Started out as a passion project, 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins has successfully attracted clients from all over the island seeking quality and professional services, especially for clients needing corrective haircuts and colouring. Kenneth Tham, the man behind the salon, is a hairdresser with over 28 years of experience and is establishing the third and next generation of hairdressers in the Tham family with his daughter Chloe. In this interview, he looks back and shares about how he and the salon have arrived to what they are today, his best memories so far and what’s next.
Salon Singapore Social (SSS): Hi Kenneth, kindly introduce yourself
Kenneth Tham (K): I am Kenneth Tham, a Singaporean Son who is blissfully married to my other half, Chris Ng with whom i have two beautiful children. I am also a second-generation hairdresser who has been in the hair industry for the last 28 years.

I founded 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins in 2002. Together with my wife as co-owner, we have been providing premium professional hair services for the last 20 years. The icing on the cake for me now is my daughter Chloe Tham, joining 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins as a third generation hairdresser, to take our salon to greater heights.
根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins’s mission statement:
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SSS: Before you became a hairdresser, what did you do
K: I had many different occupations and experiences prior to becoming a Hairdresser. I had short stints of being a waiter, salesman, furniture production worker and even a nightclub bouncer.
SSS: How did you pick up hairdressing
K: I started as an apprentice at my mother’s salon for 8 years after I finished my national service (NS). I did it to help my mother as she was short of manpower. It was unintentional but I eventually developed passion for the craft and became a full-time hairdresser.
SSS: You’ve been doing this for 28 years, what would you say are some of your biggest accomplishments so far
K: Making good relationships with fellow hairdressers in Singapore and from all around the world is definitely something I am proud of. From these good relations I have cultivated, I was invited to do seminars by Kao Singapore Salon Division, including shows and events in Singapore, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam.
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Singapore 2019: Conducting KMS Seminars
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Saigon 2019: Conducting KMS Seminars
KMS Singapore Style Community 2018
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Vietnam 2018: Conducting KMS Seminars
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Shanghai 2005: Showcase Goldwell hair color
Hong Kong 2005: Showcase Goldwell hair color
These events gave me lots of opportunities to share my skills and passion while in return, I gained lots of knowledge from fellow haircrafters. Yet, I believe my biggest achievement is still having regular customers supporting me for the last 28 years.
SSS: What are some of your best memories as a hairdresser
K: It was a teary hug from a 70-year-old customer. A few years ago, we had a walk-in customer who was a sweet German lady. She was visiting her son in Singapore and was looking to achieve a haircut similar to the one that she had in a picture of herself in her 20s.
After I gave her a haircut, she was beaming with joy and tears. She hugged me and thanked me for giving her her look back after many years… That moment cemented my belief that good hairdressing does impact people’s lives.
Here’s an example of how we can help you to enhance your grey hair with dimensional highlights!
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Another good memory that pops into my mind is the moment when I took the stage to perform as a KMS National Artist at one of the biggest hair shows by Kao Singapore Salon Division in 2019. It had fulfilled one of my promises to myself many years ago when I was in the United States attending a hair event. Back then, I told myself that I WILL make it on the stage myself one day, and I did.
Singapore 2019: Goldwell KMS Colormania Gala Show
Singapore 2019: Goldwell KMS Colormania Gala Show
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Singapore 2019: Goldwell KMS Colormania Gala Show
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Singapore 2018: Supporting Artist for Jeweluxe Event
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SSS: How does 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins stand out from others
K: We listen to our clients and support their hair needs. Our direction is simple but we focus a lot on education. Educating ourselves to attain better skills, and also educating our clients on how to achieve the looks that suit their lifestyle and appearance.
We also believe in using quality products that support us in that vision and Goldwell and KMS has been able to loyally support us for the last 20 years. In a nutshell, loyalty to education in response to loyalty from clients.
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SSS: Where do you hope to see 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins go from here
K: These 20 years have moulded us to believe that a huge part of hairdressing is the unique and loyal relationship between hairdressers and clients. 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins aims to be the platform for individuals to enter the professional hair industry that offers multiple disciplines in hairdressing for one to pursue.
If you have any hair-related questions, feel free to contact 根源 Roots – Where Hair Begins to get professional advice from the hair experts!