A North Carolina woman says a perm at a Garner salon left her hair badly damaged, and that the salon has not given her a refund or a clear response after she asked for help.
The woman, who posts under the username @millyismoody on TikTok and goes by Milly, shared her story in a video that has been viewed 3.9 million times and has more than 419,900 likes and over 20,000 comments.
In the video, she says she got her hair done at Vanity Salon and Color Bar in Garner, North Carolina, by a stylist named Ashlyn. “I am shaking,” she said at the start of the video, adding that she understood the topic might be “too much” to share but wanted to explain what happened.
Woman says she saved for six years to afford the service
Milly said she works a minimum wage job and had used black box dye on her hair for six years while saving money for a professional perm. She said this was her first time getting her hair done professionally in six years.
She said that before the service, the stylist did a curl test on the back of her hair. She said the stylist asked if she had used bleach, which she said she had not used in over 10 years, and asked if she had used henna, which she said she had never used. She said she told the stylist she had box dyed her hair a couple of months earlier, and the stylist looked up the ingredients on the box dye to check whether they would interfere with the perm.
Milly said the stylist then applied the perm, and she believes it was left on for too long. She said that while the stylist was rinsing out the product, she could feel her hair being pulled and damaged.
She said she called the salon five days before posting the video to report that her hair had been burned. She said she spoke with Ashlyn, who she says told her that she had warned Milly there was a chance her hair “could melt,” and said she does not give refunds before ending the call. Milly said she then called the salon again and asked to speak with the head of the salon, and was told someone would follow up with her.
Milly said she waited five days without hearing back, despite also leaving reviews on Google and Yelp. She said she called the salon again on the day of the video and was told the owner would call her before the end of the day, but said she never received a call.
She said she then went to the salon in person. She said she waited more than 15 minutes without being helped, and that when she asked a stylist where the owner was, she was told the owner had already left. She said she asked for the owner’s phone number and was told the salon does not give it out. She said she then asked if anyone could help her get a refund, and was told the stylist she spoke to had a client and could not help her.
Milly described her hair as “completely fried” and said she has been unable to manage it, including getting her fingers through it. She said she had used a full Olaplex kit without success. She said her hair had been “silky” and “healthy” before the appointment. This experience of being denied a refund is not unique, as when a New Jersey woman asked for a refund after her $400 hair looked nothing like what was agreed on.
In a follow-up TikTok video, Milly said she approached Ashlyn directly at the salon while Ashlyn was with another client. She said Ashlyn told her, “I didn’t do that. That wasn’t me,” to which Milly said she responded by asking, “Who else was it?” before apologizing for raising her voice. She said she was “no harm” to anyone at the salon and was “just very verbally angry.” She also said that during her appointment, Ashlyn had tried to invite her to church and spoke about her faith.
Milly said that after she left public reviews on Google and Yelp, the salon owner responded online saying the salon was “so sorry” for her experience and wanted to “make it right,” but said she did not receive a response after reaching out directly. She ended her first video by advising people not to go to Vanity Salon and Color Bar or book appointments with Ashlyn Argo.
Many viewers responded to Milly’s video with reactions and advice. One commenter wrote, “You can’t perm over ANY BOX DYE. period.” Another wrote, “@vanitysalongarner hold your hairdresser Ashlan Argo accountable And do whats right.”
One commenter claimed, “they deleted their salon tik tok page and have over 2k negative reviews on google. they are cooked.” Another commenter, identifying as a salon owner in the same area, offered help, writing, “Hey Milly! I’m a salon owner and stylist in Garner, shoot me a message, I’d love to help either with some treatments and potentially extensions!”
A different commenter suggested a way to recover the cost of the service, writing, “It’s paid by debit or credit, Contact your bank and dispute the charges.” Such salon disputes can escalate, as when a woman shows an Ulta Beauty salon exactly what she wants and staff knew it was bad enough to call a manager.
Published: Aug 12, 2026 07:33 am