gave him that he did not deserve.
NEVER going back.

Kim Marie is the BEST!!! Just got my son a haircut here and she was wonderful! My son is Super picky and Never likes his haircuts, and he is thrilled! She took soo much time to really listen and understand what he wanted. She was really sweet and easy to talk to. She took her time and did it right. I would absolutely recommend her for anyone that wants a really good haircut (and style). I will only be coming here for my son and myself.
I think she only works Tues and Friday so maybe call ahead if possible.
(Ill add a before and after later)

MEN: It doesn’t get any better than Fernando haircuts. I rarely had a decent haircut from a stylist in San Diego County before I found this guy. He does a great job everytime and I enjoyed talking with him, too.

I needed a trim a while back and I was sick of spending $ 50-​$ 100 per cut, so when I saw a coupon in a local mag for a cheap cut here I decided to give in. I made sure to gather pictures of what I wanted and communicate well with the stylist, thinking that my bad history with cheaper salons could be partly my fault. NOPE! I got one of the worst haircuts of my life here. Turned out much shorter than I wanted my long hair to turn out (even the stylist noted that it was short but «looked cute») and I somehow got side bangs even though I just wanted some angling in the front. Needless to say, this was the last haircut I’ve gotten. This inspired me to teach myself (via Youtube videos) how to trim and layer hair, and I’ve been doing my own ever since: P
Not a 1 star because I’m sure your success depends on what stylist you see, and the place wasn’t super ghetto or anything. But if you’re picky like me, I definitely recommend going to a more modern salon and spending a little more. It’s worth it for a great cut! Or, you could always buy some haircutting shears and go the route I did, ha!

Haircuts — I totally hate them.
Well, I DREAD going there for some odd reason. Recently I finally caved and visited California Cuts in Carlsbad. Nice place. Anyway, on the way pondered this strange phobia. When tracing the origins of my «BARBER-​BLUES» a notorious cut that took place many years earlier flashed in my mind.
I was much younger. Impressionable. I eagerly sat waiting to get a trim… scanning the many «ULTRA AWESOME COOL» 80’s cuts that seemed to be hand drawn. It appeared some of these hair styles required (at minimum) a black leather jacket and smug look. I also distinctly remember seeing a can of AQUA NET and wanted to use copious amounts on my already crusty hair.
I was feeling pretty dope in my JAMS shorts and YELLOW «OP» T-​shirt.
My turn finally arrived and I jumped into the chair! I’m not sure what «new look» I requested but the lady kinda laughed and began to wash the CRUST ROCK GEL outta my hair. She was saying something but I couldn’t make it out — I was focused on my AWESOMENESS. She busted out the scissors and got to work!
My RADICAL look was coming along nicely. She mumbled something. I was already planning how much GEL I WAS GONNA GOOP all over this fresh look when she finished. She mumbled. OHHHH yeah, so much gel this look would be «LOCKED IN» for weeks and weeks!
,
S **** N **** I **** P!!!
OUCH I got NINJA snipped in the ear! OHHHHHHH she was telling me TO STOP MOVING AROUND IN THE CHAIR!!!
OK, that’s fair — lesson learned. Painful yes but let’s just say the yellow shirt got some BRIGHT RED ACCENTS that day. Dramatic to a little kid. That sweet shirt was like TOTALLY RUINED dude! The thrill of «haircut day» gone in a instant. That AQUA NET sale for damn sure lost. LOL who am I kidding… I think my Dad was paying for my haircut that day. All I had in my Velcro wallet was baseball cards and a piece of paper with my home phone number… ONLY TO BE USED IN CASE OF EMERGENCIES.
YES…that was the day that changed me forever.
BTW California Cuts is great! They’ve been in this plaza for years. Friendly staff with lots of regulars. Good prices for a men’s cut and plenty of product to keep ya lookin fresh lol.
I give this California Cutter 7 «little kid dramatic moments» out of 10.

I’ve been going to Fernando at California Cuts for 10 years. I’d gone to fancier salons in the past, but my haircuts from California Cuts are great, and I get a kick out of Fernando’s stories. Everyone else is really nice too, and over the years I’ve had good cuts from others in the shop too when Fernando wasn’t available. The shop seems well managed, and they don’t push too hard to sell the hair products at checkout, which I appreciate. California Cuts has other locations too but it is still a locally-​owned family operation, and I think they do a great job.

Kathy has been doing my hair for about 8 years now. She is wondeful! I get compliments on my hair all the time and of course I tell everyone where they should go! I have not had another stylist touch my hair since the day I met Kathy :)

I have been going to California Cuts for years (I use to live close, but still drive now). I only see Fernando — he is great — I am always really happy with my cut. Granted, I am a guy so my hair isn’t too complicated, but over the years I’ve have shorter and longer hair … even a fauxhawk.
This «salon» could definitely use a visit from Tabatha Coffee (of Tabatha’s Salon Takeover). They did have a light remodel recently (new paint, removed fake plants, cleaner look). If you are looking for something high end, look elsewhere.
They have a lot of product and are happy to order things for me. Excellent value and very convenient.
I have and would recommend this business for men’s cuts.

I needed a trim desperately so decided to make a stop here since it was on my way home from work. I was in a rush and my usual stylist was not available.
Located off the Poinsettia exit in Carlsbad in the Ralphs/​CVS south-​side shopping center sits this small salon. I walk in and it was actually pretty busy. I didn’t have a wait and was serviced by a Russian stylist.
First impression — I didn’t expect this place to be so old and dated. Perhaps I was used to my old salon where the stations are modern and up to date ???
My stylist was nice and friendly, but I’m not sure if I’d return here. My hair was shampooed but not conditioned. She did offer a «free» conditioning but after I had left the wash area and sat back in the chair. I told her I was in a hurry. I conveyed that I wanted to keep my length and layers, as well as a bang trim.
From the way my hair was trimmed, it seemed as though I could have just done it myself. She took my crown and pretty much chopped it straight across. The same was done to my length.
She did compliment the way my own stylist cuts my hair and mentioned that she was «good», and even told a fellow stylist that my cut is how she wanted her hair.
Sure it was cheap ($ 20 with tip), but the trim was desperately needed…