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A Color Specialist

Hair Color Expert operating from California who focuses on grey hair. His clients include Hollywood stars and renowned personalities.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

My top pick is a gentle drying cloth, or even a smooth cotton shirt to dry your hair. It's often overlooked how much stress a typical terrycloth towel can do, particularly for grey or color-processed hair. A simple switch can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another inexpensive must-have is a large-gap comb, to use in the shower. It protects the hair while smoothing out tangles and helps maintain the integrity of the hair shafts, particularly post-bleaching.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A high-quality styling iron – made with advanced materials, with adjustable temperature options. Lightened strands can yellow or burn easily without the correct device.

What style or process should you always avoid?

Self-applied color lifting. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with uneven tones that are nearly impossible to correct. I would also avoid chemical straightening processes on pre-lightened strands. These formulations are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause long-term damage or undesired tones.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. A number of people misuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their lightened locks looks lifeless and muted. Some depend excessively on protein-rich treatments and end up with rigid, fragile strands. The other major issue is using hot tools sans safeguard. If you’re using flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a heat protectant, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

Which product, treatment or supplement would you recommend for hair loss?

Shedding demands a multifaceted plan. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. I also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to stimulate circulation and support follicle health. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows solutions to be more efficient. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown notable improvements. They support the body from the inside out by addressing hormonal imbalances, stress and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be effective. Still, my advice is to consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Shedding may relate to internal factors, 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 leader in hair health clinics and product ranges for hair loss.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

I schedule cuts every ten to twelve weeks, but will remove split ends personally fortnightly to maintain tip integrity, and have color touches every two months.

What affordable find is essential?

Hair-thickening particles are absolutely amazing if you have see-through sections. 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 significant shedding – and also presently during some marked thinning after having awful flu a few months ago. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your diet is lacking, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

What justifies a higher investment?

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 retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions to see the most effective improvements. I believe minoxidil mixed with supporting compounds – such as balancing elements, inhibitors and/or calming components – works best.

Which popular remedy is ineffective?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It shows no real benefit. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A 2% strength minoxidil isn’t enough to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

Also, high-dose biotin. Few individuals have biotin insufficiency, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can affect thyroid test results.

What blunder stands out often?

Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the main goal of cleansing is to remove buildup, flakes, perspiration and dirt. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the opposite is true – particularly with flaky scalp, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If natural oils stay on the head, they break down and become inflammatory.

Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a balancing act. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it shouldn't harm your hair.

Which options help with shedding?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. Scientific support is substantial and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, you could try microneedling (see a dermatologist), and perhaps platelet-rich plasma or light treatments.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will resolve on its own. In other cases, thyroid imbalances or vitamin/mineral deficiencies are the driving factor – 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