Crazy Combs opened on Wake Forest Road in 2001 and has stayed at the same address ever since. The location sits in the stretch between historic Oakwood and Mordecai, just outside downtown Raleigh, in a part of town where the streetscape has rotated through several waves of small business without losing the working-class character. Owner Traci Farmer is a Raleigh native and a fourth-generation stylist. She trained at Mitchell’s Academy, Troutman’s Cosmetology School, and the Art Institute of Atlanta. Before opening her own shop she worked in Beverly Hills.
The work is color-led, with multi-dimensional color, modern and classic cutting, and keratin treatments all named as Traci’s personal specialties. Reviews on Vagaro repeatedly cite Brielle for cuts and Holley for color. The bench is seven or eight stylists deep plus a dedicated nail artist. Product lines on the wall include Virtue Labs (where Traci is a long-running brand ambassador and R&D contributor), Pulp Riot, Kevin Murphy, Caviar by Alterna, Kenra, Awapuhi by Paul Mitchell, and Goldwell’s Creative Texture line. Not a retail-thin shop.
Traci was appointed to the North Carolina Board of Cosmetic Arts by the governor in 2020. The Board is the state regulator that licenses every salon and stylist in North Carolina. Owners who sit on the regulatory body are uncommon, and the appointment is the strongest institutional signal a Raleigh salon owner can carry. Hours run Tuesday through Saturday, with the salon opening at 9:30 and closing at 5:30. Closed Sunday and Monday. Booking is through Vagaro.
