Welcome to Solo Hair… Step inside our warehouse chic salon in Ashmore and you’ll be greeted with warmth and style. Beautiful timber floors welcome you into the space, where industrial style pieces add to the atmosphere and the striking faux brick feature wall takes centre stage. Settle into one of our 10 comfortable chairs and let us spoil you with a café quality coffee and our styling expertise. Our designated wash stations offer a relaxing haven giving you the opportunity to put your feet up, and enjoy a soothing scalp massage while watching the perfectly positioned TV. We are immensely proud of what we have created at Solo Hair and can’t wait for you to experience it.Ever since I’ve moved to Chicago, I’ve been reluctant on getting any drastic hair services done due to an average experience that was poorly researched on my end. Being new in the city, I needed that urgent split hair trim and went into something that looked trendy on the outside but in reality, not what I expected on the inside.
Sadly, I let my hair grow for as long as I could until I went back home like a mutt (Dubai) or New York (my most trusted hairdresser). It’s now been a few years and I’ve put my foot down, on a mission to find world class, the best of the mid-west in this bustling city. I’ve also had several requests from my new-in-town friends and visitors, so this is for you guys! Here are my finds: We asked our most stylish features on The Chicago Chic for recommendations, especially for cut and colour and discovered common favorites. Mario Tricoci was one of them. I did some research on the salon and though I’d try it out myself. Turns out that this Salon was not only THE place to get hair colour and highlights in Chicago, the establishment has a culture and heritage built in Illinois, developing 10 beauty schools across the state, making the Michigan Av. location one of Chicago’s top Hair academies. That made me think- sold. I always grew up believing not to go after the fancy packaging of a brand but rather for the science and research that goes behind it such as Kerastase products for example.
Italian founder Mario Tricoci has also developed a product range sold exclusively for his clients and at the salon. I went ahead and booked an appointment with top colourist at MT, Nelida D’Alessandro who has been with the salon for several years. Besides directing a beautiful summer ombre highlight (she has two awesome assistants that help her work on several clients at the same time), she educated me on several things hair, gave me some tips and made me understand the hair dye process. A teacher, an expert and a perfectionist- Nelida gave me the dream ombre highlights I wanted before my wedding! Services offered: Blowouts, haircuts, all-over color, highlights, make up and an incredibly zen and pleasant spa. Style: Elegant, Sophisticated or Trendy Celebrities who would get their hair cut there: Victoria Beckham or Eva Mendes. Cindy Crawford was spotted at MT several times. Professional Hair (Friendly) Products they use: Pureology Some of their work:
Sombre- A subtle ombre Best Highlights I’ve seen to date Caramel Ombre- a great outcome While having breakfast at the Public Hotel in Chicago, we were told about a *secret* hair dresser spot for all the Gold Coast ladies in-the-know. Surely, it was a little hidden gem that one would normally miss- a very low profile salon and spa on the outside, but once you enter, it’s a huge space offering several services. I found their staff very warm, courteous and welcoming. We were greeted with some nice spicy cider drink that was very appropriate for the harsh weather outside. The staff are all very hip and edgy.. they even style models at NY Fashion Week. Hip and edgy but with tons of class & style! Edwin Torres was spotted at last NYFW’s Thakoon runway, managing their hair… sold! My hair has been a dry frizz mess with Chicago’s winter and I needed a treatment that would help with this problem, in addition to a quick trim and a mani/padi. The manicure and pedicure was professional, everyone praised them until they had to come off.
Next- the hair service. After a lovely hair cut, I went ahead for Alex’s Kerastase hair treatment that mimics the effects of keratin hair treatments – except – it’s not. Keratin treatments can be harsh and considering that I’m pregnant, I did not want to harm my baby in any way by exposing my hair to dangerous chems. The result was awesome, hair is more manageable, less frizz and it’s still got body and movement. The process: hair is washed, the product is used, the hair is dried then ironed, washed once again and lastly styled with more Kerastase professional products (btw.. they only use Kerastase, so you’re in for a treat!) Alex was very gentle and friendly, talking to me about all things hip and cool. It turns out that we had a similar taste in music and style. I felt like I was back in NY for some reason.. which on a personal note, gave me the confidence to return to this salon! Services offered: Blowouts, haircuts, Colour & Highlights, hair treatments, Nail & spa
Style: Elegant & Sophisticated Celebrities who would get their hair cut there: Kate Middleton, Olivia Palermo or Fashion Week/ Cat-Walk Hair Professional Hair (Friendly) Products they use: Kerastase A NY Fashion Week favourite, Edwin Torres for Thakoon NY Giving life to hair- Extensions and treatments Before and After- Hair cut & styling Obviously you can never go wrong with Vidal Sasson for hair cuts. I’ve had my hair cut there twice in a row in one summer and I promise you- you will never be disappointed. Just note that this is an academy style hair dresser, so don’t expect a full on salon or spa service… it’s strictly cut and colour, with a concentration on cut. A bit pricey for the space, location and I never tried their colouring but I highly recommend haircuts there. Services offered: Hair Cuts, Hair Colour & Highlights Style: Edgy, Angular, Structured Celebrities who would get their hair cut there: Kiera Knightley, Anna Wintor
Professional Hair (Friendly) Products they use: Kerastase 4. Custom Hair Lounge: The International Contemporary Artists Tucked under trees and in between beautiful Lincoln Park Single Family homes, this hair dresser an escape from Chicago’s hustle and bustle. Owners of the establishment are from Europe & Brazil, making the salon perfectly international. The head stylist is also known globally, flying to Europe frequently for special events and shows. So far, we’ve had mens haircuts at this salon and the result is great… In fact, I would call it the best salon for edgy mens hair cuts in Chicago. This hair dresser offers you experimental hair cuts influenced by International Trends so if you want to be the trendiest in the office or peers – this is the place to check out! Style: Trendy, Edgy, Contemporary, Mens Expert Celebrities who would get their hair cut there: International DJ celebrities and Lionel Ritchie were spotted there! Professional Hair (Friendly) Products they use: Morrocan Oil & Neuma
5. Trianon: The Ethical, design conscious colorist Enter this salon and you will immediately feel the sophisticated antiquity of the space, quality of their work through the simple decor, the neatness, the products and more importantly: the stylists. The salon focuses on hair color and is known for their outstanding results- think Louis Licari in New York. Colourists have at least 20 years of experience under their belt and stylists as well, all trained under the Sassoon principle. Well ahead of the coloring game, this salon has all the trendy new techniques in hair coloring, including the now popular Balayage- expert Tara looks after you and makes certain that you’ve achieved results you’re happy with. In fact, that’s one thing I love about this place- they ask you to see if you like the service you have received and if doesn’t meet what you’ve imagined, they invite you to come back to perfect it… talk about service! And in terms of pricing- very affordable, for the quality of products used and expertise.