Streets Ahead
Friday, 09 October 2009 05:10
Written by Helen Elfer & Hailey Meng

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Just a stone’s throw from People’s Square is a cluster of shops selling every hair product your heart could desire, at wholesale prices. Here on the corner of Yunnan Zhong Lu and Guangdong Lu is where all the salons come to stock up so shops prefer to sell in bulk. And when you’ve finished with the basics, there are many weird and wonderful shops to poke around in. We found multi-colored wigs, human-hair sellers and oh, the biggest Beijing Opera costume shop in China (allegedly)…

Shengxing Wig Shop, No.662 Guangdong Lu
Rows of ghostly-white mannequin heads line the walls of this cavernous store, but one you get past the creepiness it’s a hairpiece-hunter’s heaven. The multi-colored wigs (RMB60-80) are lined up in fluorescent blue, pink and green, mullet-shaped, bobbed, you name it, just crying out to be worn to a goofy party. The natural-colored wigs come in all sorts of styles and prices start at RMB100. Keep an eye out for the boho hair braids too.

Pinkie’s Nail Salon, No.41 Yunnan Lu
This cute and intimate salon offers a full range of manicure-pedicure services, including UV Light Gel nails, acrylics and deluxe hand treatments. A basic manicure is a pretty standard RMB80, but the salon is offering RMB20 off any service right now. And best of all, if you bring a boy with you, he gets a manicure half-price. Ha. Good luck with that.

Shanghai Nantai Opera Costumes, No.658 Guangdong Lu
This place has got shedloads of awesome dress-up stuff. Glittery Eyes Wide Shut masks, peacock feathers, traditional custom-made embroidered Qing dynasty Beijing Opera outfits , stage makeup and silk purses. The most expensive item is a feather head piece in the shape of a phoenix, worth RMB100,000. This shop has 100 years of history, first opening on Nanjing Dong Lu in the spot where Haagen Dazs is now.

Yan Yan Hong Hair Extension Salon, No.146 Yunnan Lu
You might not guess from the outside, but this hair extension specialist is a favorite haunt of celebs such as TV presenter Xiao Mei from Channel Young and actress Wang Yixuan. The extensions are made from real hair and cost RMB1,500-1,800 per 500g.

Xinhui Hairdressing Co, No.717 Guangdong Lu
This is the place to come to stock up on hairstyling tools, shampoos and conditioners, and any other beauty odds and ends you might need. You’ll get a much better deal if you buy in bulk, but prices are substantially lower than Watson’s anyway. We also found GHD brand hair irons here for RMB150-200. The jury is still out on whether they are real or not though – they couldn’t fake a “£10 donated to Breast Cancer Awareness Month” sticker… could they?

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