Business Profile: Salon D, Mount Kisco
A new hair salon has opened in Mount Kisco that promises to offer more than hair cutting, color and all the services you’d expect from a quality beauty shop.
Owned by Dawn Didomenico, who ran a hair salon in Bedford Hills for 15 years before opening one in the village, Salon D is among the first in the area to offer a Botox and filler service as well as medium-grade chemical peels using the Obagi skincare system.
All will be provided by Didomenico’s husband, David Palaia, a plastic and reconstructive surgeon affiliated with the Breast Institute at Northern Westchester Hospital.
The Botox and filler service will be available to clients every Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The Obagi products treat sensitive and sun-damaged skin, in addition to other ailments such as rosea. Didomenico said they are also good for tightening and firming the skin.
Along with hair- and skincare, the salon houses a separate venture that Didomenico founded with her partner, Donna Samaha, called DawnDon Designs. The boutique, located inside the salon’s main doors, features an array of beautiful jewelry, handbags and other fashionable accessories.
Didomenico, a North Salem resident, entered the beauty business in her early 20s, but not before spending a couple of years studying architecture and design at Pace University. It’s an unusual switch, to be sure, but Didomenico considers her work as a hair stylist an artistic one.
“I’m an artist and what I do is art,” she said.
Even though she has a team of highly qualified stylists to assist her, including Mauro Costa, Edie Hilton, Kim Labriola, Gina Marie Lamanna, Anna Moscoso, Claudia Rinaldi and Alice Salvatore, Didomenico still does it all, from hair cutting to color to keratin treatments and blow drys.
In fact, she admits to being the “queen of blow dry,” a moniker she acquired while working in a salon within the former Plaza Hotel in Manhattan. Her blow-drying skills result in straight, wavy, bouncy or sexy looks. Didomenico also enjoys applying color and does both regularly.
She also spent several years under the mentorship of Didier Malige, the famous French stylist who was well known in the fashion industry for his expertise in hairstyling and sculpting.
Inside Salon D’s 2,000-square-foot space, there are no harsh chemicals used in coloring. Instead, Didomenico uses vegetable-based hair-coloring products that are especially kind to clients who may have allergies or those who have had cancer treatments.
Clients seeking highlights will be delighted with the results at Salon D, said Didomenico. She uses a new coloring technique called “balayage,” which replaces the traditional foil highlights that have been used for years. With this new system, highlights are created by painting colors onto chunky sections of the hair, which results in a more subtle and natural look on any shade of hair, she explained.
What also sets Salon D apart is its focus on cutting curly hair the correct way. The salon is part of the MyDevaCurl network, a company that trains stylists in cutting and coloring curly hair. Rinaldi, one of the stylists, is trained in the technique, which involves cutting the hair dry, then washing it, which requires both intuitive skills and technical know-how.
Clients can also receive keratin-based hair-smoothing treatments in a private, ventilated room, where the formaldehyde fumes won’t affect either stylist or client, said Didomenico. The salon is also expected to be used for massage therapy and reflexology in the near future.
Salon D is located at 145 Kisco Ave. in Mount Kisco. To make an appointment, call 914-666-2226. The salon is open Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Thursday from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m..
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