Star East Hair and Beauty

5 star review for 5 star service!
Truthfully, getting a hold of them can be difficult. Joe and I played phone tag for a while trying to set up an appointment. After setting up the appointment, Joe sent a reminder text the day before, which is nice!
I showed up for my digi-​perm appointment at 4PM on a Friday. There is street parking but beware that the one right out front is 1 hr only. The staff was very friendly and accommodating to me. They offered me snacks, coffee/​tea, and cup noodles which was great because digi-​perms are a long appointment and I was definitely hungry. Also, while the rollers were getting heated up, the ladies were very kind and took a hair dryer to blast cold air on my scalp to keep me comfortable.
Joe is very knowledgeable about hair, giving many recommendations/​advice/​tips/​tidbits throughout the appointment. I let him have free reign with my hair with some general notions of what I wanted. I went from long, straight, flat hair to short, bouncy, and curly hair. It was a lot shorter than I was expecting, but it didnt look bad and actually helped me look more mature (everyone always asks if I’m 12). I didn’t love the bangs that much and I am still getting used to them now. It has been about a week now, and the curls are still holding great!
The whole treatment came out to $ 220 (included a cut as well) before tip, which is a bit pricy but definitely worth. I tried to tip extra but he wouldn’t take it. He even threw in the curling crème for free. Additionally, when I realized I had some follow up questions post appointment, he was available by text to answer my questions to better care for my hair.
Joe has had a very interesting life (has practiced a little bit of everyone [London, Shanghai, Taipei, etc]), so feel free to ask him about it while you’re there! Joe and his staff are super friendly and talented at what they do. I’ll definitely be back

And Joe nailed it again! Back for my fifth digiperm after resting my hair for a year and a half and it looks just like the first time! Joe will always be my go to guy for my digiperms!

Ok, I’ll admit, I didn’t believe that any place could be as good as this place, but Joe has proven me wrong! I’ve now gone to Star East/​Joe for two digital perms and several haircuts.
Joe is very professional, and he keeps a great salon (clean, bright, welcoming with a friendly, though quiet staff, some of whom speak limited English). When you have to be there for a long service (straightening, coloring, perming) he has snacks, dvds and beverages to keep you comfortable. But, the thing that is really going to bring you back is Joe’s amazing skills!
Digital perms — Joe gave me two digital perms and both turned out great! I was pretty nervous going into my first one. What if I ended up looking like a poodle with 80s bad perm hair? Or what if the shape of the curls are ok, but my hair is just fried? Joe is very careful to set expectations and warned me for the first one that it might not take or hold as well as I hoped. He said, due to the texture of my hair (it’s quite soft and fine), it can be harder to get it to hold a curl. It looked exactly how I hoped when he was done! It did fall out sooner than I had hoped, but we corrected for that this time by going a little shorter and with slightly smaller curlers. It’s perfect! The process itself is great bc it doesn’t damage the hair as much as the old school perms did, so my hair is still shiny and soft.
Haircuts — Joe really knows how to work with Asian hair and face shapes. I haven’t gone to him for a short hair cut, but for medium/​long cuts, he gives it to you straight — what will and won’t work with your hair and face shape. He won’t steer you wrong, and you’ll walk out with a great looking cut that won’t grow out poorly if you don’t get back in right away!
Finally, for all this great service and hair cutting/​perming/​styling skills, you will find that Joe’s prices are nearly a throw back to a different time (or at least maybe a less expensive city). I almost just want to keep Joe and Star East a secret to myself ;-)

Joe was worth the drive and wait from San Jose! I was tired of my long straight hair and was ready for some permanent curls! My girl friend recommended this salon and I trusted her even before looking it up online. Star East is located on a corner so it was easy to find. The salon is spacious, clean, bright and newly renovated (just moved to this location a yr ago). I arrived a bit early for my appointment and Joe was able to seat me ten minutes earlier than my appt time. He did a great job explaining what my options were and what he recommended to achieve the curls I wanted. Joe and his assistants took 3 hours on my trim and digital perm and I am very happy with my results and experience. When my curls loosen or when I’m ready for another digital perm I’ll be back. Being patient about getting an appointment and making a day of it was worth it.

When I was contemplating a digital perm, this place was recommended. I decided to give it a try based on the rave reviews. They were right! Joe lives up to all the hype and then some. He has a way of evaluating your hair in a way that shows he’s in a league of his own. I appreciate his honesty and integrity. He will not give you a perm unless he really believes it will be perfect and does everything possible to set you up for success. It’s a LONG process but worth every minute. He also keeps detailed notes on every client’s perm history so he can make adjustments each time, as needed. Someone people come all the way from the east coast to see him and if I ever move back, I likely will, too.

I’ve never left a Unilocal review before but I had such a great experience here, and I always rely heavily on reviews for picking new hairdressers, so I figured I should return the favour!
After scouring the web and obsessively reading reviews and looking at photos, I finally picked Star East Hair and Beauty to get a much overdue cut, as well as a digital perm.
The location is rather far for me but I made the trip for a consultation first, and left feeling very confident about picking this salon! Joe definitely knew what he was talking about — without needing much prompting from me, he was able to tell me what type of perm I had previously (an older generation perm, which I’d had done in New Zealand), the condition of my hair, and even tell me straight up that my hair is very flat (I agree completely, and it’s part of the reason I’ve been perming my hair, but somehow my previous hairdressers have never noticed or thought it to be a problem so never tried to make it better!)
The following week I came back for my actual appointment. I was told to wash my hair that morning, which I did, but they washed my hair again anyway. Joe went over all the details of the cut and perm with me again to make sure I knew how things were going to work and the amount of curliness I would end up with etc. so I felt very well informed and vice versa.
The first time I had a normal perm in NZ, my scalp felt like it was burning and I had no way to tell the hairdresser as he didn’t speak English, but this time at Star East, not only did the digital curlers not feel as hot, the really sweet hair assistant girls (I didn’t get their names, sorry!) actually blew cold air all through my hair to keep it cool!
I was also offered drinks and snacks, which I was grateful for as it was a 4 hour appointment.
After the curlers came off and they let it set etc., Joe showed me how to maintain and style my curls and get them the level of curliness or straightness that I want. Then he finished it off and I was pretty amazed by just how nice the curls came out! Both my previous perms mostly just made my hair wavy — plus the first one pretty much fried my hair, whereas this time the texture was super soft and lovely even though they hadn’t even applied any styling products.
Anyway, will try to wrap this review up… I wasn’t able to wash my hair for a couple of days, but the curls held up really well even after sleeping on them. After I finally got to wash it, I towel dried, gave it a quick brush through, then left it to air dry (didn’t have a hairdryer), as I wanted to see how my hair would sit with minimal handling. Joe had said that it would settle in just waves, but it actually formed similar (though a bit looser/​more natural) curls as when I first left the salon. Even my fringe/​bangs, which normally can’t be changed from its center part, held up as long as I just brushed it the right way first, which I’m super happy about! Though I’m still getting used to the style change, and still experimenting and learning how to deal with my new hair (now I understand when curly haired girls complain about their hair tangling!!), I’m really loving it and will definitely be coming back here next time I need my perm redone!
**TL;DR**
If you need a perm, come here! Joe will talk you through the process and outcomes, and make sure it results in something that will work well for you and your hair!
Also this is apparently the only place outside of Asia that has the 3^rd generation digital perms!
(I’ll add photos later!)

Joe and his crew are amazing. I got the look I always wanted. Veronica Lake glam. And this is probably one of the most nicest, clean, educational and polite salons I’ve ever been to. Joe says thank you to his staff every time they help him. He took time to show me how to style my hair before I left and even gave me free hair product. Even when I wanted to tip him more he wouldn’t let me. Super honest guy that really cares about his customers and the service they provide. I’d go again in a heart beat.

I was way overdue for another perm and haircut, so I started doing research on a new hair salon. When I first heard about Star East Hair and Beauty, Joe seemed like a legend to me. He was this incredibly talented and sought-​after hair stylist that I thought I would never meet. That is, until I booked an appointment. I read several Unilocal reviews about the difficulty of getting a hair appointment, but I wanted to give it a try. I called and there was no answer, so I did not bother leaving a message. Joe called back an hour later. Pleasant surprise! I explained that I wanted a perm, which I knew required a consultation at Star East. Joe asked me to send a photo of my hair so he could verify that I qualified for a perm. Once I did that, he determined that my hair was too damaged from the chemicals of my previous (2^nd generation) perm so he offered to cut my hair instead.
I booked an appointment for the following week, right when they opened. I was given a delightful hair wash, then Joe began to tackle my mess of a hairdo. He actually taught me about my hair and about the history of perms — I was learning! And I must say I don’t remember the last time I loved my haircut this much. Joe chopped off most of my hair that was damaged and dead from my previous perm. My remaining medium-​length hair bounces in cute curls just the way I like it. I’m so impressed by the incredible service and quality that Joe provides (and the rest of his staff) — it takes me 30 – 40 minutes to travel here from home but it’s SO worth it! THANK YOU!

I love Joe. I have been getting my hair done by him ever since I moved to SF a few years ago. He’s very knowledgeable and teaches you about your hair. He really takes responsibility for making sure you’re satisfied with your hair. He’s great at cutting hair and perms. I would highly recommend for anyone that hasn’t figured out what’s the best looking and easiest hairstyle to deal with.

Since I was a child, I got teased because of my hair. It was a giant poof of thick frizz, wavy Asian hair… I literally had a fro!
I tried so many different products to calm my tresses but it didn’t do much. Anyway, after years of spending 30 min straightening my hair every morning, I decided to go see Joe. I actually wanted a digital perm but my hair was not a good candidate. I opted for the straightening instead. Wow… my hair is straight, soft and healthy looking!
I no longer have to get up an hour early now to do my hair. I can just wake up, do my thing and get on out the door. Once I qualify as a good digiperm candidate — actually I’ll be getting all my future hair needs done with Joe.
It’s pretty pricey, but definitely worth it! Like other Yekpers have commented, Joe will not waste anyone’s time if they don’t qualify. Yes, it’s disappointing but why pay hundreds on something that won’t work in the end? You’re just wasting money.
Thank you, Joe! His assistants/​staff are also very sweet and will constantly ask if you want anything to eat or drink. :)

It can be a tricky to get an appointment here. Calls go to voicemail often, and they don’t usually return messages. I’ve been trying for a week and finally got an appointment for 2 weeks from now.

After years of curly-​hair envy and months contemplating getting a Japanese digital wave perm– I finally did it! I heard of Joe at this salon through a friend who got her hair permed here. I am usually super cheap and low-​key with my hair, I’ve never treated or colored it. I usually go to SuperCuts for hair cuts. I finally decided that I wanted big-​curl hair badly enough to splurge and now even 2 months later– IT IS SO WORTH IT!!! This is literally the easiest, most gorgeous hair style I have ever had. You don’t have to use special shampoos or conditioners. You can control how tight or loose you want your curls to be on a DAILY basis!!! You can even blow dry your hair straight easily!– and then shower and it will go back to curly! I never thought this kind of hair was possible. Since getting this perm I literally receive compliments every day and when I tell people I got a perm they can’t believe it! This is the most natural looking waves/​curls, and my hair texture doesn’t feel chemically treated or dried/​fried after getting the perm.
Joe does a great job explaining how he evaluates if your hair texture is appropriate for the perm and when I was in the salon I heard him turn a potential client away because her hair wasn’t right for the perm. He doesn’t want to waste anyone’s time or have disappointed customers. He explains how to control your hair style. The salon assistants are lovely and very helpful as well.
50% of perms last 6 – 8 months. 25% less than 6 months, and 25% 10 – 12 months. I will definitely be scheduling another perm with Joe in the future!

I haven’t written any reviews for years, but this is about to be the one exception.
I came here in search of a digital perm over three months ago. I’d done a fair amount of research, and all the reviews for the salons close to home in the South Bay directed me here for the «real deal.» So I made the trip, and boy was it worth it!
Joe’s passion for hair really shows — he’s honest and won’t recommend you a service that will damage your hair, even if he’d be earning a lot of money. (He’s booked so far in advance, he’s sure to have customers anyway). He was careful with cutting and treating my thick, frizzy Chinese hair and gave me the beautiful K-​Pop waves I’d always dreamed of. A few weeks after my digiperm, I ran to a work event after taking a rushed shower and my coworkers complimented my «shampoo-​commercial» hair :)
I won’t go anywhere else for hair anymore. Always Star East!

Joe [and his fabulous team] is amazing, I don’t think I can ever find a great hairdresser as awesome as him.
Long story short, he will not do anything that can harm your hair or your looks!

Worth the drive, worth the wait, worth the money.
My friend recommended Joe for my digital perm as he is the most reviewed person in the area. I was super hesitant because I have stick straight hair and I usually don’t spend too much on these things. One day, I was sick of my hair. It always went flat when I curled it and thought there was nothing that can be done. Well, if anything can be done, it will be done by Joe. He is super nice and thorough about the entire process. He makes sure to not go too crazy if it’s your first time and warn you what its going to look like as time progresses. All in all, the treatment took over 3 hours — he stayed an hour after his store closed because I came late due to traffic! He is awesome. Best thing is that he isn’t money motivated, he will not do the perm if your hair will not look good with the perm or if it will damage your hair. He also keeps notes of all his clients so when they come back, he is able to redo the same style or adjust it! Since it was my first time, he only charged me $ 180, but he said normally the hair +cut would be $ 220! I felt guilty for a bit, but then realized it’s totally worth the money!
It’s been 6 months since my perm and it has sadly faded. However, I am determined to get one before summer starts. I don’t think I can ever go back to straight hair!

really great experience overall. Joe, his staff, the perm: all great.
i called and spoke with Joe who asked me a few questions about my hair. he then scheduled me for a consultation to make sure that my hair would be able to hold the perm. i arrived at the salon, which he had just moved into the previous week, and he sat me down to take a look at my hair. since having my kiddo over 5 years ago, my hair has thinned quite a bit, and i wanted to get a digital perm to give it some body. While Joe is kind, personable and funny, he will tell it like it is («your hair is thin and your face is wide”– both true). He will also give you recommendations, which I suggest you just go with. Joe agreed to do the perm and since he had a cancellation, i was able to get it done the same day!
he recommended going with smaller rollers since he was concerned that my fine hair wouldn’t hold a curl too well. he also recommended perming my bangs which alarmed me but i decided to go for it and they turned out great. the whole process took three hours from trimming to perming to blow-​drying. his two assistants were lovely and made sure i was comfortable. they frequently asked if the rollers were getting too hot and offered me drinks, snacks and instant noodles.
the results were awesome! when i walked out of there, it was a bit too curly for my taste but Joe promised that the curl would relax in a few days and it did. Joe also mentioned that once i got my hair permed, i won’t want to go back to straight hair, and he may be right. i am totally going back in a few months to get it redone.

Joe is awesome! He gives great advice and suggestions based on the haircut/​style that you say you want. I recently went in to get a shorter hair cut and he advised that I make it a little longer because it would look better on me based on certain features I have. I also trusted him to choose a color for my highlights that I decided to do spontaneously based on his recommendation to try something new.
Great service and great prices!

I got a digital perm from Joe, and it’s still beautiful after five months. I was worried it wouldn’t stay because I have fairly straight Caucasian hair, but apparently I have enough natural wave for it to latch on to.
As far as haircuts in general go, Joe is great at working with your hair, rather than against it, to make it look great while doing what it does naturally. He cuts hair dry so that you know what you’re getting.

This was my FIRST time going to Star East Hair & Beauty.
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SUMMARY: Fan-​freaking-​tastic. Just do it. Just go. Don’t think too much. Joe is a pro. He’ll walk you through everything and give you suggestions and make you as comfortable as possible. There’s snacks, magazines, water/​tea, etc. GO FOR IT!
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I was pretty worried, because my normal hairdresser doesn’t do perms, so I did a lot of research before selecting Star East for my first ever perm. I mean, review after review, it just sounded like Joe was a real pro. HE IS.
So by now you probably know you need a consultation before you can get your digiperm. The thing is, I live about an hour away from San Francisco. Yup– I drove over an hour through traffic to get to this place because I really wanted a perm I’d be happy with and could keep for a long time; Star East sounded like my best bet and I was willing to go the distance. When I talked with Joe on the phone, he was reluctant to let me book my perm without first scheduling a consultation. I explained that I lived pretty far away though, and that I didn’t want to make the drive twice. In lieu of the consultation, he agreed to see some pictures of my hair, which was much more convenient (although he still wasn’t super comfortable about it). He determined my hair was fit for the digiperm, and allowed me to schedule the actual perm.
When I got there, I was a little taken aback by the interior. It’s super clean, bright, and quite a charming studio. From the outside it doesn’t seem like much, but once you’re through the door, you’re looking at a very well-​kept, comfortable salon. Once I was in the seat, Joe began analyzing my hair, giving great suggestions on how to cut and style it. I had told him I wanted a few inches off, and he completely agreed. I gave him the reins and let him do whatever he wanted to do. He said «at least 3 – 5 inches,» and I said «ok!»; he said «layers» and I said «yup!»; he said «trim the bangs» and I said «LET’S DO IT!!». I had literally just met this guy five minutes ago. Like I said, he’s a pro.
At the end of the cut, I looked at myself and thought «wow, it looks great!» But I wasn’t done yet. He took me over to the digiperm chair and started discussing what roller sizes to use for my perm. He shows you a few pics and asks if it’s too wavy or too curly. Then he takes your hair type into consideration and selects the roller size for you accordingly. Of course, you can ask for different sizes (I had originally wanted ²⁶⁄₃₀ but Joe recommended ²⁴⁄₂₆). I decided to take Joe’s recommendation.
While I was getting my perm, two customers came in at separate times for their consultations. It appeared that neither of them had the right hair type for the perm. After each one, Joe would come over and express his regret at the fact that the client would not be able to get a perm due to their hair texture. He actually seemed to feel bad. I was surprised that he cared so much, and I’ve now seen with my own eyes that he actually DOES reject clients if they aren’t a good fit for the perm, so that they won’t be disappointed by the results. In a stuffy world full of people working solely for the purpose of money, Joe is a refreshing breath of air– someone who actually cares about the people he works with.
His assistants also deserve due mention, since they will wait on you hand and foot while you’re getting your perm. I’m not sure if it was a slow day, but I was the only one in the salon for a while (with the exception of the two consultations), so I was offered chips, cookies, bathroom breaks, etc., quite often (there’s Netflix too, but I brought a book). They also took great care with my hair, keeping it cool with the blow dryer so that it wouldn’t be too hot. I consistently felt like I was being attended to, and it was a good feeling to know that there was little chance of my hair catching fire (a legitimate concern when I first walked in).
In the end, my hair came out FABULOUS. I’m really glad I took Joe’s recommendation for the roller sizes, because I think my hair would have been too wavy with the larger sizes. Joe shows you how to style your hair so that you can get the right look every time. You can leave it to airdry, you can twist it around your fingers and blow-​dry, you can scrunch, you can tie it up in a bun to dry– you can literally do so much with a digiperm. You can even straighten it by blow-​drying! And to get your waves back, just spray water. Really?! Is this magic? I’m so glad I came to Joe’s for this digiperm because it honestly was one of the best decisions of my life.

upon researching places that did digital perms, it became apparent that people nearly unanimously raved about Joe and Star East. they noted that he won’t do the treatment on your hair without having a consult first to make sure that your hair will even take. they said that he himself was awesome and knowledgeable. they said that the facility was clean and that they even offer movies and snacks during your long treatments. i’m happy to report that all of this is true.
i called and asked if i could schedule for a digital perm but was met with hesitation when i told him that my hair was slick straight, fine and that i didn’t have a ton of it. he asked me to come in for a consultation and we parted with the result that i could do the digital perm in hopes that my hair would come out super wavy but not necessarily curly (fine by me! that’s exactly what i wanted anyhow).
the digital perm took about three hours in total. they offered me snacks and movies to watch and were very attentive. during the heating process your head gets pretty damn hot and the ladies would come by and use a blow dryer to blow cool air through the torturous (maybe that’s an exaggeration… it was hot but not deathly) heat. during the whole process Joe talks to you but not in a forceful way. he is super personal and talks about anything from his kid and their travels to the importance of relaxation in life. he’s got an upbeat, awesome personality and is very open and easy to talk to. it almost felt like I’d known him for years. he is also very informative about your hair and the different ways you can style your digital perm and with what methods.
I am an extremely lazy person when it comes to my appearance so the digital perm is perfect for me. I don’t need to blow dry after a wash. all I do is air dry it and it comes out with nice waves. you can twist it as it’s drying for a more curly look or you can blow dry it with a diffuser for a more bouncy look. it’s pretty versatile. now my hair doesn’t look flat and limp! loving it!

mi esposa’s curls are cool