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An Expert Colorist

Hair Color Expert operating from the Golden State who specialises in grey hair. Among his clientele are Hollywood stars and renowned personalities.

What affordable item can't you live without?

I highly recommend a gentle drying cloth, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to remove moisture from your strands. Many are unaware how much harm a regular bath towel can do, particularly for lightened or dyed strands. A simple switch can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another affordable staple is a broad-toothed comb, to use in the shower. It shields your locks while removing knots and helps maintain the integrity of the hair shafts, particularly post-bleaching.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – ceramic or tourmaline, with precise heat settings. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.

What style or process should you always avoid?

DIY bleaching. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the reality is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people severely damage their locks, experience breakage or end up with uneven tones that are incredibly challenging to remedy. I also don’t recommend long-term smoothing services on pre-lightened strands. These chemical systems are often excessively strong for already fragile strands and can cause lasting harm or discoloration.

What frequent error do you observe?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their specific hair needs. A number of people misuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks drab and lacking shine. A few overdo on strengthening conditioners 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 yellowing, dryness and breakage.

Which solutions help with shedding?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes scalp formulas with active ingredients to enhance nutrient delivery and promote root strength. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps remove residue and allows solutions to be more efficient. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, anxiety and lack of vital nutrients.

In cases requiring advanced options, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where your own platelet-rich plasma is injected into the scalp – can be beneficial. 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 seeking quick fixes.

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A Hair and Scalp Specialist

Scalp and Hair Scientist and leader in hair health centers and lines targeting thinning.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself bi-weekly to maintain tip integrity, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which low-cost item is a game-changer?

Toppik hair fibres are truly impressive if you have thinning spots. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a range of colors, making it almost invisible. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had significant shedding – and also currently as I’m going through some considerable hair loss after having awful flu a few months ago. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the initial area to show decline when your nutrition is inadequate, 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 prescription hair-loss topicals. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an over-the-counter product is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions 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 doesn’t work. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

Which error is most frequent?

I think the term “hair washing” should be changed to “scalp cleansing” – because the main goal of cleansing is to remove buildup, flakes, perspiration and dirt. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s harmful to their strands, when in fact the opposite is true – particularly with flaky scalp, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If oils are left on your scalp, they break down and become inflammatory.

Regrettably, follicular health and strand desires can differ, so it’s a careful compromise. But as long as you are gentle when you shampoo and handle wet hair with care, it is unlikely to cause damage.

Which options help with shedding?

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It's backed by strong research and tends to show optimal results when mixed with supporting compounds. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, or you simply don’t want to or can’t use it, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps platelet-rich plasma or light treatments.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. In some instances, the trigger is short-term – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will improve spontaneously. 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