ARTICLE IN AUSTRALIAN HAIR & BEAUTY MAGAZINE
Salon Review Voi Haircuts
It was review time and Voi Haircuts was the next salon on my to-do list. I was excited. With 50 years experience under his belt, this scissor-wielding craftsman must be a wiz with a blow dryer, or so I thought. No hair dryer? This must be a joke! Not so as I was soon to find out…
When my editor mentioned that she had a “unique” stylist for me to meet but was concerned that his less-than-traditional approach would have me back pedaling, I was intrigued. In the name of fashion and keeping our readers informed, I took the challenge.
Dario Chicco is no ordinary hairdresser. He wouldn’t have survived through 5 decades of a cut-throat industry without having a unique approach to hair cutting. He is what you would call an organic hairdresser. Something I had yet to encounter until now. His salon is exclusive, tucked away in the Diamont Building in Kings Cross. The room is minimal and welcoming. There are no products adorning the walls or hard sells to match. This man has been flying under the radar all this time without riding on the back of product endorsements. He literally dislikes products.
He told me straight up, that he wont be using colours, brushes, straightening irons or a hair dryer on my hair. He believes that the industry is full of toxic chemicals and he refuses to use them on his client’s hair. Even the shampoo that he used to wash my hair was watered down to reduce the amount of product. What a great money saving tool as well I thought to myself. As for the hair dryer and brush, again he believes that brushing and drying the hair damages the hair shaft. Too much emphasis is on drying the hair into shape rather than creating a cut that can “wash and wear” cites Dario.
His approach is unique. He calls it freestyling. It’s an expression of freedom the way he sculpts the hair rather than sectioning and cutting which is what is traditionally taught in our schools. By cutting this way, Dario reduces the time it takes to create a style. It’s about styling the hair rather than sticking to industry trends, explains Dario.
In 1964 Dario Chicco literally “fell” into hairdressing. It was a time when cutting was an art form. He was fortunate enough to be working with two French stylists and quickly learnt his craft. It was in the days of wash and wear styles where the hair was cut to suit the client so they could manage the style with ease at home. The industry may have gone into emphasizing product sales rather than the cut but Dario has remained true to his roots and his philosophy of raw-cutting without the use products and styling tools still remains.
His client list is a mile long including The Rolling Stones and Santana when they both toured Australia. With such an impressive resume there is no need for a shop frontage salon to lure in potential clients. Dario doesn’t need them so he can create his magic in privacy and peace.
With all these incredible achievements under his belt, what else could be in store for this unique stylist? Educating others in his technique of course.
Dario’s vision is to take his unique cutting style directly into the classroom and share what he has learnt over the last 50 years. His Cut Club Education is designed to teach his students to cut and style using the freestyle approach without the use of brushes or blow waves.
How did my session with this man end? I Admit I was nervous but once we exchanged introductions and a couple of jokes I totally relaxed into his capable hands. After he had finished sculpting my hair it just sat in a natural shape. It fell around my face nicely and was weighted correctly so it did not drag or hang badly. I left the salon san-products and went about my day with my hair down (something I can rarely do without a blow dry). It fared well and I resisted the temptation to use a hair tie.
I have to admit that since seeing Dario I have worn my hair out and without any styling products on many occasions since I had it cut. It just sits nicely around my face and is balanced and manageable. Do I miss the blow wave? Well of course I would not say no to an offer but only on a very special occasion. I love the natural look and keeping my hair in great condition is a bonus. I’m converted.
Tracey Gunn