Finding a hairdresser you trust is a small life upgrade, and Portsmouth makes the search a pleasant one. Southsea in particular is packed with talented salons, several of them regional and national award winners, with colourists and cutters who draw clients back for years and even across the water from the Isle of Wight.
With so many good options, a ranking helps you find your new regular faster. Our team weighed the city’s hair salons on the same criteria, leaning hardest on what real clients say, pulling together aggregate ratings and recurring comments from Google, and checking where each salon sits on price.
Reviews and the quality of the cut and colour carry the most weight, balanced against value for money, cleanliness and the welcome you get in the chair. The result is an editorial snapshot rather than the final word, and it is a living list we will revisit as salons change.
Here are the best hairdressers in Portsmouth, starting with the best and working down.
1. BE my guest, Southsea
On Palmerston Road in Southsea at number 76, BE my guest takes the top spot with the strongest combination of rating and reach in the city, a 4.9 across more than 370 Google reviews. A score that high on a sample that large is the clearest signal you will find that this salon delivers, visit after visit.
Stylists such as Dora and Cileste earn devoted followings for colour, cutting and keratin treatments that leave hair glossy and smooth, with clients praising how carefully they listen and how unrushed the whole appointment feels. The little luxuries get a mention too, a massage-chair hair wash and a calm, friendly room that makes the visit a proper treat rather than a chore.
It sits at the premium end, with a cut and blow dry around £45 to £55, colour and balayage from roughly £90, and keratin treatments from about £120. Figures are indicative and depend on length and your stylist, so confirm when you book. Note it is closed on Mondays.
What you get
- a 4.9 across more than 370 reviews;
- expert colour, cutting and keratin treatments;
- an unrushed, genuinely pampering experience;
- little luxuries like a massage-chair hair wash.
What to weigh up
- premium pricing, so get a quote for colour;
- closed Mondays and popular, so book ahead.
For quality and a treat in one, nothing in the city quite matches it.
2. Medusa Hairdressing, Southsea
Just around the corner on Fawcett Road at number 72, Medusa Hairdressing matches that 4.9, here across nearly 300 reviews, and has built a decade of loyalty on friendly, skilled work. Several clients mention ten years of visits, which tells you everything about how consistent it is.
Colour is the headline, with stylist Belinda repeatedly praised as an expert colourist who listens to even the most detailed brief and delivers, while others name Jess for cuts and styling. The salon itself draws warm words, a nicely decorated, spotlessly clean room with a genuinely lovely atmosphere, plus the kind of relaxing head massage at the basin that keeps people coming back.
On price it is one of the better-value salons at this level, with a cut and blow dry around £35 to £45 and colour from roughly £70, quoted on consultation. It is closed on Sundays.
What you get
- a 4.9 across nearly 300 reviews and a decade of loyalty;
- an expert colourist in Belinda and strong cutting;
- a spotless, beautifully decorated salon;
- great value for this level of work.
What to weigh up
- the best stylists book up well ahead;
- closed on Sundays.
For expert colour and a warm welcome at a fair price, Medusa is a brilliant choice.
3. The Woods Hairdressing, Southsea
On Castle Road at number 44, The Woods Hairdressing carries the biggest review base on this list, a 4.7 across more than 330 reviews. It is as much a local talking point as a salon, set in a striking building that people keep meaning to try, and the volume of happy reviews shows it lives up to the hype.
The team covers everything from precise cuts to bold colour, with stylists such as Lucia and Amy singled out for nailing tricky shades and for giving honest, useful advice. One recurring theme is a real skill with curly and wavy hair, which is notoriously hard to find, alongside a friendly, welcoming atmosphere that puts first-timers at ease.
Prices are mid to upper, with a cut and blow dry around £40 to £50 and colour from roughly £80, depending on length and stylist. It opens late on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which helps if you work full time.
What you get
- a 4.7 across more than 330 reviews;
- strong on both precise cuts and bold colour;
- a rare genuine skill with curly and wavy hair;
- a striking salon with late weekday openings.
What to weigh up
- its popularity means prime slots go quickly;
- pricing varies a fair bit by stylist.
A reliable all-rounder, and a standout if your hair has a curl or a wave to tame.
4. Garbos Hair, Albert Road
On Albert Road at 1C, Garbos Hair brings a bit of pedigree to the list, a 4.8 across more than 230 reviews for a salon that keeps picking up regional and national awards. It is part of a small group with a long track record, and the Southsea branch has a devoted following of its own.
Balayage and creative colour are where it shines, with stylists such as Millie and Charlie praised for rescuing clients let down elsewhere and for instinctively knowing what will suit. There is real craft on show too, one reviewer describes watching a colourist separate every strand for the foils, unconcerned by how long it took, which is the sort of care that keeps people loyal for years.
Prices sit in the mid to upper range, with a cut and blow dry around £40 to £55 and balayage from roughly £90, quoted on consultation. It is closed on Sundays, with late nights midweek.
What you get
- a 4.8 and a wall of regional and national awards;
- standout balayage and creative colour;
- stylists who rescue colour gone wrong elsewhere;
- real craft and care over every appointment.
What to weigh up
- colour appointments can run long, so allow time;
- closed on Sundays.
For balayage and a safe pair of hands with colour, Garbos earns its reputation.
5. Rozita Hair and Beauty, Southsea
On Fraser Road in Southsea at number 13, Rozita Hair and Beauty holds a 4.9 across more than 110 reviews and a reputation as one of the city’s most skilled colourists. What sets it apart is a specialism that is genuinely hard to find locally, lifting and colouring darker and South Asian hair without wrecking its condition.
Client after client describes finally achieving a shade they had dreamed of for years, from ash blonde on dark Asian hair to natural-looking highlights that blend away greys, with Rozita praised as a patient perfectionist who explains every step. She is a one-stop beauty salon too, offering threading and brows alongside hair, and reviewers repeatedly call her friendly, gentle and reasonably priced.
Value is a recurring theme, with a cut from around £30 to £40 and colour from roughly £70, confirmed at consultation. As a smaller salon, booking ahead is wise.
What you get
- a 4.9 and a specialist colourist for darker and textured hair;
- dream shades achieved without wrecking condition;
- hair plus threading and brows in one place;
- reasonable prices and a patient, gentle manner.
What to weigh up
- a smaller salon, so appointments must be booked;
- colour corrections take time, so plan ahead.
If you have struggled to find a colourist for darker or textured hair, start here.
6. The Green Room Hairdressers, Albert Road
Rounding out the list, The Green Room Hairdressers at 62 Albert Road holds a 4.7 across more than 180 reviews, a solid score for one of the busiest salons on Southsea’s main strip. It is a dependable, central choice with a team that covers everything from a quick tidy up to a complete colour change.
Colour and correction are a strength, with stylists such as Chantelle and Haari praised for taking on dark, uneven or difficult hair that others turned away and delivering natural, balanced results. Reviewers also highlight how accommodating the salon is with last-minute and bank-holiday appointments, and the relaxed, chatty atmosphere that makes the chair time fly.
Prices are mid-range, with a cut and blow dry around £35 to £45 and balayage from roughly £85, quoted on consultation. It keeps long hours midweek, which helps for after-work visits.
What you get
- a 4.7 across more than 180 reviews;
- strong on colour and correcting difficult hair;
- good for last-minute and late appointments;
- a central spot with a relaxed atmosphere.
What to weigh up
- it is busy, so popular stylists book up;
- results vary a little between stylists.
A capable, convenient all-rounder, and a good bet for colour in the heart of Southsea.
The ranking in full
| Position | Salon | Area | Typical price | Score (out of 10) | % (out of 100) |
| 1 | BE my guest | Palmerston Road | cut & blow dry ~£45 to £55 | 9.4 | 94 |
| 2 | Medusa Hairdressing | Fawcett Road | cut & blow dry ~£35 to £45 | 9.1 | 91 |
| 3 | The Woods | Castle Road | cut & blow dry ~£40 to £50 | 8.8 | 88 |
| 4 | Garbos Hair | Albert Road | cut & blow dry ~£40 to £55 | 8.5 | 85 |
| 5 | Rozita Hair and Beauty | Fraser Road | cut ~£30 to £40 | 8.2 | 82 |
| 6 | The Green Room | Albert Road | cut & blow dry ~£35 to £45 | 7.9 | 79 |
How the salons scored (out of 10)
What the ranking reveals
The standard is high right across the board. Every salon here sits at 4.7 or above, and the top of the list clusters around a near-perfect score, so the real decision is matching the salon to what you need rather than avoiding a bad one. Colour, in particular, is a city-wide strength.
Specialism is the thread that separates them. Rozita stands out for darker and textured hair, The Woods for curls and waves, Garbos and The Green Room for balayage and colour correction, while BE my guest and Medusa are the polished all-rounders. If your hair has a specific challenge, the best result often comes from the salon that has made it their thing.
On price the field is closer than you might expect, with a cut and blow dry mostly landing between £35 and £55 and colour quoted on consultation, so the stylist and the length matter more than the headline rate. Geography concentrates the choice around Southsea, from Albert Road to Fawcett, Castle and Fraser roads, so a short walk gives you several top options. For more Southsea self-care, see our guides to the best nail salons in Portsmouth and the best spa days around the city.
How we ranked them
This ranking is an editorial snapshot from October 2026, not an official guide. To build it we compared Portsmouth’s hair salons against one another on the same weighted criteria rather than having our hair done at each one. Client reviews and reputation counted for the most, at around 35 per cent, weighing both the average score and how many reviews stand behind it. The quality of the cut and colour made up roughly 25 per cent, value for money and price another 15 per cent, cleanliness and professionalism 15 per cent, and the welcome and atmosphere the final 10 per cent.
The ratings and recurring comments were drawn mainly from Google at the time of writing, and we checked each salon’s typical prices as part of the value score, though hair pricing varies a lot by stylist, length and service, so the figures here are indicative. Colour is almost always quoted after a consultation. Prices, stylists and opening days change, so confirm the service, the cost and the hours before you book. The order is our considered view on the day and may shift as salons and reviews move.
