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Jack Martin

Hair Color Expert located in California who focuses on grey hair. He works with Hollywood stars and Andie MacDowell.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

My top pick is a microfibre towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to dry your hair. It's often overlooked how much stress a typical terrycloth towel can do, notably with silver or chemically treated hair. This minor adjustment can really lessen brittleness and splitting. Another affordable staple is a wide-tooth comb, to use in the shower. It protects the hair while smoothing out tangles and helps preserve the strength of the strands, particularly post-bleaching.

Which investment truly pays off?

A high-quality styling iron – made with advanced materials, with precise heat settings. Silver and light-coloured hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

DIY bleaching. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the reality is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people cause irreversible harm, snap their strands or end up with uneven tones that are nearly impossible to correct. It's best to steer clear of long-term smoothing services on bleached or silver hair. Such treatments are often excessively strong for weakened hair and can cause chronic issues or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. Certain clients overapply violet-based cleansers until their silver or blond hair looks drab and lacking shine. A few overdo on protein-rich treatments and end up with stiff, brittle hair. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. When applying hot tools or dryers without a heat protectant, – 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?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes follicle treatments containing stimulants to stimulate circulation and promote root strength. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows solutions to be more efficient. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown great results. They support the body from the inside out by balancing body chemistry, stress and dietary insufficiencies.

For those seeking higher-level solutions, platelet-rich plasma treatments – where a personalized serum is applied – can be successful. 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 chasing surface-level fixes.

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Anabel Kingsley

Scalp and Hair Scientist and brand president of Philip Kingsley services and items for shedding.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will remove split ends personally every two weeks to maintain tip integrity, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Toppik hair fibres are absolutely amazing if you have areas of scalp visibility. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a assortment of tones, making it almost invisible. It was my go-to post-pregnancy when I had noticeable thinning – and also now while experiencing some considerable hair loss after having a severe illness recently. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the earliest indicator of health issues when your nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a well-rounded, nutrient-rich diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. For excessive daily hair shedding, AKA telogen effluvium (TE), buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need medicated treatment to see the most effective improvements. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as balancing elements, inhibitors and/or calming components – works best.

What should you always skip?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It doesn’t work. This idea originated from a limited 2015 research that compared the effects of a mild minoxidil solution versus rosemary extract. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they are equally minimal in effect.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Rarely do people lack biotin, so consuming it probably won't help your locks, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.

What blunder stands out often?

Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the real aim of shampooing your hair 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 harmful to their strands, when in fact the contrary is accurate – especially if you have dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. When sebum remains on the skin, they deteriorate and lead to inflammation.

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

Which options help with shedding?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. Scientific support is substantial and tends to be most effective combined with additional ingredients. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, or you prefer not to use it or are unable, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. In some instances, the trigger is short-term – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will resolve on its own. In other cases, thyroid imbalances or vitamin/mineral deficiencies are the driving factor – 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