Denise Ealy

I am so grateful that I found Denise! I am new-​ish to this neighborhood, so when it came time to my wedding I was looking for a new hairdresser. After reading Denise’s rave reviews, I scheduled a hair cut and immediately fell in love with her. I quickly snatched up my wedding day (and a trial). She not only did such a phenomenal job on my wedding day, but I look forward to each and every visit because she us such a delight to talk to. Even on my wedding day, when my nerves were just about shot, she kept me calm, and got me in and out. Thank you Denise!

I had the pleasure of meeting Denise at Tops in Hillcrest for a basic maintenance-​type cut. From the moment I walked into the salon, her infectiously upbeat attitude was palpable. Even though I was early, and she was still blowdrying a client’s hair (which also looked fabulous, by the way), she was right there with me from the beginning. I have crazy frizzy, curly hair that is super hard to maintain, but Denise not only empathized, she also gave me some great tips for maintaining a de-​frizzed look post-​wash. The scalp massage she gave me during my shampoo was heavenly. The cut was quick, but I felt like I was in more than capable hands the entire time. She gave me one of the best round brush blowouts I have ever received (and I spent the majority of 2012 in a salon chair trying to cover up a bad haircut). I highly, highly recommend Denise, especially for those of us «blessed» with frizzy manes.

Denise is amazing! I showed her a picture of the hairstyle I chose and about 40 minutes later it was exactly what I wanted. Not only is she very talented, she also has so much positive energy! Every one of my guests who interacted with her loved her and the ladies were very happy with their hairstyles. She found a way to explain the styles to some of my Ukrainian guests who didn’t speak English, I didn’t have to worry about translation.
She is the best hair stylist I’ve ever had a chance to work with. I’m sure Denise is one of the best wedding hair stylists in San Diego, CA.
Thank you so much, Denise, you made our day that much brighter!!!

Denise has been coloring and cutting my hair for a little over 7 years (crazy!). And she is amazing! She’s been with my when I had waist-​long highlighted hair, to short bob, and then mid-​length with bangs. I always leave an appointment with Denise feeling rejuvenated and in love with my new hair. I loved her work so much that I even continued to see Denise after I moved to NorCal last year. I always try to make it a point to see her when I’m in town. I highly, highly recommend you to check out Denise. You won’t be dissapointed.

There should be bonus stars for Denise! As my stylist for over 8 years, she has always gone above and beyond to accommodate my needs. Whether it’s an up do for my long chlorinated hair, full conditioning treatments, quick trims, or full style sessions, I always leave feeling stylish and happy. Her super personality alone is enough to want to make an appointment every day. She has a great positive and hilarious character that accompanies her supreme talent.
Even with last minute scheduling, she always makes it happen somehow. And she does perform magic contrary to her claims. She’s always got something up her sleeve to make my drab hair look hip for months. Yes, I’ve shamefully pushed it too long between appointments, but she always manages to create a style my hair will hold for long periods. I appreciate her quality equipment and knowledge of the best products suited for my various styles. I receive compliments all the time due to her amazing work.

Denise is fantastic! I love her friendly attitude, warm smile, and the results. My hair is like an angry pack of spiders having a battle, and she can conquer that mess and make me look pretty sharp. I am stoked to come in to her salon when I can, and booking an appointment is very easy!
Thanks Denise! Great job as always.

Denise did such a beautiful job fixing hair for my mom, my sister and I for my wedding! And she doesn’t kid around with hairspray … My hair stayed put through the hora and some pretty wild dancing. As she put it, «This stuff stops birds in flight.» And she’s just a blast to hang out with, which was really what I needed right before getting hitched. Thanks so much Denise!

Best hair colorist I have ever had, people constantly tell me how pretty my hair is– she is amazing!

Denise styled my hair for my 8÷10÷13 wedding in La Jolla and she was absolutely amazing to work with from start to finish. She is extremely talented and professional yet also a lot of fun. I would go to her again in a heartbeat. I’ve never felt more beautiful in my entire life and my bridesmaids loved her too. She became our fast friend and only enhanced the whole wedding day experience. Thank you, Denise!!!

If I’ve said it once I’ve said it a hundred times… I just love this girl!
Denise has been styling my hair for years and never once have I been dissatisfied! I wouldn’t trust my tresses to anyone else. I look forward to my «therapy session» every couple of months and every time I get star quality treatment. From the shampoo to the blow out. I leave feeling like a million bucks!

I was referred to her by Cathy Cipriano (make-​up artist at Tops, also recommended) for my bridal hair, and holy smokes, I’m so glad she did. DENISE IS AMAZING! First, she is a ridiculously cool person with tons of interesting stories and I had a total blast with her the morning of my wedding. That alone would be enough to get me back in her chair, but add to that, she is absolutely incredible with hair — and I have suuuuuper thick, curly hair that makes stylists groan when they see me walk into their salon. But Denise was not only able to work with it, her magic somehow made it come together and look fabulous — a low, sort of asymmetrical chignon with totally awesome long side-​swept bangs. I received TONS of compliments on my hair specifically throughout my wedding day. AND, it stayed up ALL day and would probably have made it through the entire weekend if I hadn’t taken it down.
I also saw her for a trial the day months before (planned on the morning of my engagement photo session), where you chat about what sorts of things you think you want, and she tried out all kind of styles until we found the perfect one. Definitely recommend doing this!

I love Denise! She always listens to what you want in a hairstyle. She’s friendly & personable (feel like I’m getting a free therapy session during my haircut) and has great advice for hair maintenance.
Never tries to upsell you on the products, which I really appreciate, but again, always has great advice on what to use and what not to use.
The salon she works at is cute, located in a great neighborhood (Mission Hills) and is conveniently located near some great restaurants, so you can go show of your new do’ afterwards!

Let me just say that Denise is a pro! She did such a great job of making my hair look absolutely spectacular on my wedding day. Every so often she would ask me if I liked what she was doing so far, and I did, but If I didn’t she would have changed it in a second. She was very accommodating and really wanted to make me feel as beautiful and comfortable as possible. I highly recommend Denise for any bride that is looking for an AMAZING stylist. Lastly, she has a great personality and I really enjoyed working with her.

I found Denise on Unilocal because I needed someone to do my hair for my upcoming wedding. She is a very talented hair stylist and a great person. She does my highlights too. For my wedding, she did my entire bridal party (and the moms). She’s just a great, fun person and good at what she does. Everyone’s hair looked amazing. I got SO MANY compliments on my hair throughout the night. If I were to do it again, I wouldn’t change anything.
Highly recommend Denise.

Denise is an absolue doll. She enjoys here job and it shows.
I have long fine hair which is totally unmanageable. She kept my same style, at my request, but jazzed it up a bit. She is the only hairstylist for me.

If I could, I would give her 10 starts!
oh where to start. Denise was amazing from the begining to the end.
When I went to see her for my wedding hair trial, she was so welcoming, and she listened to what I wanted. But at the same time, she was honest and gave me different ideas and suggestions, which I really appreciated.
I decided to do side cascade style which Denise sugegested (photo attached). Usually my hair doesn’t stay curly but my hair was perfect during my wedding, and lots of friends asked me where I got my hair done.
Denise is great because she is talented, and she will tell you what works the best. I trust her judgement 100%, and I am so glad I hired her as my wedding hair stylist.

Still getting 5-​stars from me!!! I love love love Denise. She is kind, loving and rocks at doing hair! I have been a loyal client and friend of Denise’s for 4 – 5 years now and cannot remember what is was like to be lost without a hairdresser!
Denise and I have done just about everything a brunette girl with straight and fine hair can do. She is a great colorist and a perfectionist when it comes to your ends. Denise has been doing my hair so long that she also cuts my husbands hair (has for years now) and did hair for my wedding.
Denise and I worked together to come up with my hair style which was a twist on the common chignon (you should not know what this is unless you do hair, pageant or have planned a wedding — so don’t feel bad if you have no idea what a chignon is —). I received so many compliments the day of, and the thing did not move ALL DAY! and I am talking 11am to 2am!
Call her for a consult, she is funny, intelligent, caring, talented and loves her job — your perfect haircut package! :)

I always wanted to do something cool and special for my 100^th review. After finding out that I’d write my 100^th review after I’d moved away from San Diego, I decided to sit on it and figure out what I missed the most, and then write about that. It only took a few minutes of pondering to realize that I miss the wonderful people I got to know while living in San Diego for a few years, and one of those wonderful people is Denise.
Each time I visit Denise for a haircut, I don’t want to leave. Her sense of humor, her cool stories, and her love of people (especially the ones sitting in her chair) all make the time go way too quickly. She’s always armed with a smile and positive attitude, busy or not. I have yet to see her in a bad mood — either she’s superhuman or just loves life!
Don’t let the fancy salon stuff fool you… Denise does a great job with men’s hair too! As a dude with a pretty straightforward hairstyle, I have not had the full-​scale color-​cut-​style intense Denise Ealy treatment. But I can attest to the styles I’ve seen on her other clients, and it’s top notch. Seriously, after one haircut, every time I’ve been back to Denise, I’ve said, «You know what looks good, I trust you.» And she never fails to pull it off well. Dudes, especially with shorter hair, have the concern of how well a haircut will grow out. As much as I love hanging out with Denise, I don’t want to be getting a trim every two or three weeks. I don’t know what she does, but my hair grows out perfectly! Even when it’s time for another haircut it never looks bad. Denise just has the eye for things like that, and that’s why she rocks.
So, thank you, Denise. I miss you!

In the last 3 years, I have gone from blond to brown to redhead. I have thick naturally curly hair and Denise has kept the color looking vibrant AND, more importantly, the condition of my hair has remained really good!!! I am really fussy as I have had my sister always do my hair. But since moving to San Diego, I have had to find a stylist other than my sister and Denise is it for me. I highly recommend her.
Nothing seems to be too difficult for Denise — she’s really chill and really knows her stuff. I will never go anywhere else.

Denise is a highly skilled hair stylist! I have been going to her for three years now and every time she creates magic with my hair. I have done every color under the sun and a LOT of different cuts as well (love to change it up) and Denise is always up for the challenge. Most of the time, I show up with a vague idea of what I want, let her creative energy flow, and walk out a happy camper with a rockin’ do :) She is especially good at short cuts– which are tough to nail in my opinion.
Yes, it is true, she will serve you drinks and give amazing scalp massages… but the best part of the experience is her wonderful company and laughter! She will always be honest and do what is most healthy and right for your hair type… overall– a phenomenal hair artist…
and the TOPS environment is super cute and staff very friendly. HIGHLY recommended.