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A Color Specialist

Colourist based in the West Coast who specialises in platinum tones. Among his clientele are Jane Fonda and renowned personalities.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

My top pick is a microfibre towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to remove moisture from your strands. Most people don’t realise how much stress a regular bath towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. A simple switch can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another inexpensive must-have is a large-gap comb, to use during washing. It protects the hair while detangling and helps preserve the strength of the hair shafts, notably following coloring.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A high-quality styling iron – featuring innovative technology, with adjustable temperature options. Lightened strands can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the correct device.

Which popular practice is a definite no-go?

At-home lightening. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the most hazardous actions you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people cause irreversible harm, break it off or end up with bands of colour that are extremely difficult to fix. I would also avoid long-term smoothing services on pre-lightened strands. These formulations are often too aggressive for weakened hair and can cause lasting harm or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Individuals choosing unsuitable formulas for their hair type or colour. Certain clients overapply colour-correcting purple shampoo until their lightened locks looks flat and dull. A few overdo on high-protein masks and end up with unmanageable, weak locks. Another significant problem is using hot tools sans safeguard. In cases where you employ flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a defensive spray or cream, – particularly on bleached locks – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. I often suggest scalp formulas with active ingredients to stimulate circulation and promote root strength. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps eliminate impurities and allows treatments to work more effectively. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by correcting endocrine issues, tension and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, PRP therapy – where a personalized serum is applied – can be beneficial. Still, my advice is to seeing a dermatologist or trichologist first. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to determine the origin rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

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A Trichology Expert

Scalp and Hair Scientist and brand president of Philip Kingsley clinics and product ranges for hair loss.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will snip damaged ends myself bi-weekly to preserve strand health, and have color touches every two months.

What affordable find is essential?

Hair-thickening particles are absolutely amazing if you have thinning spots. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it seamlessly blended. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had noticeable thinning – and also presently during some considerable hair loss 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 nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. For excessive daily hair shedding, AKA telogen effluvium (TE), buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the optimal outcomes. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.

What should you always skip?

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. Rarely do people lack biotin, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

Which error is most frequent?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – because the primary purpose of washing 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 – especially if you have dandruff, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If natural oils stay on the head, they break down and become inflammatory.

Regrettably, follicular health and strand desires can differ, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. 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 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 choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. In some instances, the trigger is short-term – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will clear up naturally. In other cases, thyroid imbalances or vitamin/mineral deficiencies are the driving factor – the most common being ferritin (stored iron), vitamin B12 and vitamin D deficiency – and to {treat the hair loss you need to treat the cause|address shedding, target the underlying issue|combat thinning, focus