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Jack Martin

Colourist based in the Golden State who excels at silver hair. He works with Hollywood stars and renowned personalities.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

I highly recommend a microfibre towel, or even a gentle tee to remove moisture from your strands. It's often overlooked how much stress a standard towel can do, particularly for lightened or dyed strands. This one small change can really reduce frizz and breakage. A second budget-friendly essential is a wide-tooth comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while detangling and helps maintain the integrity of the individual hairs, particularly post-bleaching.

Which investment truly pays off?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – featuring innovative technology, with smart temperature control. Lightened strands can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the correct device.

What style or process should you always avoid?

DIY bleaching. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people cause irreversible harm, experience breakage or end up with striped effects that are extremely difficult to fix. I also don’t recommend keratin or permanent straightening treatments on bleached or silver hair. These formulations are often excessively strong for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or color changes.

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

People using the wrong products for their hair type or colour. Some overuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks lifeless and muted. Some depend excessively on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. The other major issue is thermal styling minus a barrier. When applying styling appliances 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?

Shedding demands a multifaceted plan. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to boost blood flow and aid in hair growth. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps clear out buildup and allows products to perform better. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by correcting endocrine issues, tension and nutritional deficiencies.

For those seeking higher-level solutions, PRP therapy – where your own platelet-rich plasma is injected into the scalp – can be successful. Still, my advice is to getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, 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 brand president of Philip Kingsley services and items for shedding.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

My trims are every couple of months, but will trim off splits at home bi-weekly to preserve strand health, and have color touches every two months.

What affordable find is essential?

Toppik hair fibres 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 seamlessly blended. 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 initial area to show decline when your diet is lacking, so I would also recommend a healthy, varied eating plan.

What justifies a higher investment?

In cases of hereditary hair loss in females, 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 clinical interventions to see the best results. I believe minoxidil mixed with supporting compounds – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Rosemary oil for hair loss. It shows no real benefit. This idea originated from a limited 2015 research that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A mild formula such as 2% is inadequate 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 using it may not benefit your strands, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

What blunder stands out often?

Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the main goal of cleansing 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 harmful to their strands, when in fact the contrary is accurate – particularly with flaky scalp, which is aggravated by oil buildup. If oils are left on your scalp, 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. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

Which options help with shedding?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. It's backed by strong research and tends to be most effective combined with additional ingredients. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you simply don’t want to or can’t use it, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – 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