Healthy Hair, Instantly: Professional Hairstylists Discuss Preferred Choices – Along With Items to Bypass
Jack Martin
Colourist located in California who focuses on silver hair. Among his clientele are Jane Fonda and renowned personalities.
Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?
My top pick is a microfibre towel, or even a gentle tee to towel-dry your locks. It's often overlooked how much harm a standard towel can do, notably with silver or chemically treated hair. This one small change can really lessen brittleness and splitting. A second budget-friendly essential is a broad-toothed comb, to use in the shower. 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 top-tier thermal appliance – featuring innovative technology, 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?
DIY bleaching. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the most hazardous actions you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients cause irreversible harm, break it off or end up with bands of colour that are extremely difficult to fix. I would also avoid chemical straightening processes on pre-lightened strands. These chemical systems are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause long-term damage or color changes.
What’s the most common mistake you see in your salon?
People using the wrong products for their particular strand characteristics. Certain clients overapply violet-based cleansers until their lightened locks looks drab and lacking shine. Some depend excessively on strengthening conditioners and end up with stiff, brittle hair. A further common mistake is using hot tools sans safeguard. If you’re using flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a protective product, – particularly on bleached locks – 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 also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to stimulate circulation and promote root strength. Using a scalp detox shampoo weekly helps remove residue and allows solutions to be more efficient. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown notable improvements. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, stress and dietary insufficiencies.
For people looking for something more advanced, 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. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to determine the origin rather than chasing surface-level fixes.
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 snip damaged ends myself every two weeks to keep my ends healthy, and have color touches every two months.
Which bargain product do you swear by?
Toppik hair fibres are remarkably effective if you have areas of scalp visibility. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a range of colors, making it seamlessly blended. It was my go-to post-pregnancy when I had noticeable thinning – and also currently as I’m going through some considerable hair loss after having a bad infection previously. Because locks are secondary, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your nutrition is inadequate, 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 prescription hair-loss topicals. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the most effective improvements. In my opinion, minoxidil compounded with other hair-supportive actives – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.
Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?
Rosemary extracts for shedding. It's ineffective. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 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 provide similarly low results.
Also, high-dose biotin. Few individuals have biotin insufficiency, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.
Which error is most frequent?
Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the main goal of cleansing is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s damaging to their locks, when in fact the contrary is accurate – especially if you have dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If natural oils stay on the head, they deteriorate and lead to inflammation.
Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it shouldn't harm your hair.
Which options help with shedding?
For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. If you then want to try other things to support minoxidil’s effect, 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.
With telogen effluvium, investigation is key. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will improve spontaneously. Sometimes, hormonal problems or dietary gaps are responsible – 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
