Brighton: Best friends open new independent hair salon

Himbo Hair, in Upper St James's Street, Kemp Town, Brighton, is a salon run by hair stylists Charlie Greene and Albert Pascall.

The two best friends have combined experience of 20 years despite both being in their twenties.

From Bognor, the pair moved to Brighton in 2020 to pursue their careers in hairdressing.

Charlie, 23, and Albert, 28, have worked together at salons for years but in 2023 decided to make the leap and go it alone.

“We had our own wig company Gigi Wigs and have always worked in high-end salons, but we wanted to combine that with our love of drag,” Charlie told The Argus.

“We are an inclusive, welcoming salon that is a safe space for queer people as we are part of the LGBTQ+ community.”

Himbo Hair is in Upper St James's Street (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

The salon, which offers hair styling for all genders, also has gender-neutral pricing.

The pair said the name Himbo Hair has raised a few eyebrows, but they love it.

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Both Charlie and Albert enjoy drag in their spare time and transform themselves into Assanah and Tia Gass.

Charlie said: “As queer people we get discriminated against and laughed at anyway. We know the name is a bit controversial.”

Albert Pascall, left, and Charlie Greene have worked as hairstylists for years (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

Albert said: “We don’t mind being laughed at because we get it all the time. Being in drag or just being ourselves.”

Charlie added: “Going into hairdressing from school we have been underestimated. We wanted to take the ‘Bimbo’ dumb blonde stereotype and reclaim it.”

The salon stocks vegan-friendly and cruelty-free products and was transformed from the former estate agent’s into the light, bright building it is now.

The black floors were ripped up and replaced with a light colour, all done by Nytimber Flooring, a hardwood flooring specialist and Charlie’s brother.

The art is by Max Purdy, also known as Dirty Little Rat. The tiling was done by Charlie's brother-in-law (Image: Andrew Gardner / The Argus)

“It has been a family project and our friends have helped out too," Charlie said.

His brother-in-law tiled the bright pink bathroom and the artwork on the wall is by Brighton artist Max Purdy, otherwise known as Dirty Little Rat.

Asked why they chose Brighton to launch their salon, Albert said: “We came here on nights out when we were teenagers living in Bognor and always loved Brighton and Kemp Town especially.

“To have a salon was always a pipe dream and it is so amazing that it has finally come true.

“Brighton felt like one of the only places we could have a queer-friendly, camp salon.

“For us, it is about so much more than just hair,” Charlie said.

“We want our clients to feel like friends and the salon to be chilled and homely.

“We want them to leave the salon and feel like they are a better version of yourself.

“After all, hair is the crown you wear every day.”

The salon opened on Tuesday, February 6, and is open Tuesday to Saturday.

It is open from 10am to 6pm Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays and from 10am to 5pm on Saturdays, and 12pm to 8pm on Wednesdays.