Mario Diab Salon

oldiesgirl

Has anyone been to The Mario Diab Salon recently because the reviews I've read are somewhat old? Would also welcome other suggestions.
Thanks,
Oldiesgirl

rbb

i'm there every 3-4 months, carlos flores is still there, still cutting my hair, still doing a fabulous job of it!! they moved a couple of blocks over last year, are now on broadway.
my daughter still goes to him and loves his cuts, and my granddaughters who have 3b/c hair have had their hair "trimmed" a bit. (they are only 3 1/2, so they still have haven't reached a long length when dry -- wet it stretches out to their waists, but dry, collarbone, so no real cut for them yet.)

oldiesgirl

I had in fact gone to Carlos back in November. He does know curls and my hair looked amazing. Unfortunately, that took 2 hours and 5 products.
I was looking for a wash and go style. If I don't do anything, the cut is just average - I've had better and worse.

Morgan_Adcock

I had my hair cut by Carlos Flores about a month ago. I'd been growing my hair (with trims) for over five and a half years, and it was past what should have been its terminal length. He suggested cutting it back quite a bit because of its fragility (my hair has all the substance of cobwebs). I asked him to go shorter. He was concerned that after growing it for so long I wouldn't be happy with shorter hair, but let himself be convinced. After we'd settled on a length, he gave me a brilliant cut. I loved that he told me to simplify, and use just two products: conditioner to wash, detangle, rinse out completely, then add a smidge back in; then gel to style and then to scrunch out the crunch.

rbb

i've been going to carlos for 8 years now and i've only known him to use 3 products -- no poo, conditioner as rinse out and as leave in, and gel. and he says it's his belief that you only need 3 products. so i am surprised that he used 5 products -- were they products you brought? his line only has those 3.


if your hair was cut in november, 5 months ago, and with "doing nothing" it's ok, i'd say that was good. also, it takes my hair more than 2 hours to be ready -- the cut is one hour, and drying time another hour? i air dry so it's easily 3-4 hours at home for me.

everyone likes different types of cuts. clearly you are still looking for that stylist/cut. there are so many stylists in manhattan i'm sure you'll find a stylist that works for you.

amycue

I finally bit the bullet and I am going to Carlos this Friday for the first time. I'm sooooo nervous. I've never had a haircut I like and I've been growing out my hair for 2 years so he will have lots to work with. I need a cut and someone to help me with a daily routine for styling. Hope he can help.

Question: should I go to him with no production my hair, newly cowashed or styled with product as I usually wear it? I'll be coming in from way out on the Island so I can either wash it the night before or just go with 2nd day hair so he sees it. Thanks for any suggestions. I hope I love it.

Morgan_Adcock

I had about a three and a half hour trip from home to the salon, and had to be up quite early to get my train, so I washed my hair the night before, put gel on it, and went to sleep with a towel covering my pillow (which was my usual routine at the time).

rbb

amycue -- go with the way you usually wear your hair, with whatever products you normally use. it's how you are going to wear it, so....

how far out on the island do you live? i live in nassau county, so it's not too far, it's just the hassle of navigating there. i have a friend who lives in rocky point and she goes into mario diab salon -- her hair is straight so mario cuts her hair. it's probably about just under a 2 hr trip each way for her.

have fun and take pictures!

amycue

I am way out on the tip of the north fork so basically as far out on the Island as you can get. My sister and I are road tripping it in on Friday. If I love my hair afterwards and feel like I can take care of it better I will be SOLD (and sooo thrilled).

thanks for the advice. I will wear it as I usually do.

rbb

report back on your day!

amycue

Today was the day and overall it was a great experience. Carlos is really great. We spoke a lot about my hair, my routine, what I need to do, what I'm doing right and what I'm doing wrong. We both agreed to keep my hair long but to give it a more even cut in the back.

The salon and the people who work there were very nice. I would happily go back. The cut I really like, my hair looks fuller down bottom and more evened out. I really like it. The only thing that wash;t the best for me was the gel he used (his brand) does not have enough hold for my hair so the top went very flat within just an hour. The sides and bottom stayed beautiful all day. I can't wait to do my hair with my favorite products because I know I am going to be very happy.

All in all a great experience. My curls are happy, my hair is not sticky, stiff or stringy and I learned a lot! So glad I went. Carlos felt I could go a year without another cut as long as I deep condition once a week. I LOVE that he doesn't feel you need 100 products and to find the ones that work best for your hair and go with them.

rbb

glad it was a good experience. you can bring your own gel next time, carlos is ok with that. he is pretty easy! LOL!
hope you like your cut when you wash/style it yourself. i can't imagine that you wouldn't, i think his cuts are great. he really 'gets' curls. or say you want it styled differently, you can always tell him that and he is open to it and will discuss it with you, the pros and cons and how it will look with your hair. i cannot imagine ever finding another stylist who is so good with curly hair, totally understands it.

amycue

Well almost a week later and I have to say I LOVE my cut! I am so happy I went to Carlos finally. My hair has more shape, my curls bounce and I like my hair even at the end of the work day not just at the beginning. I am using less product, my hair feels softer because of that yet my style is lasting and feels less forced and I'm overall really THRILLED!

:thumright:

rbb

so happy you love your cut! :thumbright:
even if you have to go in more often than once a year, i'm sure you will feel it is worth the trip.
i can't imagine having my hair cut by someone else. i think his cuts make my hair fun.

Morgan_Adcock

i think his cuts make my hair fun.

That's similar to my experience. I feel like I've been enjoying my hair again since Carlos cut it.

kerrymmc

My sister and her daughter are faithful followers of Carlos for years. He just gave my sister her best cut ever! I also love to go to Carlos for my hair, and do so when I can get to NYC. I would highly recommend Carlos.

rbb

now that they have fixed the salon review to include mario diab salon again (instead of nyc curls which is carlos' product, not a salon), have you guys added your reviews?

naturalyogini

So I tried to make an appointment at this salon. The receptionist was quite rude. When I told him I had 3c/4a hair, he said he had no idea what that was. I starting asking questions about cutting hair dry or wet. He said that Carlos cuts dry when you walk in. I said do they wash. blow dry it first BEFORE cutting. He said oh no you can't blow dry curly hair. We cut it dry then wash and make adjustments. Hmmm, I thought.

I went to ask another question about their technique and he then asked for a phone number to have someone call me back. No problem. I said. I have a new cell number and had to find it. He asked to put me on hold and then hung up on me. The phone went dead. Needless to say I will not be making an appointment there. Not all curly hair is created equal, I guess. I know that you CAN NOT cut 3c/4a hair in its curly state. If you do, you'll end up looking like a plucked chicken. So I made an appt at Miss Jessies. At least they know what 3c/4a hair is.

rbb

if you read lorriane massey's book, the curly girl, you would know that ALL curly hair is cut dry in a deva cut.
while mario diab salon is not a 'curly' salon, carlos flores is the curly hair stylist there and ONLY cuts curly hair, not straight hair. in my opinion, and many others', he is a curly hair guru. i cannot imagine that you would ever look like a plucked chicken if he cut your hair.
carlos worked at devachan for years, did training there also. he knows curly hair.

naturalyogini

rbb wrote: »

if you read lorriane massey's book, the curly girl, you would know that ALL curly hair is cut dry in a deva cut.
while mario diab salon is not a 'curly' salon, carlos flores is the curly hair stylist there and ONLY cuts curly hair, not straight hair. in my opinion, and many others', he is a curly hair guru. i cannot imagine that you would ever look like a plucked chicken if he cut your hair.
carlos worked at devachan for years, did training there also. he knows curly hair.

No I beg to differ, not ALL curly hair is cut in a deva cut. I am sure Carlos is a great stylist, but just not for me and I KNOW for a fact if you cut my hair in its curly state, I will look like a plucked chicken. Dot dash and out.

rbb

i meant that lorraine did not differentiate between hair types for a dry cut.

of course not all curlies get a deva cut -- it's not for everyone. and there are stylists who cut curly hair wet and do a good job. i'm just saying that 3c hair can be cut dry. i have several friends with 3c hair who get dry cuts and i think their hair looks great.

Morgan_Adcock

I don't know if they have more than one receptionist at Mario Diab, but when I was there, the receptionist was a woman. It's possible she was away from the desk and somebody else answered the phone. That happened more than once while I was there, as it does most places. I don't know if this would resonate for you, but there have been many times in my life that someone has put me on hold, or I tried to put someone on hold, and the call got dropped. I'm very computer literate, but I've also run a pbx, and I've still had that happen a ridiculous number of times.

I think it's good that you have an appointment somewhere that you have confidence in how your hair will be cut. I'd just like to say, though, that despite my having hair that ranges from 3a (at the edges of my scalp) to 4a/b given the right conditions (hairs that can "shrink" from 1 ½ feet to one inch, in a tighter than pen spring coil, or go fractal), Carlos gave me a cut which, nearly three months later still looks great. So, if it turns out Miss Jessie's isn't for you, you might want to consider Carlos again – or not.