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A Color Specialist

Colourist located in California who excels at platinum tones. His clients include Hollywood stars and Andie MacDowell.

What affordable item can't you live without?

My top pick is a gentle drying cloth, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to remove moisture from your strands. It's often overlooked how much stress a standard towel can do, notably with grey or color-processed hair. A simple switch can really lessen brittleness and splitting. Another inexpensive must-have is a large-gap comb, to use in the shower. It protects the hair while smoothing out tangles and helps maintain the integrity of the individual hairs, especially after lightening.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – made with advanced materials, with smart temperature control. Grey and blonde hair can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the proper tool.

What style or process should you always avoid?

At-home lightening. Internet videos often simplify it, but the actual fact is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients severely damage their locks, experience breakage or end up with striped effects that are incredibly challenging to remedy. I would also avoid keratin or permanent straightening treatments on bleached or silver hair. Such treatments are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause long-term damage or undesired tones.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. A number of people misuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks drab and lacking shine. A few overdo on protein-rich treatments and end up with rigid, fragile strands. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. In cases where you employ styling appliances without a heat protectant, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

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

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. I often suggest follicle treatments containing stimulants to stimulate circulation and support follicle health. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps eliminate impurities and allows solutions to be more efficient. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown notable improvements. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, stress and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be beneficial. However, I consistently recommend getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

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A Hair and Scalp Specialist

Trichologist and leader in hair health services and items for shedding.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will snip damaged ends myself every two weeks to preserve strand health, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

What affordable find is essential?

Building fibers are absolutely amazing if you have areas of scalp visibility. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it seamlessly blended. I personally applied it after childbirth when I had noticeable thinning – and also currently as I’m going through some considerable hair loss after having a bad infection previously. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your intake is insufficient, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

What justifies a higher investment?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say doctor-recommended solutions. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an over-the-counter product is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions to see the best results. In my opinion, minoxidil compounded with other hair-supportive actives – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.

What should you always skip?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It shows no real benefit. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of a mild minoxidil solution versus rosemary extract. A mild formula such as 2% is inadequate to do much for genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

What’s the most common mistake you see?

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 see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s harmful to their strands, when in fact the contrary is accurate – notably in cases of dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If oils are left on your scalp, 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 shouldn't harm your hair.

Which options help with shedding?

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to be most effective combined with additional ingredients. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you simply don’t want to or can’t use it, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will clear up naturally. Alternatively, endocrine issues or nutrient shortages may be the cause – 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