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A Color Specialist

Styling Professional located in California who focuses on silver hair. Among his clientele are celebrated actors and well-known figures.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

My top pick is a soft fabric towel, or even a gentle tee to towel-dry your locks. Many are unaware how much harm a regular bath towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. This one small change can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another affordable staple is a broad-toothed comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while removing knots and helps keep the health of the hair shafts, especially after lightening.

Which investment truly pays off?

A high-quality styling iron – ceramic or tourmaline, with precise heat settings. Grey and blonde hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.

What style or process should you always avoid?

DIY bleaching. Internet videos often simplify it, but the actual fact is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. There are cases where individuals cause irreversible harm, break it off or end up with uneven tones that are incredibly challenging to remedy. It's best to steer clear of long-term smoothing services on pre-lightened strands. These chemical systems are often excessively strong for already fragile strands and can cause long-term damage or undesired tones.

What’s the most common mistake you see in your salon?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their particular strand characteristics. Certain clients overapply colour-correcting purple shampoo until their blonde or grey strands looks flat and dull. Some depend excessively on high-protein masks and end up with unmanageable, weak locks. A further common mistake is using hot tools sans safeguard. When applying hot tools or dryers without a defensive spray or cream, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see yellowing, dryness and breakage.

Which solutions help with shedding?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. My advice includes scalp formulas with active ingredients to enhance nutrient delivery and support follicle health. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps eliminate impurities and allows solutions to be more efficient. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by balancing body chemistry, tension and nutritional deficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be beneficial. Still, my advice is to getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to identify the source rather than seeking quick fixes.

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A Trichology Expert

Follicle Expert and leader in hair health services and items for shedding.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself fortnightly to maintain tip integrity, and have highlights done every eight weeks.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Building fibers are truly impressive if you have see-through sections. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a variety of shades, making it virtually undetectable. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had noticeable thinning – and also currently as I’m going through some marked thinning after having a severe illness recently. Because locks are secondary, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

In cases of hereditary hair loss in females, I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the optimal outcomes. In my opinion, minoxidil compounded with other hair-supportive actives – such as balancing elements, inhibitors and/or calming components – works best.

Which popular remedy is ineffective?

Rosemary extracts for shedding. It shows no real benefit. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of a mild minoxidil solution versus rosemary extract. A 2% strength minoxidil isn’t enough to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Also, high-dose biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.

Which error is most frequent?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – because the main goal of cleansing is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s damaging to their locks, when in fact the opposite is true – notably in cases of dandruff, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If oils are left on your scalp, they decompose and cause irritation.

Regrettably, follicular health and strand desires can differ, so it’s a balancing act. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

What solutions do you suggest for thinning?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. It has the most robust evidence behind it 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 microneedling (see a dermatologist), and perhaps platelet-rich plasma or light treatments.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will clear up naturally. In other cases, thyroid imbalances or vitamin/mineral deficiencies are the driving factor – 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