Getting a haircut can be a hair-raising experience in China, especially if you're an expatriate, if it's your first time and if you don't know the language. The problem, though, is not insurmountable.

I managed to devise a way to explain to the barber what kind of haircut I would need.

A background in engineering helps. Not that I have one, but a few things I learned at school during the sheet metal class seems to be coming in handy.

Take, for instance, the knowledge I gained about isometric or orthographic representation of objects. The isometric view reveals as much detail as possible, while the latter shows an object from a certain angle.

The first time I went for a haircut, I shared my photographs so it could give him a fair idea about my frontal appearance, current hairstyle, the partition line, among other things. That, in a nutshell, is the isometric view for you.

I'm not a selfie person, but I'm glad I did have some photos of myself on my mobile.

I had also taken selfies of my hairstyle from different angles, especially sideways, as I wanted the hairstylist to know how my sideburns would look like. This is the orthographic, or the angled, view.

I have had some close calls in the past, with some barbers trying to knock off the sideburns with a swish of the knife, or to "mow" it off with an electric razor.

Timely intervention has averted imminent disaster several times. I'm not trying to imitate those rock stars of the '60s or '70s with sideburns so long they would almost be touching the jawline. Mine are of decent length, and not too thick or thin. But, of course, I would like to retain them.

Now for the rear hairstyle, whose photos I obviously could not take. The solution: The internet. A quick search churned out umpteen number of photos of both Hollywood and Bollywood celebrities with different kinds of hairstyles. I randomly selected some of them and copied them onto my mobile photo album.

While I shared these pictures with the hairstylist, I let him decide which one was good for me. After calling out meiyou, a couple of times, he finally gave his OK for the third photo.

But sadly, despite all the homework, I realized I'm not happy with the haircuts I've been getting.

Compare that with my experience back in India. I make an appointment with a hairstylist I am comfortable with. At the appointed time, I arrive at the salon, and after an exchange of pleasantries, I take my seat.

I shoot my usual instructions, and I share no photos with them. "It's the usual," I tell either him or her in the local language or the language we both speak, and they understand.

I also don't hesitate to point out when I'm not happy with the haircut. Some don't like it, but some don't mind it.

Meanwhile, in Beijing, I came across a salon that gives a haircut for an unbelievable price: 10 yuan ($1.39), thanks to a colleague who introduced me to it.

It entailed two things: scanning a QR code for making the payment and typing some instructions on the translation app, such as "please keep it short, keep the sideburns and keep it uniform on all sides".Those were enough. Scissors and the razor did the rest.

My haircut was finished in no time. A 10-minute haircut for 10 yuan. The rating: Almost a perfect 10!

With this, my search for a salon that can give a decent haircut seems to have ended. Otherwise, I was even contemplating a Yul Brynner look.

The moral of the story: Communication is the key.

Contact the writer at manjunath@chinadaily.com.cn