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A Color Specialist

Hair Color Expert based in the West Coast who specialises in silver hair. His clients include celebrated actors and renowned personalities.

What affordable item can't you live without?

I highly recommend a soft fabric towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to dry your hair. Most people don’t realise how much stress a regular bath towel can do, especially to lightened or dyed strands. This one small change can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another affordable staple is a wide-tooth comb, to use while conditioning. It protects the hair while removing knots and helps keep the health of the strands, especially after lightening.

Which investment truly pays off?

A top-tier thermal appliance – made with advanced materials, with adjustable temperature options. Silver and light-coloured hair can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the correct device.

What style or process should you always avoid?

At-home lightening. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the reality is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with uneven tones that are extremely difficult to fix. I also don’t recommend keratin or permanent straightening treatments on pre-lightened strands. These chemical systems are often too aggressive for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

People using the wrong products for their particular strand characteristics. Certain clients overapply toning shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks flat and dull. Others rely too much on strengthening conditioners and end up with rigid, fragile strands. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. When applying styling appliances without a heat protectant, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Shedding demands a multifaceted plan. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend follicle treatments containing stimulants to enhance nutrient delivery and support follicle health. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps eliminate impurities and allows solutions to be more efficient. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown great results. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by correcting endocrine issues, anxiety and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be beneficial. That said, I always suggest consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Hair loss is often tied to underlying health issues, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than pursuing temporary solutions.

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Anabel Kingsley

Scalp and Hair Scientist and leader in hair health centers and lines targeting thinning.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

My trims are every couple of months, but will trim off splits at home fortnightly to maintain tip integrity, and have highlights done every eight weeks.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Toppik hair fibres are remarkably effective if you have areas of scalp visibility. These particles bond to your existing hair, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it seamlessly blended. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had significant shedding – and also now while experiencing some marked thinning after having a severe illness recently. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the first part of you to suffer when your diet is lacking, 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. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an over-the-counter product is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions to see the optimal outcomes. 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?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It's ineffective. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of a mild minoxidil solution versus rosemary extract. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

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

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 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 – particularly with flaky scalp, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If natural oils stay on the head, they deteriorate and lead to inflammation.

Regrettably, follicular health and strand desires can differ, so it’s a careful compromise. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it is unlikely to cause damage.

Which options help with shedding?

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to show optimal results when mixed with supporting compounds. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

For TE, you need to do some detective work. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will clear up naturally. 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