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Jack Martin

Hair Color Expert based in the Golden State who focuses on silver hair. Among his clientele are Jane Fonda and renowned personalities.

What affordable item can't you live without?

I highly recommend a microfibre towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to towel-dry your locks. It's often overlooked how much damage a standard towel can do, particularly for grey or color-processed hair. A simple switch can really lessen brittleness and splitting. Another affordable staple is a large-gap comb, to use in the shower. It safeguards your strands while smoothing out tangles and helps maintain the integrity of the strands, particularly post-bleaching.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A high-quality styling iron – featuring innovative technology, with adjustable temperature options. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.

Which popular practice is a definite no-go?

At-home lightening. Internet videos often simplify it, but the reality is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. There are cases where individuals melt their hair, break it off or end up with uneven tones that are nearly impossible to correct. I would also avoid keratin or permanent straightening treatments on bleached or silver hair. These chemical systems are often overly harsh for already fragile strands and can cause chronic issues or color changes.

What frequent error do you observe?

Individuals choosing unsuitable formulas for their particular strand characteristics. Some overuse violet-based cleansers until their lightened locks looks lifeless and muted. A few overdo on high-protein masks and end up with unmanageable, weak locks. The other major issue is using hot tools sans safeguard. If you’re using hot tools or dryers without a defensive spray or cream, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes scalp formulas with active ingredients to enhance nutrient delivery and promote root strength. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps eliminate impurities and allows treatments to work more effectively. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They work internally to benefit externally by correcting endocrine issues, stress and nutritional deficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be beneficial. However, I consistently recommend consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to identify the source rather than pursuing temporary solutions.

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Anabel Kingsley

Follicle Expert 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 remove split ends personally bi-weekly to keep my ends healthy, and have color touches every two months.

What affordable find is essential?

Hair-thickening particles are remarkably effective if you have see-through sections. They attach using static to your strands, 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 currently as I’m going through some considerable hair loss after having a severe illness recently. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the initial area to show decline when your nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions to see the optimal outcomes. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – 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 2% minoxidil to rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for male pattern hair loss, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Also, high-dose biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so consuming it probably won't help your locks, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.

What’s the most common mistake you see?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – because the real aim of shampooing your hair is to rid your scalp of old oils, dead skin cells, sweat and environmental pollution. I see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the reverse is correct – especially if you have dandruff, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If oils are left on your scalp, they break down and become inflammatory.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a balancing act. But as long as you are gentle when you shampoo and handle wet hair with care, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

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

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It has the most robust evidence behind it 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 platelet-rich plasma or light treatments.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will resolve on its own. 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