One of the movers and shakers of the hairdressing world has some heady praise for Singapore women and their hair.

World-renowned hairstylist Klaus Peter Ochs told Urban during a recent visit that he has noticed a big change in the 20 years he has been coming here.

'The younger generation is very adventurous. They are open to doing anything with their hair,' said Ochs, 58, president of the world's largest organisation of hairstylists, Intercoiffure Mondial, which has a presence in 50 countries including Singapore.

He divides his time between Paris, headquarters of Intercoiffure Mondial, and Frankfurt, where he owns a popular chain of hair salons called Klaus Peter Ochs.

If anyone is in a position to gauge how Singapore women are cutting it in the global hair stakes, it is he - his job requires him to keep up with changing fashion trends and 'travel, inspire and educate other hairstylists'.

While the German-born Ochs is at the cutting edge of the sometimes over-the-top fashion world, he showed a streak of practicality while here in March for the finals of the 2008 Singapore Trend Vision Awards, a hairstyling competition for young hairdressers in the region.

While demonstrating the latest styling techniques at the gala dinner, he had the confidence not to wield his scissors when he felt it wasn't necessary. This happened when he came across a model with glossy, waist-length jet-black tresses.

'She has such God-given beautiful straight hair. I told her she should never do anything to her hair or I would kill her,' he said, half in jest.

Instead, he simply pinned up her hair with accessories to 'showcase the beauty of her hair'.

What hairstyles are in style right now?

First, hairstyling is very individual. A style that suits your personality is the most important.

It depends on how much time you have to get ready in the morning, the type of clothes you wear and even whether you have children.

Right now, hair that has more volume is getting popular. There has to be some movement in it - basically the sort of style where the wind can blow through and it will still look great.

How has the hairstyling industry in Singapore changed over the years?

The skill level of Singaporean hairdressers has always been very high. You've always had excellent hairdressers.

It is the customers that have changed over the years.

When I came here for the first time 20 years ago, people did not want to get their hair coloured.

Many women also had straight long hair and if we suggested layering it a bit, they would refuse.

But today, the younger generation is very adventurous. They are open to doing anything with their hair.

What do you consider a good haircut?

A good haircut is something that can be done in a short time. You cannot take two hours to cut hair because nobody has the time.

It also has to suit your look. In today's world, a good cut would be one where you come out of the shower, shake your hair and dry it and it looks good.

Is it better for a client to go to a salon with an idea of what he or she wants or to give the hairdresser carte blanche?

Everybody has a vision about his or her appearance. Nobody walks into a salon with zero opinion and tells the hairdresser: 'Hey, do what you want.'

The best thing for a client to do is to communicate with the hairdresser and together create a haircut that will match the expectations of both parties.

What are male customers like?

Men are easy clients. They just want to look excellent and if a guy goes to a hairdresser and the hairdresser tells him he needs a shampoo to look better, he will buy it.

Can you share with us any celebrity encounters?

In Frankfurt, we are the heroes. Everybody who is somebody has gone to one of our salons but we would never tell people who they are because they would never come back.

But once we had (rock star) Prince and he booked the whole salon for two hours. We had to paper the windows of the salon before his minders brought him in for us to style his hair.

Everything went well and nobody even knew he came by.

What advice do you have for people looking for a good cut?

Look for the best you can afford.

If you have only $1.99 for shampoo at the supermarket, then get that shampoo.

If you have $10 for a haircut, go for it and don't cut your hair yourself. If you have more, than go to a better hairdresser so you can see the difference in quality for yourself.

Get the best you can for your budget and you will be happy.

This article was first published in Urban, The Straits Times on Jun 5, 2008.