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A Color Specialist

Styling Professional based in the West Coast who excels at platinum tones. His clients include Hollywood stars and Andie MacDowell.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

I swear by a microfibre towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to towel-dry your locks. Many are unaware how much damage a regular bath towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. This one small change can really minimize flyaways and damage. A second budget-friendly essential is a large-gap comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while detangling and helps keep the health of the strands, particularly post-bleaching.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A high-quality styling iron – ceramic or tourmaline, with adjustable temperature options. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the right iron.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

At-home lightening. Internet videos often simplify it, but the truth is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people melt their hair, break it off or end up with uneven tones that are nearly impossible to correct. I would also avoid long-term smoothing services on color-treated or grey hair. These formulations are often overly harsh for already fragile strands and can cause long-term damage or color changes.

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

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their specific hair needs. Certain clients overapply colour-correcting purple shampoo until their blonde or grey strands looks flat and dull. Others rely too much on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. Another significant problem is heat styling without protection. If you’re using styling appliances 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?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. My advice includes scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to enhance nutrient delivery and support follicle health. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps clear out buildup and allows treatments to work more effectively. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by addressing hormonal imbalances, 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 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 seeking quick fixes.

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A Hair and Scalp Specialist

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

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will snip damaged ends myself bi-weekly to preserve strand health, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

What affordable find is essential?

Building fibers are truly impressive if you have areas of scalp visibility. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a range of colors, 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 bad infection previously. Because locks are secondary, 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 product or treatment is worth splurging on?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say medicated treatments. 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. 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?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It shows no real benefit. This idea originated from a limited 2015 research that compared the effects of 2% minoxidil to rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient 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 taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.

Which error is most frequent?

I think the term “hair washing” should be changed to “scalp cleansing” – because the primary purpose of washing is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I see people avoiding shampooing 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. When sebum remains on the skin, they decompose and cause irritation.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, 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?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you simply don’t want to or can’t use it, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will clear up naturally. Sometimes, hormonal problems or dietary gaps are responsible – 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