Best Hair Salons in Durham, NC
Compare 79 hair salons in Durham, North Carolina with Google ratings, services and online booking. The top-rated spot is Oak Grove Barber Shop with 5.0 stars from 105 Google reviews.
Durham's hair scene runs deeper than its size suggests: 79 salons and barbershops are listed here, covering everything from classic barbering to braids, locs, and blowouts. Most of the directory is bookable online, and ratings across the city are strong. Here's what to know before you pick one.
Where Durham's coverage is strongest
Barbering leads the count. Twenty-one shops handle men's cuts, 21 do fades, and 20 offer beard trims — if you want a tight fade and a beard lineup in the same chair, you have real options.
Natural and textured hair is nearly as well covered: 18 salons offer protective styles, 18 handle locs, and 18 do braids. Women's cuts, styling, and blowouts each show up at 17 salons. The thinner categories are weaves and extensions, with 7 listings apiece — still enough to build a shortlist, just a shorter one.
Booking and ratings, at a glance
About 68% of Durham's listings take online booking, so for most shops you can grab a slot without a phone call. That number is worth noticing: a working booking link usually means posted hours you can trust and less back-and-forth to get on the schedule.
Ratings are strong across the directory — 85% of the salons here are rated, and those average 4.71 stars. When the citywide average sits that high, the star number alone won't separate your finalists. Read a few recent reviews instead, and weight the ones that mention the service you actually want.
How to use this directory
Start with the service, not the salon. Filter to the service pages — fades, braids, locs, blowouts — and work from that shorter list.
One honesty note: our service tags are broad. A tag means the work happens at that salon, not that it's the shop's whole identity. So when you book, name the exact service — 'knotless braids, mid-back length,' not just 'braids' — and confirm they do it.
For longer appointments like locs, weaves, or a full set of braids, ask for a consultation first; a good one covers your hair's condition, the timeline, and what prep they expect from you. And if a shop doesn't have online booking, a phone call or DM still works — about a third of Durham's listings run that way.
Frequently asked questions
- Can I book Durham salons online?
- Mostly, yes — 68% of the 79 salons listed here take online booking. For the rest, expect to call, DM, or walk in, and confirm hours before you go.
- Which hair services are easiest to find in Durham?
- Barbering is the deepest bench: 21 salons handle men's cuts, 21 do fades, and 20 offer beard trims. Braids, locs, and protective styles are close behind at 18 each. Weaves and extensions are the thinnest categories, with 7 listings apiece.
- How do I pick when the ratings all look this good?
- Durham's rated salons average 4.71 stars, so stars alone won't settle it. Compare review counts, read recent reviews that mention your specific service, and confirm the details when you book — a shop that answers questions clearly before you sit down usually runs the appointment the same way.