Hair Raisers: Frankie Chan, Creative Director of Mainland China for Toni&Guy

Hair’s a big deal to most people. (That’s what our balding friends tell us.) The problem in Beijing is that hair care, with its myriad local providers and the language barrier, is just another reason to pull your hair out. We rounded up some of the city’s most respected friends of the follicle and asked them everything you’d ever wanted to know about getting a good haircut. Here's what Frankie Chan had to say about some hairy topics.

Have I ever made a client cry? Yes, but they were tears of joy!

To evaluate another stylist, I would simply check out if they keep their workspace clean and tidy all the time.

The best thing about being a hairdresser is to see my clients walk out with a big smile on their face. Sometimes we don’t have time to eat properly, and that’s what I like least about being a hairdresser.

Which other profession is most similar to hairstyling? Perhaps a surgeon, I would say.

The biggest mistake that customers make is trying to cut their hair by themselves.

The biggest mistake I’ve ever made? I picked up the wrong styling product when finishing the haircut.

I’ve never had a bad haircut, but I had a horrible experience getting a haircut from a friend who was absolutely drunk when he cut my hair, and I had to guide him through it.

The longest I’ve ever spent on a haircut is one hour.

It’s all hair at the end of the day, so as long as you apply the right technique on the right hair, there ain’t much difference, to be honest.

How long to become a good hairdresser? It really depends on how much effort you put in.

If I could give new stylists one piece of advice, it would be: Never stop learning!

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