Healthy Hair, Instantly: Professional Hairstylists Reveal Favorite Items – And What to Avoid
Jack Martin
Colourist based in the Golden State who excels at silver hair. His clients include celebrated actors and Andie MacDowell.
What affordable item can't you live without?
My top pick is a gentle drying cloth, or even a smooth cotton shirt to dry your hair. It's often overlooked how much harm a regular bath towel can do, especially to silver or chemically treated hair. This minor adjustment can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another affordable staple is a wide-tooth comb, to use during washing. It safeguards your strands while removing knots and helps preserve the strength of the individual hairs, especially after lightening.
Which investment truly pays off?
A top-tier thermal appliance – ceramic or tourmaline, with precise heat settings. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.
Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?
Self-applied color lifting. Internet videos often simplify it, but the actual fact 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 uneven tones that are incredibly challenging to remedy. I also don’t recommend chemical straightening processes on bleached or silver hair. These formulations are often too aggressive for weakened hair and can cause lasting harm or discoloration.
What frequent error do you observe?
Individuals choosing unsuitable formulas for their specific hair needs. A number of people misuse violet-based cleansers until their blonde or grey strands looks drab and lacking shine. Others rely too much on strengthening conditioners and end up with unmanageable, weak locks. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. If you’re using styling appliances without a defensive spray or cream, – particularly on bleached locks – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.
Which product, treatment or supplement would you recommend for hair loss?
Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend follicle treatments containing stimulants to enhance nutrient delivery and promote root strength. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows treatments to work more effectively. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by balancing body chemistry, tension and dietary insufficiencies.
For those seeking higher-level solutions, PRP therapy – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be effective. Still, my advice is to seeing a dermatologist or trichologist first. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to identify the source rather than seeking quick fixes.
Anabel Kingsley
Trichologist and head of a renowned clinic services and items for shedding.
How frequently do you schedule salon visits?
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.
What affordable find is essential?
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 almost invisible. It was my go-to post-pregnancy when I had significant shedding – and also currently as I’m going through some considerable hair loss after having awful flu a few months ago. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the initial area to show decline when your intake is insufficient, 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 doctor-recommended solutions. 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. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – 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 shows no real benefit. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of 2% minoxidil to rosemary oil. A mild formula such as 2% is inadequate to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.
Also, high-dose biotin. Few individuals have biotin insufficiency, so taking it is unlikely to do your hair any good, and it can skew thyroid readings in blood tests.
What blunder stands out often?
In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – 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 damaging to their locks, when in fact the contrary is accurate – especially if you have dandruff, which is aggravated by oil buildup. If oils are left on your scalp, they deteriorate and lead to inflammation.
Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a careful compromise. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it won’t be damaging to your strands.
What solutions do you suggest for thinning?
For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to show optimal results when mixed with supporting compounds. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, or you choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), 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 sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will clear up naturally. In other cases, thyroid imbalances or vitamin/mineral deficiencies are the driving factor – 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
