🔗 Share this article

A Color Specialist

Hair Color Expert based in the Golden State who focuses on silver hair. Among his clientele are celebrated actors and renowned personalities.

What affordable item can't you live without?

My top pick is a soft fabric towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to dry your hair. It's often overlooked how much damage a standard towel can do, especially to silver or chemically treated hair. A simple switch can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another affordable staple is a large-gap comb, to use in the shower. It protects the hair while detangling and helps preserve the strength of the hair shafts, notably following coloring.

Which investment truly pays off?

A high-quality styling iron – featuring innovative technology, 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?

Self-applied color lifting. Social media makes it look easy, but the truth is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. There are cases where individuals melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with bands of colour that are extremely difficult to fix. It's best to steer clear of chemical straightening processes on bleached or silver hair. Such treatments are often excessively strong for delicate locks and can cause lasting harm or color changes.

What frequent error do you observe?

Individuals choosing unsuitable formulas for their hair type or colour. Some overuse toning shampoo until their lightened locks looks lifeless and muted. A few overdo on strengthening conditioners and end up with rigid, fragile strands. Another significant problem is using hot tools sans safeguard. When applying styling appliances without a heat protectant, – particularly on bleached locks – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes follicle treatments containing stimulants to boost blood flow and aid in hair growth. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows solutions to be more efficient. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They support the body from the inside out by addressing hormonal imbalances, tension 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 successful. That said, I always suggest consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than pursuing temporary solutions.

---

A Hair and Scalp Specialist

Scalp and Hair Scientist and head of a renowned clinic services and items for shedding.

How frequently do you schedule salon visits?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself fortnightly to preserve strand health, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which low-cost item is a game-changer?

Building fibers are absolutely amazing if you have thinning spots. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a range of colors, making it virtually undetectable. I personally applied it after childbirth when I had a lot of hair fall – and also currently as I’m going through some marked thinning 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 healthy, varied eating plan.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say doctor-recommended solutions. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need medicated treatment to see the optimal outcomes. In my opinion, minoxidil compounded with other hair-supportive actives – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – works best.

What should you always skip?

Rosemary extracts for shedding. It shows no real benefit. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A 2% strength minoxidil isn’t enough to do much for genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Rarely do people lack biotin, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can affect thyroid test results.

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 clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the contrary is accurate – notably in cases of dandruff, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If oils are left on your scalp, they break down and become inflammatory.

Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it shouldn't harm your hair.

Which options help with shedding?

For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. 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 prefer not to use it or are unable, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. In some instances, the trigger is short-term – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will clear up naturally. Alternatively, endocrine issues or nutrient shortages may be the cause – the frequent culprits include iron stores, B12 and D insufficiency – and to {treat the hair loss you need to treat the cause|address shedding, target the underlying issue|combat thinning, focus