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A Color Specialist

Colourist located in the Golden State who specialises in platinum tones. He works with Jane Fonda and Andie MacDowell.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

I swear by a microfibre towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to remove moisture from your strands. Most people don’t realise how much damage a regular bath towel can do, notably with silver or chemically treated hair. A simple switch can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another inexpensive must-have is a wide-tooth comb, to use while conditioning. It safeguards your strands while detangling and helps keep the health of the individual hairs, notably following coloring.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A top-tier thermal appliance – ceramic or tourmaline, with smart temperature control. Lightened strands can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the right iron.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

At-home lightening. Internet videos often simplify it, but the reality is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients melt their hair, snap their strands or end up with bands of colour that are nearly impossible to correct. I also don’t recommend keratin or permanent straightening treatments on bleached or silver hair. Such treatments are often too aggressive for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. Some overuse toning shampoo until their blonde or grey strands looks drab and lacking shine. Some depend excessively on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. The other major issue is heat styling without protection. If you’re using hot tools or dryers without a defensive spray or cream, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

Which product, treatment or supplement would you recommend for hair loss?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to stimulate circulation and promote root strength. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps eliminate impurities and allows products to perform better. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, stress and nutritional deficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be successful. That said, I always suggest consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to identify the source rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

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A Trichology Expert

Scalp and Hair Scientist and brand president of Philip Kingsley services and items for shedding.

How frequently do you schedule salon visits?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will remove split ends personally every two weeks to keep my ends healthy, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Building fibers are truly impressive if you have see-through sections. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it virtually undetectable. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had noticeable thinning – and also now while experiencing some marked thinning after having awful flu a few months ago. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the earliest indicator of health issues when your intake is insufficient, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say medicated treatments. For excessive daily hair shedding, AKA telogen effluvium (TE), buying an over-the-counter product is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the most effective improvements. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It's ineffective. This idea originated from a limited 2015 research that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

Also, high-dose biotin. Rarely do people lack biotin, so consuming it probably won't help your locks, and it can affect thyroid test results.

Which error is most frequent?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – because the real aim of shampooing your hair is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s harmful to their strands, when in fact the contrary is accurate – particularly with flaky scalp, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. When sebum remains on the skin, they break down and become inflammatory.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. But as long as you are gentle when you shampoo and handle wet hair with care, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

What solutions do you suggest for thinning?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. Scientific support is substantial and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, or you choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will clear up naturally. Sometimes, hormonal problems or dietary gaps are responsible – the typical deficiencies involve iron, B12 and vitamin D – and to {treat the hair loss you need to treat the cause|address shedding, target the underlying issue|combat thinning, focus