Perfect Hair, Today: Professional Hairstylists Reveal Preferred Choices – Along With Items to Bypass
Jack Martin
Colourist located in the Golden State who specialises in grey hair. His clients include Hollywood stars and renowned personalities.
Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?
I swear by a soft fabric towel, or even a smooth cotton shirt to towel-dry your locks. Many are unaware how much stress a standard towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. This minor adjustment can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another inexpensive must-have is a broad-toothed comb, to use in the shower. It shields your locks while smoothing out tangles and helps keep the health of the hair shafts, especially after lightening.
Which investment truly pays off?
A high-quality styling iron – featuring innovative technology, with precise heat settings. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the correct device.
Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?
Self-applied color lifting. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients cause irreversible harm, experience breakage 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. Such treatments are often excessively strong for delicate locks and can cause long-term damage or discoloration.
Which typical blunder stands out?
Clients selecting inappropriate items for their specific hair needs. Some overuse colour-correcting purple shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks flat and dull. Some depend excessively on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. Another significant problem is heat styling without protection. In cases where you employ styling appliances without a heat protectant, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see yellowing, dryness and breakage.
Which solutions help with shedding?
Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I often suggest scalp formulas with active ingredients to enhance nutrient delivery and aid in hair growth. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps clear out buildup and allows treatments to work more effectively. Supplements such as Nutrafol or Viviscal Pro have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by correcting endocrine issues, tension and lack of vital nutrients.
In cases requiring advanced options, blood-derived therapies – where a concentration from your blood is administered – can be beneficial. However, I consistently recommend seeing a dermatologist or trichologist first. Hair loss is often tied to underlying health issues, and it’s important to determine the origin rather than chasing surface-level fixes.
A Trichology Expert
Scalp and Hair Scientist and leader in hair health services and items for shedding.
How frequently do you schedule salon visits?
My trims are every couple of months, but will remove split ends personally fortnightly to keep my ends healthy, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.
Which bargain product do you swear by?
Building fibers are remarkably effective if you have thinning spots. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a range of colors, making it virtually undetectable. I personally applied it after childbirth when I had noticeable thinning – and also now while experiencing some significant shedding after having a bad infection previously. 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 balanced, nutritious diet.
What justifies a higher investment?
If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say doctor-recommended solutions. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need clinical interventions to see the optimal outcomes. I believe minoxidil mixed with supporting compounds – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – works best.
What should you always skip?
Rosemary oil for hair loss. It's ineffective. The whole thing stems from one small study done in 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with 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 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’s the most common mistake you see?
Personally, I prefer "scalp cleansing" over "hair washing" – because the real aim of shampooing your hair 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 opposite is true – notably in cases of dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. When sebum remains on the skin, they decompose and cause irritation.
Unfortunately, what your scalp needs and what your hair likes don’t always align, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it is unlikely to cause damage.
Which options help with shedding?
For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. 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 simply don’t want to or can’t use it, you could try collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.
With telogen effluvium, investigation is key. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will improve spontaneously. Sometimes, hormonal problems or dietary gaps are responsible – 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
