Orange Salon

Darcy is easily the best person I’ve ever gone to, to have my hair done. She’s relatable, inviting, honest and works with what you have to give you the best hair experience possible.

I took my 15 year old daughter for cut and ombré color with Darcy last evening. My daughter was nervous about getting her hair cut. Darcy made it so fun and she did an amazing job! My daughter and I were all thrilled with the results. Darcy also provided a ton of great tips on taking care of her hair. We are hooked!!!

Celeste is a miracle worker. I lost a lot of my hair from an unfortunate hair straightening incident when I was 19. She has been working on my hair for years, and has helped me tremendously. I recently got engaged, and she transformed my hair for the engagement pictures, and beyond! I recommend her to everyone! Just remember… you get what you pay for: thats how I lost a lof of my hair, and how I was able to feel beautiful again at Orange!

«Darcy, Darcy, Darcy. Why is it always Darcy?» Cos she’s AWeSoMe. Life saver when it comes to my locks.. Knowledgeable, gifted in her craft. Never ever let her go Orange.
Great colorist and gets my grade when it comes to cuts too.!Nice to find a one stop shop on the island. Had thought not to write this review cos I know how in demand she is already. Be prepared to be wowed. And the book out your appointments cos she gets busy

I’ve been going to Darcy for almost three years. When you sit in her chair be assured that you’re in great hands! She is a stylist that listens to her clients and really accesses their wants and needs.
Darcy is an artist and I’m always excited to have her work on my hair… whether it be for a big change or a standard upkeep. Even though I’m moving an hour away, I’ll be making the trip to see her.

Love Darcy! I have been in Alameda going on 2 years. Have been to about 5 salons before I struck gold with Darcy at Orange Salon. She has a wonderful personality and knows her stuff. She does amazing cuts and color. So glad I finally found her and Orange — and it was through Unilocal!
The salon has a serene atmosphere with a funky deco style. It always smells great and has some nice music vibe as well. It is moderate to pricey but I believe in line with many of the other salons in the area.
Darcy will ask you what are you looking to do with your hair and will offer suggestions but not in an overbearing way. I am very happy with the service.

This review is for DARCY (Orange Salon) who is absolutely fabulous.
Best highlighting job and coloring I have ever had at any salon.
As you ladies know, finding a new stylist is not easy, finding a good stylist is a miracle which does not happen by chance… it happens by appointment.
I was a little hesitant when I walked in the Orange Salon over a year ago, but after talking to Darcy who listened and took into consideration my ask, my face and hair type and gave me exactly what I hoped for and more, I knew I found my new hair heaven. Darcy did an amazing job with my color and cut.
My hair looked like I stepped out of a magazine! Darcy, you are a true professional and exceptional at what you do.
P. S. I am very critical when I get my hair done and in my world Darcy exceeded my expectations. She is a true 10!

Absolutely love my hair! Iam not the most trusting person With my hair! I was in need of a haircut an color my hair was lifeless!!! Found Darcy @Orange Salon, an she brought me back to life lol… everywhere I go I get compliments, an my hair is so much healthier. Thanks again Darcy, I will be back!

I’ve been going to Darcy at Orange salon for about 2 years and I will never go ANYWHERE else. I have what you call hair mood-​swings, and I am extremely picky. I have so much confidence that she just knows exactly what to do to make me look like a rockstar when I walk out. Her expert feedback, her knowledge, and technique is amazing. She always integrates your vision with what will fit best with your look and personality. There aren’t even enough stars on here to describe her! #teamDarcy

I was so hoping that this is my new go to salon especially because I read so many good things about Darcy. I really liked Darcy — she was fun and nice and I felt very comfortable with her. I think that got into my way of logical thinking.
I paid $ 265 for cut, balayage and toning. I asked Darcy how this price has been calculated but never got a clear answer: ‘Prices can change once in the salon’.
Help me do the math here:
A haircut is $ 55 so the color is $ 210? Wait, I need to clarify: I even would kind of understand this price if I did get a full coloration but I already had the color. She just wanted to improve the transition. Comparison: At a salon that is marked $$$ on Unilocal I paid $ 170 for full coloration of long hair, cut and color for eyebrows.
It was not just the price — I really don’t mind spending big bucks if it’s a perfect result. As soon as I was home and tried out my new hair I noticed that the right part of the bangs was significantly longer, I got a lot of choppy layers even though I said I don’t like noticeable layers and even after the correction the bangs were still not even.
End of story: I think I got a big «noobi-​surcharge» here and I unfortunately don’t feel like trying it again to see if this was just a one time thing.

I went in to see Lori and all I can say is WOW. I have found a colorist and miracle worker for life. Lori is a color specialist who owns Tease salon in San Francisco. When chatting with Lori I learned she had 20 years of experience with hair.
I come from a past of damaged, bleached hair that pulls orange tones. I was looking for a cool, ashy blonde which Lori effortless achieved for me. Lori was able to color my hair, remove the orange and yellow uneven tones, and still give my a light ashy blonde that looks great!
Get this. I wanted to address my hair concerns as soon as possible. Lori met me at Starbucks at 9 AM on her day off not only to consult with me about my hair, but to console me by coming up with a game plan and telling me exactly what she could do to achieve a look i’d love. Lori also was able to fit me in her schedule within two days which was huge. I am so glad that Lori was able to see me that Sunday at 8 AM.
The best part is that the health and integrity of my hair has been restored. Lori gave me shiny, youthful, beautiful hair. It is literally as if the damage has been undone. Seriously ladies, let Lori literally reverse the damage from your hair in front of your eyes. I couldn’t even get a brush through mine. My hair now looks healthy, soft, and shiny. I didn’t have to cut it all off or wait for the damage to grow out! Lori was able to restore my hair.
Normally I run away from the scissors at the salon because I am so afraid of losing too many inches. Lori listened to me and cut exactly what I asked. No more no less. Lori listened to exactly what I wanted and made it happen. Another added plus is that Lori is fast, but extremely precise. Again, a specialized colorist that can achieve whatever color you are looking for, but also LISTENS to what you would like for a haircut? This is a relationship I hope to keep for LIFE.
The salon itself is owned by Celeste who is wonderfully warm and kind. Celeste made me feel comfortable at Orange and I am looking forward to going back to her establishment! I really enjoyed getting to know both ladies and I appreciate the professionalism provided by Celeste and Lori.

Frankly I was resigned to having more bad hair days than good ones — — but thanks to Celeste and her 1) patience, 2) very cool and keen eye for potential, and 3) totally welcoming and easy way, I’ve renewed my relationship with my hair — seriously love what she does and how easy my mornings have become — Celeste is awesome! :)

Darcy is the best! Absolutely love my haircut and color !!! I have pretty long and dry dark hair, and have been wanting to get a short hair cut for a long time. She was so honest and skillful. During my haircut session, she gave me many tips on how to take care of my hair and how to style it. Haircut turns out wonderful. Got lots of compliments at work. very happy with the color and hair cut. Will definitely come back again :).

No. No. Nope!
Will not ever come back to this place.
3 weeks post haircut with Celeste and I had to make another appointment with ANOTHER hairstylist to address the mullet on my head.
The haircut I received was NOT blended at all! The top layers were shaggy, while the bottom portion of my hair was bluntly cut. There was no balance in between the layers… you know… where normal layers are supposed to lay in harmony with one another. It truly looked like a mullet.
Yes, I did contact Celeste to address the mullet looking shag, however, she stated that it wasn’t due to the fact that she utilized a razor on my super fine, bone straight Asian hair. But rather — the previous dude to colored my hair. Great way to place blame. I decided to contact another salon to fix my hair instead.
PS — if you’re wondering why I didn’t complain the day of my haircut: it was curled and styled immediately after by Celeste. I am now wondering if styling to hide the hideous cut.
$ 95 wasted… on a mullet!!! :(

Celeste is amazing! She gives great cuts and is a skilled colorist. I used to travel into SF to get cuts/​color — but no longer. Celeste is better than any stylist I had in the City. And Orange is the cutest space. Super quaint and funky. Celeste is warm and fun and really knows what she is doing.

Darcy was amazing! She definitely knows what she’s doing and makes the appointment fun! I trust her with my hair, for sure

Came in this past week for touch ups to my hair for a wedding and Celeste absolutely SLAYED IT. She touched up my roots, put in new highlights, gave me a textured haircut (which is great for long, thick hair!) and gave me beautiful beach-​y waves. I have never felt more beautiful! Celeste is truly a hair/​color god. I love the fact that she also will give me her own recommendations (like the textured hair cut) on what would look good and be best for my hair. Amazing as always! Thank you Celeste!

Celeste is AWESOME! I live in Richmond yet make the trek out to Alameda to get my hair done. Why? Because I know I’ll feel and look fabulous when she does my hair. It is always a treat.
In December I got my hair colored and I put complete faith in her to get the shade just right, which she did. She’s an absolute professional, friendly and nice… and I love the small details like offering a cup of espresso and a cookie :) Highly recommend her to all.

this review is for JILL:
I’m a dedicated full-​time mom. This was my first outting to really pamper myself and spend good money on a new look. I havent had a hair cut in nearly two years. It was time.
I was a little concerned walking into the appointment– she was 30 minutes behind and the lady ahead of me was dissatisfied with how her hair turned out. I also noticed a distinct coloring line at the back of her hair, like a bleach blotch if you will. I didn’t want to be rude and it is REALLY hard to get out being a full time mom, and so I moved forward with the appointment, entrusting Jill with my hair/​look revival– based on her years and years of experience.
Color and cut took a total of SIX HOURS. Why you may ask? I had very long hair but she decided to COLOR my hair FIRST before cutting, though I wanted a shorter cut. She started out by «painting» bleach onto my hair, but folded the foils upward, causing the bleach heavy bottoms to bleed to the top. I had to instruct her to go back and cover those areas with foil so it wouldn’t bleed. When she placed color on top, not only did it have to be done TWICE, she messed it up completely. The first round it turned ORANGE. the second round it was a full on highlighted head of red hair (when I asked for more subtle reddened bottoms). It was awful. It looked like a did a full highlight and it grew out a month. It had no purpose, no swag, no style. The reason why I had so much red was because all that bleach bled into the root area of my hair. She should’ve done it correctly the first time.
Proceed to the cut: I asked for a longer a-​line bob. She delivered a flat bob. Uneven. It was not fun flirty and sexy. It was meh. It was mom hair gone wrong. She did her cut the first time and I told her I really don’t see the angle, and so she went at it a second time and still failed to deliver.
By that time, I was hungry– my husband had to deliver fast food, and we called it a night by 8:20pm. She said she was too tired to continue and I said it’s fine. I booked another appointment with her on the spot to have the look fixed. But then I realized… she spent six plus hours on my hair and it ended up looking like this? And she didn’t even color and cut my hair correctly… and I had to instruct her on not making the bleach bleed through my process? I am certain she cannot deliver the look I was hoping for. I went to another studio and had it fixed. And paid 250.00 to get a color correction and re-​cut. This studio told me it was uneven in several places and her technique was poor in terms of coloring.
I reached out to Jill to see if I could at least get a partial refund to off-​set the cost and got a rude response. She told me that I wasnt respectful of her experinece by asking her to not let bleach bleed into my hair? See the message below for yourself and stay away.

Thank you hair gods and Unilocal for allowing me to discover Orange Salon and Darcy. I’m telling you, I’ve given many salons a chance. Bougie ones, cheap ones, five star ones, three star ones, and I always felt «meh…» about ‘em. This time, I left San Francisco in hopes that the East Bay would be different. All in pursuit of someone who has that SOMETHING. I don’t know what it is, but Darcy has it.
I got a full color and haircut here and I wish I got a before and after picture, because there was a stark difference. I went from a brassy ombré and long drab hair (like Samara from The Ring) to a dark, healthy and shorter cut, but still maintained my length.
Aside from that, it was such a change of pace to have a conversation with an intelligent, put together, woman while my hair was being done. I don’t GO to the salon for this, but it was great that it was there. Darcy spoke to me about my hair maintenance habits and we came up with a game plan in order to best maximize my color and shine. She herself insisted that she does not get offended with at-​home maintenance (read: roots only!), which is such a relief. She told me what habits I needed to adopt, and what wasn’t too important in hair maintenance. She even broke down on a chemical level what coloring does to your hair.
That said, though going to Alameda is not convenient for me, but the hours at Orange Salon allows for an after work visit. Darcy is truly, truly wonderful. The salon is tiny, and there’s usually only one person there at a time, but the one-​on-​one time without hearing about your fellow salon-​goers drama is priceless.