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An Expert Colorist

Colourist operating from the West Coast who excels at platinum tones. His clients include Hollywood stars and well-known figures.

What affordable item can't you live without?

I highly recommend a microfibre towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to remove moisture from your strands. It's often overlooked how much damage a regular bath towel can do, especially to silver or chemically treated hair. A simple switch can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another inexpensive must-have is a broad-toothed comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while smoothing out tangles and helps maintain the integrity of the individual hairs, particularly post-bleaching.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – ceramic or tourmaline, with precise heat settings. Lightened strands can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the proper tool.

Which popular practice is a definite no-go?

At-home lightening. 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 melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with uneven tones that are extremely difficult to fix. It's best to steer clear of long-term smoothing services on bleached or silver hair. These chemical systems are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause lasting harm or undesired tones.

Which typical blunder stands out?

People using the wrong products for their particular strand characteristics. A number of people misuse toning shampoo until their lightened locks looks drab and lacking shine. A few overdo on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. 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, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

Which solutions help with shedding?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend scalp formulas with active ingredients to enhance nutrient delivery and aid in hair growth. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps eliminate impurities and allows treatments to work more effectively. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, anxiety and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be effective. However, I consistently recommend 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 Hair and Scalp Specialist

Follicle Expert and head of a renowned clinic centers and lines targeting thinning.

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 keep my ends healthy, and have color touches every two months.

Which low-cost item is a game-changer?

Hair-thickening particles are absolutely amazing if you have see-through sections. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a range of colors, making it seamlessly blended. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had a lot of hair fall – and also presently during some significant shedding after having a bad infection previously. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the initial area to show decline when your intake is insufficient, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say doctor-recommended solutions. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the best results. 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?

Rosemary extracts for shedding. 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 low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they are equally minimal in effect.

Additionally, excessive biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

What’s the most common mistake you see?

Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the real aim of shampooing your hair is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the reverse is correct – particularly with flaky scalp, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. When sebum remains on the skin, they decompose and cause irritation.

Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a careful compromise. But as long as you are gentle when you shampoo and handle wet hair with care, it shouldn't harm your hair.

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

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. It's backed by strong research and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, 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.

With telogen effluvium, investigation is key. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will resolve on its own. 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