London-born hair stylist Dhiran Mistry has been cutting hair for 21 years and has worked for some of the industry’s biggest names and salons. Getting a haircut with Mistry, owner of The Carriage House hair salon in Dilworth, is one of the hardest bookings to come by in Charlotte. He’s so popular that there’s typically about a two-month wait for new clients.
“I just saw my client from Raleigh this morning,” Mistry tells me when we start chatting.
He has one client who moved to Oregon who still flies to Charlotte to get her hair done, and others who come from the mountains, Wilmington and everywhere in between for an appointment with him.
While his schedule is usually packed, whether it’s day or night, he spent some time dishing on all things hair and personal style.
How did you end up in Charlotte?
I moved to New York in 2011 to work for [world-renowned] John Barrett at Bergdorf Goodman. I met my wife in New York in 2013. She grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, but her brother moved to Charlotte, and then her mom. Our first son was born in 2018, and when COVID hit, we found out we were pregnant again. We needed more space, and my wife said, ”If we’re going to move to Charlotte eventually, why don’t we just do it now?” So we pivoted from buying in Long Island and ended up buying a house in SouthPark. We moved in April 2021.
What makes a haircut great?
A great haircut makes your hair work better for you, so it's easy to manage whether you're styling it or not. The ability to recreate whatever we do in the salon is important too. How your hair air-dries and how it sits after, and then how long you can go between haircuts, also make it great.
How often does someone need to cut their hair?
People want to cut their hair when the ends are dry. If you have a haircut you like, and you're really good at maintaining and managing it, and you're not putting loads of heat on it, then you can go anywhere from six weeks to six months.
That's what I want to give people. If your hair is easy for you, then you don't need to cut it as often.
Why do you usually cut hair dry?
I started specializing in dry cutting in 2017. When your hair is wet, you have to pull it to cut it. And then it springs up in all different directions. When your hair is dry and straight, you don't have to do that, so you can see where the hair is; you can see where it’s laying. There is a lot more precision to the haircut.
Do you see different hair trends in Charlotte compared to New York City?
No, as far as trends go, they're pretty universal. And post-COVID, people have moved all over the country, so the typical Charlottean is now someone who moved from Austin, New York, Florida, or London. A trend in New York is similar to a trend in Charlotte. Maybe we hear about it a day or two later; that’s all.
Are there particular styles that are currently popular?
Not really. Styles go in cycles. One year, it's a bob, and then the next minute it's a lob because your bob is growing out. Then the next minute it's a layered haircut because your bob is now long enough to be layered. Then you're bored with that, so you get bangs.
How would you describe your personal style?
My personal style is an accumulation of all the places I've lived. I'm a city kid. I grew up in London. I grew up in the 80s. I always pushed the envelope and got wacky haircuts, piercings and colored my hair. I wore things I wasn't supposed to wear when I was a kid because I was always trying to be different.
I like accessories. I love sneakers. I love a Jordan. I wear heavy silver jewelry, so it's a little bit like rock and roll, but then I listen to hip-hop music. My salon plays classical music. It’s really all over the place.