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An Expert Colorist

Hair Color Expert based in California who focuses on silver hair. He works with celebrated actors and Andie MacDowell.

What affordable item can't you live without?

I swear by a microfibre towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to dry your hair. Many are unaware how much stress a typical terrycloth towel can do, particularly for grey or color-processed hair. This minor adjustment can really lessen brittleness and splitting. A second budget-friendly essential is a broad-toothed comb, to use while conditioning. It shields your locks while smoothing out tangles and helps preserve the strength of the strands, notably following coloring.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A top-tier thermal appliance – made with advanced materials, with precise heat settings. Silver and light-coloured hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the right iron.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

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. I’ve seen people melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with striped effects that are incredibly challenging to remedy. It's best to steer clear of long-term smoothing services on color-treated or grey hair. Such treatments are often too aggressive for already fragile strands and can cause lasting harm or undesired tones.

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

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their particular strand characteristics. A number of people misuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their blonde or grey strands looks flat and dull. Others rely too much on protein-rich treatments and end up with rigid, fragile strands. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. When applying flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a heat protectant, – particularly on bleached locks – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

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

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes follicle treatments containing stimulants to enhance nutrient delivery and promote root strength. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps eliminate impurities and allows solutions to be more efficient. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown notable improvements. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by correcting endocrine issues, anxiety and dietary insufficiencies.

In cases requiring advanced options, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where a personalized serum is applied – can be effective. However, I consistently recommend consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to identify the source rather than pursuing temporary solutions.

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A Trichology Expert

Follicle Expert and head of a renowned clinic clinics and product ranges for hair loss.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will remove split ends personally every two weeks to maintain tip integrity, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which low-cost item is a game-changer?

Building fibers are absolutely amazing if you have areas of scalp visibility. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it almost invisible. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had significant shedding – and also now while experiencing some significant shedding after having a bad infection previously. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your intake is insufficient, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

In cases of hereditary hair loss in females, I’d say medicated treatments. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the most effective improvements. 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 oil for hair loss. It doesn’t work. 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 genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Also, high-dose biotin. Few individuals have biotin insufficiency, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, 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 rid your scalp of old oils, dead skin cells, sweat and environmental pollution. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the reverse is correct – especially if you have dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If natural oils stay on the head, they decompose and cause irritation.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a careful compromise. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it is unlikely to cause damage.

What solutions do you suggest for thinning?

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It's backed by strong research and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you prefer not to use it or are unable, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will improve spontaneously. Sometimes, hormonal problems or dietary gaps are responsible – 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