5 Things Inspiring Hairstylists Jacob Khan and Ben White

If you love doing hair and you have a sense of humor, chances are you know about Jacob Habib Khan (@jacobhkhan) and Ben Micah White (@benmicahwhite). After seeing seeing years of success behind the chair, as educators and brand ambassadors, the two decided to team up to create salon education that was accessible, entertaining and practical. Enter Fancy Hairdressers, education that is offered both online and in person across the country for prices hairdressers can afford and in a way everyone will enjoy. We reached out to Ben and Jacob to find out what inspires them to innovate in the salon industry, and the likes of Kurt Cobain and Robin Williams has something to do with it.

1. Music

Birch Photography From Adobe StockMusic has been a huge part of what develops and inspires our styles and personalities. Nineties grunge punk and pop music were huge influences on Ben, with a big influence from Nirvana. And it’s the same for Jacob,  except you have to throw in early 2000s emo. Even though they may not dress the part anymore, it has definitely made the lasting impact on their taste and style.

2. Inspiring Stylists

Other hairdressers are constantly inspiring and influencing us. Briana Cisneros, Riawnna Capri, Nikki Lee, Jill Buck, as well as Tim and Tabitha Duenas are all big inspirations for us. We just love their work so much. We talk about it all the time. Also, Sam Villa has been a huge inspiration for Jacob when it comes to what a hairdresser is able to achieve with their name alone. When it comes to how he runs his business, and how many people he is positively affected in his career, Jacob is very inspired by him. There are so many more like our teams at the salon and with Goldwell and BaByliss. We’re inspired by the hairdressers that surround us every day. There’s too many to name!

3. Comedy

Comedy has always been one of Jacob's biggest inspirations. He's been a huge fan of stand-up comedy since he was really young. His parents introduced him  to stand-ups like George Carlin, Richard Pryor, Eddie Murphy and Robin Williams when he was just a kid. He and ben both have similar taste in comedians that influence how we present ourselves online and our style of comedy. People like Mitch Hedberg, Norm McDonald, and even Rodney Dangerfield to name a few.

4. City Living

Atlanta BeltlineBhargava from Adobe StockCity living, inspires Ben. He’s always out and about and loves to be in the mix of things. Observing everyone’s style/energy influences and inspires the hair he creates for his clients. Jacob loves the city too but he's more inspired by the country. The space to think, the quiet and calm really allow him to think and develop new ideas.

5. Fitness

Ben and Jacob are both really into fitness. Atlanta has a trail called the beltline. Ben goes long distance biking on the beltline almost every day of the week. For Jacob, it’s weight training. In the last four years, he has really become passionate about fitness. It’s made him feel really strong, not just physically, but also mentally.