Teresa Callen

I just left here and am sitting in tears in my car!
I have never said anything bad about haircuts in the past — but I look HORRIBLE.
I asked to bring the length up about ½ inch and it is around 1 – 1.5 inches shorter.
She said we could lessen the bulk on the sides — she chopped and chopped and chopped. When she turned me to face the camera the right side of my head was half gone!
She said she would put in a few layers — my entire head is layered!
I said I needed the pieces long enough to pull them back — my ponytail is gone for months and months. After she cut and attempted to model pulling it back she said «you can still halfway pull it back». I wanted to fully pull it back and I told you that!
I know hair grows back — but when you say you have specific criteria and spend $ 325 you want it to look presentable.
I feel ugly and misled…

I have (sadly, had) thick, wavy, shoulder-​length hair with long, subtle layers that I blow out straight. I went in to get a 1+ inch trim. My hair is now shredded, and I mean SHREDDED.
— At my appointment, my hair was extremely textured and thinned (something you NEVER do with curly hair AND we discussed NOT doing this) to the point of being ¹⁄₃ of its former thickness when put in a ponytail
— I went in with layers that were only 1 – 2 inches shorter than the bottom of my hair length and asked for the same. I now have layers that are 4 inches from the crown of my head (so, cut 5 – 6 inches) with the last 2 inches of the layers so severely thinned that if these were repaired by cutting blunt (like they should be) I would be left with 2 inch stubs.
— The right side has a chunk completely missing at the bottom that is 2 inches shorter than the rest of my hair
— The back of my hair is bit of a mullet. Top layers in the back are random, severely textured and frizzy
— The net effect of all this is a frizzy mushroom head with scraggly, wispy ends. (Think of a q-​tip shape or Florence Henderson from the Brady Bunch, only with frizz all over).
It will take at least 8 months to get my hair even close to what it used to be. I’ve spent $$$ going to a different stylist to see what could be done (nothing!) and even more $$$ to try products to smooth out the awful looking frizz that is now the top layer of my hair. Nothing works.

So… major bummer. Went to see Teresa Callen yesterday for a scheduled appt.
When I arrived 15 minutes early she said hello and would be right with me. She asked if my name was Julie… uh oh… no, I’m not Julie. As she tried to figure out where my appt was another woman walked in to see Teresa… she is not Julie either but says he has an appt at the the same time as mine. Teresa was still researching, because, she said «I keep excellent records «when Julie walked in… so there were 3 of us booked at the same time. Well… as you can guess I was not the winner of the appt. that I made online 2 months ago. Since I’m a bit of a skeptic about online booking I made sure after I made the appt to check to see if it was truly booked… it was. I had also called Teresa to see if she could put me on a cancellation list and she said she did not do that but she would check my appt… seems that I did truly have it at the time I had scheduled online… as far as getting an earlier appt she told me to keep checking the online calendar for a cancellation. So it was still a mystery when I left without a much needed haircut…(going on vacation this Sat. and to a wedding)
I think that the thing that bothered me the most was there was NEVER an «I’m sorry». She was more concerned about her online booking system than having inconvenienced me or the other woman. She had said the same thing had happened earlier that day. It remains a mystery how this «excellent booking system» would make these errors… but I don’t think I will try again. :-(

Do you live in the Bay Area? Do you or someone you know have curly hair? You MUST go to Teresa Callen
at Opus Salon in Menlo Park. She is a master and artist at cutting, coloring and styling curls and waves and making that awful frizz a thing of the past. Her custom line of products are not only excellent — they are really low cost — much less than most Salon products. Teresa has been caring for my hair for 8 years and whether long or short, coloring or not, she is simply incomparable.
My hair is really short right now (a trip to Florida), so I don’t have much «curl», but I have plenty of wave and body (just my hair quirks). Every hair cut she does is custom and excellent. This most recent cut was exceptional. I simply wash my hair with her Image Arts shampoo and conditional (really affordable), give it some scrunching and a gentle towel scrunch to dry off the drips. I apply a magical gel. Scrunch and finger style and GO. In an hour or two, the hair is dry, I scrunch a little again here and there and it’s even better. My hair did amazingly well even in the Florida heat and humidity. No frizz. I’ve been looking at pics and video of me from the trip and my hair looks even more awesome than I realized.
For days when I have time or have a dinner out or something, I do a little more styling to my hair. Right after applying the gel, I use these simple little clips to add height on top or put a curl in just the right place. Teresa has taught me how to get the best out of every cut. Rarely do I use a hair dryer and diffuser, but I can. Either way my hair looks beautiful.
Thank you Teresa — you have a true gift and calling in this life. You are my hair stylist for life.

I am a photographer, and as such, I have worked often with Theresa on as makeup and hair stylist on portrait sessions. I like her very much, she is great with my clients, she is fast and she is very detail oriented. She is an avid photographer herself so I know that she is seeing things the way I do. She will look at you with an eye for detail, color and light. This is an incredible asset to my work flow and getting excellent work done. I am not one to wax long on recommendations as it is unnecessary; everyone is busy. Teresa is good people, I heartily recommend her! I am willing to share her. ~TEU

How much do I like Teresa and her work? On a scale of one to five, I’d probably give her a 22. Clearly, I LOVE Teresa.
I just had my first appointment today. I had to write a review as soon as I got home because I’ve never had a salon experience like that in my life. I’ve lived 25 years with a head of complicated curly hair, and I honestly wish I had met Teresa 24 years ago. She would have saved me from some pretty frizzy (and terribly awkward) middle school years.
Teresa cut my hair dry, which no one had ever done before. Why hadn’t anyone ever thought to cut my curls dry before? It makes so much sense! My curls responded beautifully, which is a miracle because they usually freak out for a week or two after anyone puts a pair of scissors to them. Teresa was also open to using all of my natural/​organic products when washing and styling, and was even very educated in natural products herself. She even makes her own and sells them in the salon. All in all, Teresa really spoke my language. She was a wealth of knowledge and wisdom, but she was also very grounded and down to earth. I love that. I don’t want to walk into a salon and feel intimidated by high heels and a lot of frills. I just want a great hair cut and helpful styling advice that I can reproduce on my own. Teresa gave me that (and more, really). My curls look better and healthier than they probably ever have, and I feel confident that I’ll be able to maintain them and that they’ll stay that way.
So thank you Teresa, I’ll be back to see you in a few months!

I’m calling Teresa the curly hair whisperer — she is unbelievably knowledge, no-​nonsense and knows what she is doing.
Just so you know: I have what I always thought to be unruly, curly, fine hair that I’ve been fighting my entire life. I have two kids, work full time, and have a generally busy life like the rest of us. I simply don’t have the time, energy, and don’t want to continue spending a small fortune fighting my hair. Thus, my call to Teresa.
I told her I was not sure if I could wear it curly (since I never have) but wanted to give it a try. However, I wanted the option to go back to Keratin so to please cut it in a way I could do both. She listened to me, educated me on my hair and how to take care of it.
She cut my hair, showed me how to style it, and guess what? I have amazing curls! I just didn’t know it. My hair looked healthy, styled (not unruly) and was easy to do (well moderately as you have to let it completely dry naturally). the point is: I have options! I’m also not mistreating my hair and I have gotten compliments everyday on my new do!
She is not inexpensive — but worth every penny! Even if you don’t want to be curly all the time, it’s worth it to see her just for the educational experience on your hair.
BTW, she has amazing products … which she almost went out of her way not to push on me. I had to ask twice and then she told me what she used and guess what? Great products for under $ 20 — totally worth it. Thanks Teresa! She books way out in advance so leave a message and email address to work out with her a schedule.

The good news is, I like the shape of the curl, the bad news, my hair is SO short.
Last month I went for a first-​time hair cut with Teresa. My hair is very curly and I have read the Deva Curl books, learning and enjoying my curly hair. This was my first Deva curl cut, and I was so excited to go!
Unfortunately, I am not wild about my hair. I asked to have my hair long enough to go up in a pony-​tail, but to do a Deva cut/​make the hair healthy. Unfortunately, my hair has to be pinned up, if I want it in a bun and it will not go up with a hair tie. It’s fine, it will grow, but it is difficult for a active lifestyle, as well as working with children.
Teresa answered my thousand questions and gave me lots of great tips and advice for working with my hair. I definitely appreciated that!
However, after my hair cut, I sat in a chair under a dryer for about 30 minutes. Teresa had another client, which was fine because I was just relaxing and letting my hair dry. I expected to leave with my hair completely dry, or styled… but it was still wet in many parts. She shook it out a bit, to help style, but did not check the cut. After I paid, I was standing in the mirror for at least 5 minutes, trying to figure out how to style my hair. The front sections definitely did not look right. I asked Teresa about the front, and she said it was fine; not to worry, but to call if I had any issues with it. There was no styling of my hair, do you like it?, etc. that you would expect. As a first time client, I would have thought that Teresa would want to make sure that I liked the cut. It is fine. I wish I could say that I do like it, but I do NOT.
Teresa was very nice and informative during the beginning of the hair cut but completely ignored me when I was clearly unhappy… I wish that she hadn’t started my hair cut so late, then do another client’s hair before I was even finished.
This was a sad Deva Curl experience for a first-​timer and lover of curly hair :(Meh…when will my hair get longer???

Teresa is fabulous. Period. Got curly hair? Don’t even bother going elsewhere. She’s the guru. Having gone to Teresa over the last two years, my hair looks better than it has ever looked in my life. No contest. She really gets it. She understands what part of the curl to cut so that the hair doesn’t curl up too short. And she cuts curly hair dry, which is the very best way to do it (the curl pattern is not evident when hair is wet). Likewise, my hair has grown the longest it’s ever grown, which makes me so happy. Most recently, however, I decided to make a pretty significant color change. Well, it came out beyond amazing… The most gorgeous dark ash blonde I’ve ever seen, with subtle golden highlights subtly woven throughout. Looks so beautiful and natural … And unique! I have never seen this exact color before… She truly created it just for me. She also spent about an hour teaching me how to maintain it between visits. I love Teresa. Just love chatting with her. She’s so much fun, and so interesting. She also sells her own line of hair products. I can’t live without her Flex Hold gel or the celebrated Elixir! Take a lesson from me and high tail it over to Opus Salon to see her. Tell her Brianna sent you!

I have been going to Teresa for years now. If you have curly hair, she’s the best. She listens to what you want or if you want her to be creative, she does that well too. We recently changed my style where she layered it more from underneath rather than on top which worked well. She cut it shorter than usual so it now has tons of body. I have received more compliments than I have ever received before. One woman in Starbucks recently came up to me asking how I get my hair to look like it does. I was traveling in Pennsylvania so I had to give her the bad news that Teresa was in California.
Yes, Teresa may cost a bit more than others, but since I only get my hair cut every 3 – 4 months, I figure I’m worth it. How I feel about myself is worth at least a tank and a half of gas or a night out on the town.

I am not a Cosmetologist but met Teresa when we were both creating the market for organic hair, skin and cosmetic products here in NoCal. We care about our environment and the folks in our environment.
She began creating a variety of looks for me back in 1986. I trust her instincts about my look based upon who I am and what I do.
That said, Teresa has always excelled as an extremely knowledgeable person in the fashion industry. Her abilities are top notch and beyond reproach. When you are honest with her about what you «want» she will be honest with you about 1) your hair; and 2) «IF» what you «want» can be done with «your hair».

Teresa will professionally discuss what «look» you want versus what she can accomplish. If you listen you can collaborate with an incredible hair artist. She is straight forward. Some of us don’t like to be told «no» that’s not going to work; that is where Teresa’s brilliance comes in. You need to trust in her.
She can only work with the raw material (your hair) that is brought to her. We all know that it takes at least 3 –4 hair cuts for a «new» hair artist to get to know how our hair grows and can then accomplish where we want our look to go.
This is «why» so many satisfied clients are raving about Teresa. We are long-​term customers, period.
Thanks Teresa!

Ok Teresa I emailed to see if you could contact me and forward the response from you in march… no response. I would have liked to discuss privately but you seem to only respond this way…

Teresa is an excellent stylist for curly hair! I have type 2B/​2C hair and she knew exactly what to do to it. It looked great when I left the salon – and I waited a couple weeks to see how it grew out before posting on Unilocal.It’s excellent. She totally fixed the weird back part of my hair and blended it in. I am very, very thankful. It is now extremely easy to manage in the morning, and I get compliments on the cut all the time! Also, Teresa is super friendly and great at responding to emails.

I was searching Unilocal for a colorist and I kept running across mentions of this «guru» who was able to accomplish «amazing» things with curly hair. I didn’t need a stylist at the time, only a colorist, but the reviews made such an impression that I looked them up again several months later and went to Teresa for a cut and style. Turns out the reviews were right on!
First of all, Teresa has a very nice website with very convenient appointment booking. Her website spells out her charges so there are no surprises. Let me say, she is expensive, but worth it. She taught me things about my hair and hair in general that I never knew, and I’m 51 years old! She gave me a layered cut (she cut my hair when it was dry) that was exactly what I asked for and works perfectly with my hair type. I wanted a style that would look good curly (my natural state) or when I wanted to flat-​iron it straight. She told me that the cut would probably last four months, and it’s been almost three and so far, so good!
Teresa is also very fun to talk to, making the appointment even more of a pleasure. She spent a lot of time talking to me before she started cutting, to make sure I got what I wanted, and she made some good suggestions.
Bottom line, I will be seeing Teresa again!

I have not had my haircut or trimmed in the last two years. I have had MANY bad experiences and wanted to review as many «curly hair stylist» around my area
(before I went again.)
I started doing the Curly Girl (CG) routine (no silicone/sulfates.etc etc), so on my quest to have healthier hair, I knew it was time for a trim/​cut.
I stumbled upon Teresa’s reviews on Unilocal one day (they were pretty decent), so I decided to giver her a try.
Teresa was extremely nice. She asked me to talk about my hair and to explain to her what I was looking for. I seriously just left it up to her.
The only request I had was to leave it somewhat long. She explained to me what she was going to do… and it sounded good, so I agreed.
I came in with some product in my hair (some leave-​in and some mouse) she cut my hair dry and then shampooed and conditioned it. She used the DevaCurl line on my hair which is fine by me because they are CG friendly and I use that line anyway.
After the wash, she put product in my hair (DevaCurl) and had me sit under some heat for 15−20mins.
My hair NEEDED a trim/​cut. After my hair was dry, my hair felt soft and I really liked the shape of my hair and how awesome it felt.
I had a great experience with Teresa, she gave me tips here and there and I appreciate that.
She charges 120 $ for your first cut. Was it worth the $ 120? In MY case, since I have had HORRIBLE experiences (to the point of crying)
I would say yes, but would I pay $ 120 every 6 months? No.
I think it may be cheaper after your initial cut.
I only wish she charges a little less, if so, I would go to her ALL the time.
I am a happy curly hair customer.

Background: One thing that unites all us wavy/​curly hair girls is the range of experiences we have had with stylists. I would be surprised if haven’t yet come across the «I am going to blowdry your hair straight and then cut it» stylist. Really?! Umm. that would be the time to run. I have been fortunate to have several great stylists before going to Image Arts — so I can be pretty objective.
Experience: My hair is very curly and with the right cut and a little product, I get all over ringlets. I have been there twice now first for a cut with Lynette and about 6 months later for a cut with Teresa. Lynette did a pretty nice job and I was very happy with the results. Teresa however has changed my life! I like my cuts to be wash and wear and she certainly did that to perfection. I waited for a couple of months before writing my review to make sure it was also cut to grow out well and it certainly was cut to perfection.
Extras: Teresa really analyzed my hair and gave me the best cut. She also gave me tips on how to help ensure less frizz for my hair, get more body to my curls etc. But the life changing part has been the «hair shadow» to hide those pesky spots on the head where the hair has thinned and the same trick also helps me to stretch out the time between coloring the grays. Finally, I love that after asking me about the products I used she wasn’t pushy about the products they had in the salon. She noted that the products I was using were also very good — CLASSY!

First time in my life I feel like my hair is being handled by a master; I have absolute trust and faith in Teresa, and that’s no small thing for a control freak like myself to say. Her magic has gotten me more compliments than I’ve ever gotten, and it finally matches my personality.
Thank you Teresa!
Oh, and I’m rather pleased with their new line of products as well. Within one use I replaced my DevaCurl gel and conditioner for theirs. Shampoo is nice as well, but I need something to help with Dandruff, so I can’t use it too often.

I recently hired Teresa as the stylist for a photo shoot with super-​star photographer Erik Butler. I wish I would give her 6 stars!
First, she’s a consummate professional and arrived on time with a mini-​salon in her cases, complete with make-​up table and chairs, lights, make-​up and hair products, etc. She left nothing to chance and was absolutely prepared for anything.
Make-​up for photos is challenging. Teresa made everyone look realistic (not made up) and simply enhanced features for an optimal look. Erik complimented her on her «eye for the camera.»
Teresa was hired to work on one model, but jumped in and styled all five models (at no additional charge). She also made adjustments throughout the shoot as needed.
She and Erik (the photographer) were an amazing team and the photos simply blew my mind.
She’s not inexpensive, but her services were worth every single penny. If you’re in need of a stylist for an important photo shoot, I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend Teresa Callen of Image Arts Salon. She is a true professional.

All I can say is — if you are a curly girl, RUN, don’t walk, to Image Arts and Teresa Callen! She is the most knowledgeable curly hair expert I have ever met. And it looks like she is growing her team.
I first had a cut with Teresa about 4 years ago. I called my husband from the car completely ECSTATIC that I had just had the best hair cut of my life!
Expect a thorough analysis of your curly hair — do you have corkscrew curls, Botecelli curls, wavy or kinky hair?
Teresa has actually cut my hair wearing jeweler’s glasses so that she could cut each of my curls to reach their fullest, healthiest, springy-​est potential!
I am a fan of her highlights, too — which she can paint onto your curls to emphasize the natural way of your hair.
Teresa is extremely well-​versed in hair and beauty. If I remember correctly, she has solid corporate experience ifrom a major cosmetics brand (was in Lancome or Estee Lauder)? Anyway, my point is — she is the real deal.
Her location in downtown Menlo Park has easy parking and I like how she has designed her salon. It has a very cool vibe with lots of natural light. I am a big fan of the music she plays — again, just a cool, soothing vibe is going on.
So, if you are a curly girl, remember to RUN to Image Arts. It’s the only place I have found that gets me and my hair. I am making the drive from Los Gatos — that gas combined with money to pay the sitter — still makes this my go-​to place for a great cut for my precious locks.

So, I’m still going to this place. Teresa is expanding, and her previous apprentice, Lynette, now has her own clients, and Teresa has a new apprentice.
Lynette’s pricing is easier on my wallet, and she’s totally flexible about applying the colors I specifically select, which I LOVE. I do not feel like a guinea pig with her, and feel I can trust her. I was testing her with color, and it kept turning out well, so now I’ve graduated to allowing her to cut my hair, and that’s working out, too.
So all’s well!