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A Color Specialist

Styling Professional based in the Golden State who excels at platinum tones. His clients include celebrated actors and well-known figures.

What affordable item can't you live without?

My top pick is a microfibre towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to towel-dry your locks. Many are unaware how much stress a regular bath towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. This one small change can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another affordable staple is a wide-tooth comb, to use while conditioning. It shields your locks while smoothing out tangles and helps maintain the integrity of the strands, particularly post-bleaching.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A top-tier thermal appliance – featuring innovative technology, with precise heat settings. Silver and light-coloured hair can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the right iron.

What style or process should you always avoid?

At-home lightening. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the actual fact is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. There are cases where individuals severely damage their locks, experience breakage or end up with striped effects that are nearly impossible to correct. I also don’t recommend chemical straightening processes on pre-lightened strands. These formulations are often excessively strong for delicate locks and can cause long-term damage or color changes.

Which typical blunder stands out?

People using the wrong products for their hair type or colour. Certain clients overapply colour-correcting purple shampoo until their lightened locks looks lifeless and muted. Others rely too much on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. A further common mistake is thermal styling minus a barrier. If you’re using styling appliances without a heat protectant, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

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 boost blood flow and aid in hair growth. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps remove residue and allows solutions to be more efficient. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, anxiety and nutritional deficiencies.

For those seeking higher-level solutions, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be successful. That said, I always suggest getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

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A Trichology Expert

Follicle Expert and brand president of Philip Kingsley centers and lines targeting thinning.

How frequently do you schedule salon visits?

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

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Building fibers are absolutely amazing if you have thinning spots. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a range of colors, making it virtually undetectable. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had a lot of hair fall – and also now while experiencing some significant shedding after having a bad infection previously. Because locks are secondary, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your diet is lacking, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

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 prescription-strength formulas to see the most effective improvements. 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 oil for hair loss. It shows no real benefit. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of 2% minoxidil to rosemary oil. A 2% strength minoxidil isn’t enough to do much for male pattern hair loss, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Rarely do people lack biotin, so consuming it probably won't help your locks, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.

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 rid your scalp of old oils, dead skin cells, sweat and environmental pollution. Many individuals refrain from cleansing as they think it’s harmful to their strands, when in fact the reverse is correct – especially if you have dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If oils are left on your scalp, they decompose and cause irritation.

Regrettably, follicular health and strand desires can differ, so it’s a careful compromise. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it is unlikely to cause damage.

Which options help with shedding?

For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. Scientific support is substantial and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. 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 platelet-rich plasma or light treatments.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. In some instances, the trigger is short-term – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will resolve on its own. 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