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A Color Specialist

Colourist located in California who focuses on grey hair. His clients include celebrated actors and well-known figures.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

I highly recommend a gentle drying cloth, or even a smooth cotton shirt to towel-dry your locks. Most people don’t realise how much stress a typical terrycloth towel can do, notably with silver or chemically treated hair. This minor adjustment can really reduce frizz and breakage. A second budget-friendly essential is a large-gap comb, to use while conditioning. It shields your locks while removing knots and helps keep the health of the hair shafts, especially after lightening.

Which investment truly pays off?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – ceramic or tourmaline, with precise heat settings. Silver and light-coloured hair can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the proper tool.

What style or process should you always avoid?

DIY bleaching. Internet videos often simplify it, but the reality is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people melt their hair, break it off or end up with uneven tones that are extremely difficult to fix. It's best to steer clear of long-term smoothing services on color-treated or grey hair. These chemical systems are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or undesired tones.

Which typical blunder stands out?

People using the wrong products for their specific hair needs. Certain clients overapply toning shampoo until their lightened locks looks flat and dull. Others rely too much on protein-rich treatments and end up with stiff, brittle hair. A further common mistake is using hot tools sans safeguard. When applying flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a protective product, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. Topically, minoxidil is still one of the most effective treatments. My advice includes scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to stimulate circulation and support follicle health. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows treatments to work more effectively. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown notable improvements. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by addressing hormonal imbalances, tension and dietary insufficiencies.

In cases requiring advanced options, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be beneficial. However, I consistently recommend getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Hair loss is often tied to underlying health issues, and it’s important to determine the origin rather than seeking quick fixes.

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Anabel Kingsley

Trichologist and brand president of Philip Kingsley clinics and product ranges for hair loss.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself fortnightly to keep my ends healthy, and have highlights done every eight weeks.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Toppik hair fibres 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 virtually undetectable. I personally applied it after childbirth when I had noticeable thinning – and also presently during some marked thinning after having a bad infection previously. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the earliest indicator of health issues when your intake is insufficient, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

What justifies a higher investment?

If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say medicated treatments. For excessive daily hair shedding, AKA telogen effluvium (TE), buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need medicated treatment to see the most effective improvements. In my opinion, minoxidil compounded with other hair-supportive actives – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. 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 low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for male pattern hair loss, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

Additionally, excessive biotin. Few individuals have biotin insufficiency, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can affect thyroid test results.

Which error is most frequent?

I think the term “hair washing” should be changed to “scalp cleansing” – because the primary purpose of washing is to remove buildup, flakes, perspiration and dirt. Many individuals refrain from cleansing as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the reverse is correct – particularly with flaky scalp, which is worsened by the presence of excess oils. If oils are left on your scalp, they deteriorate and lead to inflammation.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a balancing act. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

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

For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to be most effective combined with additional ingredients. If you're interested in complementary therapies, 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.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as illness, infection or high stress – and it will improve spontaneously. 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