5 Best Hair Salons in Johannesburg (2026)

Independently ranked by our review of ratings, reviews and reputation · How we chose

By Elara Kestrel, Health and Medical Expert · ✓ Data verified July 2026 · 8 min read

A bad relaxer or a rushed retwist can set your hair back months, so picking a hair salon in Johannesburg is not a small decision. Between them, the salons on this page have logged 818 Google reviews, and the ratings run from 4.1 up to 4.9, a gap wide enough that the difference is real, not rounding.

Short answer: Loctician Carlocs leads with a 4.9 rating across 275 reviews, the strongest combination of score and volume on this list. Gil Barbershop & Beauty Salon (4.8, 92 reviews) and Wild Hair (4.9, 77 reviews) are close behind on rating but with far less history logged. Expect a cut to run from budget-friendly at a CBD braiding studio to a premium booking at a Parktown North salon.

Jump to a business

1. Loctician Carlocs
2. Indalo Nubian Naturals
3. Gil Barbershop & Beaut…
4. Wild hair
5. Blackcandy Braids mobi…
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How the Johannesburg salons stack up

#	Business	Rating	Reviews	Best for
1	Loctician Carlocs	4.9 ★	275	Loc specialists / dreadlock care	View ›
2	Indalo Nubian Naturals	4.1 ★	285	Natural hair / Afro-textured styling	View ›
3	Gil Barbershop & Beauty Salon	4.8 ★	92	Barbershop-style cuts and colour	View ›
4	Wild hair	4.9 ★	77	Precision haircuts in Parktown North	View ›
5	Blackcandy Braids mobile salon	4.7 ★	89	Mobile braiding, in-home appointments	View ›

5 Best Hair Salons in Johannesburg (2026)

The shortlist, in detail

#1 Overall🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Loctician Carlocs

4.9275 Google reviews

Loctician Carlocs is a loc-focused studio run by Mwezi Carlos Mjoli out of Peter House in the Johannesburg CBD, offering retwists, microlocs, instant locs, and repair work. The business also operates a second location in Rustenburg. It's a small, independently run operation, and Carlos handles much of the client-facing work himself alongside his team.

What people praise

Retwists and crochet maintenance described as precise and true to what clients asked for
Clients who've stuck around for years say the quality has held up over time
Efficient appointments that don't eat up a whole day
Owner responds personally and thoughtfully to nearly every review, good or bad

Worth knowing

One recent review described a rushed, incomplete retwist and full-price billing for it
As a small, largely one-person operation, service quality can vary if things get busy

Reputation scorecardrank in Johannesburg

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume275 · 88th

Confidencehigh

Recency3 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown92% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The 4.9 across 275 reviews is the strongest combination of score and volume here, and it holds up: this is the loc specialist to book if that's specifically what you need.

Website +27788583255 Directions

Shop No 7 Upstairs, Peter House or Mobile Centre Building, 233 Lilian Ngoyi St, Johannesburg, 2000

#2🕑 Open 6 days/wk

Indalo Nubian Naturals

4.1285 Google reviews

Indalo Nubian Naturals is a natural hair salon in the Johannesburg CBD, founded in June 2016 by Smangele Sibisi. The salon specializes in Afro and locs care, offering braiding, twists, and updos, and sells its own hair care products including hair food, treatment oil, and body butter at reception.

What people praise

Reviewers praise the teamwork and hands-on approach from the founder
Clean, comfortable reception area with a calm atmosphere
Stylists are described as attentive to scalp health, not just styling

Worth knowing

Multiple reviews describe long waits, including one client who waited over 6 hours for a style
A few clients reported being left without acknowledgment at check-in

Reputation scorecardrank in Johannesburg

Rating4.1 / 5

Review volume285 · 93th

Confidencemoderate

Recency3 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown60% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: It has the most reviews on this page, 285, but also the widest spread of experiences. Go in with a booked appointment and some patience, and reviewers say the work itself is solid.

Website Book now +27607904004 Directions

89 Market St, Johannesburg, 2000

#3🕑 Open 7 days↩ Responds to reviews

Gil Barbershop & Beauty Salon

4.892 Google reviews

Gil Barbershop & Beauty Salon operates out of the Maboneng precinct in Jeppestown, offering haircuts, braids, colour, along with nails, lashes, and even tattoos and piercings under one roof. It's open late, until 10pm most nights, which is unusual for the category.

What people praise

Regulars describe precise, detail-oriented cuts and colour work
Late hours make it easy to book around a work schedule
Owner Gil is described as personally engaged with clients

Worth knowing

One review described disorganization and a broken clipper causing delays
Reviews on this page are older on average, so recent experience is thinner

Reputation scorecardrank in Johannesburg

Rating4.8 / 5

Review volume92 · 73th

Confidencemoderate

Recency7 months ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown92% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: A 4.8 rating holds up well against the one visible complaint, and the late hours are a genuine practical edge for anyone booking after work.

Website +27731776790 Directions

281 Commissioner street, Maboneng, Liquid Lab, Poolside, Jeppestown, Johannesburg, 2043

#4🕑 Open 5 days/wk

Wild hair

4.977 Google reviews

Wild Hair is a salon in Parktown North that recently relocated from Parkhurst to a new space at Nine Yards. Reviewers point to stylist Chretienne by name for cuts and styling, with an emphasis on the wash-and-massage part of the visit as much as the cut itself.

What people praise

The hair wash and scalp massage combo gets called out repeatedly as a highlight
Clients report leaving with real confidence in the final cut
Followed loyally from its previous Parkhurst location to the new one

Worth knowing

A couple of reviews describe more hair being cut than the client asked for
No public site listed, and completeness on basic details is lower than other salons here

Reputation scorecardrank in Johannesburg

Rating4.9 / 5

Review volume77 · 57th

Confidenceearly

Recency2 months ago

Info completenessphone · hours

Rating breakdown96% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: Its 4.9 rating rests on the smallest review count on this page, 77, so treat it as a strong early signal rather than a settled long-term track record.

+27662120327 Directions

6 1st Avenue East, Parktown North, Johannesburg, 2193

#5🕑 Open 6 days/wk↩ Responds to reviews

Blackcandy Braids mobile salon

4.789 Google reviews

Blackcandy Braids is a mobile beauty service run by Lorraine Ngwenya, offering braiding including knotless, boho, and goddess braids, done at the client's home rather than a fixed salon. The service is marketed explicitly as an ethnic salon that also braids Caucasian hair.

What people praise

Reviewers highlight how comfortable an in-home appointment felt despite initial hesitation
Braid quality and styling praised as stunning by repeat clients
Friendly with kids present during appointments, per one reviewer

Worth knowing

At least one detailed review describes missed and delayed appointments
As a mobile, one-person service, scheduling flexibility can cut both ways

Reputation scorecardrank in Johannesburg

Rating4.7 / 5

Review volume89 · 68th

Confidenceearly

Recency5 weeks ago

Info completenesssite · phone · hours

Rating breakdown88% 5-star

✓ VerifiedSource: Google

Our take: The reviews here split cleanly between glowing repeat-client praise and one serious scheduling complaint, so book with a bit of buffer time around your appointment.

Website +27788535985 Directions

Kruis, 84 Helen Joseph St, Johannesburg, 2000

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How we score each salon

Rating is the live Google average at the time we pulled the data. Review volume measures how many customers have actually left a review, ranked against the other salons on this page. Confidence blends the two, so a high rating on a handful of reviews scores lower than the same rating backed by hundreds. Recency looks at how recently people are still leaving reviews. No business can pay to change any of these numbers.

How much does a hair salon cost in Johannesburg? (2026)

Pricing swings a lot by service type and neighborhood in Johannesburg. Loc maintenance, braiding, and chemical treatments are usually quoted per style rather than by the hour, and CBD studios tend to run cheaper than salons in areas like Parktown North or Jeppestown’s Maboneng precinct.

Serving all of Johannesburg

These salons cover a wide stretch of the city, from the CBD around Lilian Ngoyi and Market Street, to Jeppestown’s Maboneng precinct, to Parktown North further out. If you’re searching for a hair salon near me in Johannesburg, start with whichever of these is closest to where you actually spend your day, since a loc specialist or braiding studio worth a longer drive is still worth the trip.

What to ask before you book a hair salon

Does the stylist have experience with my specific hair type or texture?
How long will the appointment realistically take, and is there a wait if I’m not first?
What products will be used, and can I ask about ingredients if I have sensitivities?
Is a deposit required, and what’s the policy if I need to reschedule?
For chemical or loc treatments, how often will maintenance be needed?
Do they offer mobile or in-home appointments if that matters to you?

Frequently asked questions

Are these rankings paid?

No. Rankings come from public Google data. A business can pay to be a Featured Partner (badge plus top placement), but that never changes another business’s score or position.

How did you choose these hair salons?

We pulled real Google Business Profile data for hair salons across Johannesburg, including rating, review count, and recent review text, then ranked them on a blend of rating and volume.

How often is this page updated?

This page reflects data verified in July 2026. We revisit rankings periodically as ratings and review counts shift.

Should I book a loc specialist over a general salon?

If you have locs or are starting them, a dedicated loc specialist like Loctician Carlocs tends to have more specific technique experience than a general salon offering everything.

Are mobile braiding services reliable?

Reviews for mobile services on this page are mixed on punctuality, so confirm your appointment time close to the date and build in some flexibility.

The bottom line

Loctician Carlocs is the safest default pick here, with the best mix of a high rating and real review volume. If you want a full-service salon experience with late hours, Gil Barbershop & Beauty Salon is worth a look, and if you’re after natural hair care specifically, Indalo Nubian Naturals has the deepest track record, just book ahead and expect the CBD to be busy.

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