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Jack Martin

Colourist located in California who specialises in grey hair. His clients include celebrated actors 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 towel-dry your locks. Many are unaware how much harm a typical terrycloth towel can do, especially to lightened or dyed strands. This minor adjustment can really lessen brittleness and splitting. Another inexpensive must-have is a large-gap comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while detangling and helps preserve the strength of the hair shafts, notably following coloring.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A top-tier thermal appliance – made with advanced materials, with smart temperature control. Silver and light-coloured hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the correct device.

Which popular practice is a definite no-go?

DIY bleaching. Internet videos often simplify it, but the reality is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with uneven tones that are incredibly challenging to remedy. It's best to steer clear of chemical straightening processes on pre-lightened strands. These formulations are often too aggressive for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Individuals choosing unsuitable formulas for their hair type or colour. Some overuse toning shampoo until their lightened locks looks flat and dull. Others rely too much on high-protein masks and end up with rigid, fragile strands. A further common mistake is thermal styling minus a barrier. If you’re using styling appliances without a defensive spray or cream, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see yellowing, dryness and breakage.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. I often suggest scalp formulas with active ingredients to boost blood flow and support follicle health. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps eliminate impurities and allows treatments to work more effectively. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown positive outcomes. They support the body from the inside out by addressing hormonal imbalances, tension and lack of vital nutrients.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be beneficial. That said, I always suggest getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

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Anabel Kingsley

Scalp and Hair Scientist and leader in hair health 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 color touches every two months.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Hair-thickening particles are truly impressive if you have see-through sections. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a variety of shades, making it almost invisible. I personally applied it after childbirth when I had significant shedding – and also presently during some considerable hair loss after having awful flu a few months ago. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a healthy, varied eating plan.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. 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 optimal outcomes. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It doesn’t work. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A mild formula such as 2% is inadequate to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Also, high-dose biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, 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. Many individuals refrain from cleansing as they think it’s damaging to their locks, when in fact the opposite is true – especially if you have dandruff, which is aggravated by oil buildup. If natural oils stay on the head, they decompose and cause irritation.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

What solutions do you suggest for thinning?

For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. It's backed by strong research and tends to show optimal results when mixed with supporting compounds. If you then want to try other things to support minoxidil’s effect, or you prefer not to use it or are unable, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will clear up naturally. 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