🔗 Share this article

A Color Specialist

Colourist operating from California who excels at platinum tones. His clients include celebrated actors and well-known figures.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

I swear by a microfibre towel, or even a gentle tee to towel-dry your locks. Most people don’t realise how much damage a typical terrycloth towel can do, notably with lightened or dyed strands. This one small change can really reduce frizz and breakage. Another inexpensive must-have is a wide-tooth comb, to use during washing. It safeguards your strands while removing knots and helps keep the health of the individual hairs, particularly post-bleaching.

What item or service justifies the extra cost?

A high-quality styling iron – made with advanced materials, with smart temperature control. Lightened strands can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the right iron.

What style or process should you always avoid?

Self-applied color lifting. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the reality is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve witnessed clients melt their hair, experience breakage or end up with bands of colour that are nearly impossible to correct. It's best to steer clear of keratin or permanent straightening treatments on pre-lightened strands. Such treatments are often overly harsh for delicate locks and can cause lasting harm or discoloration.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. Some overuse toning shampoo until their lightened locks looks lifeless and muted. A few overdo on strengthening conditioners and end up with unmanageable, weak locks. The other major issue is using hot tools sans safeguard. If you’re using hot tools or dryers without a protective product, – especially on pre-lightened hair – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

Which solutions help with shedding?

Shedding demands a multifaceted plan. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. I also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to stimulate circulation and aid in hair growth. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps eliminate impurities and allows solutions to be more efficient. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown great results. They work internally to benefit externally by balancing body chemistry, anxiety and dietary insufficiencies.

For those seeking higher-level solutions, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be effective. That said, I always suggest consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Thinning can be linked to medical conditions, and it’s important to determine the origin rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

---

Anabel Kingsley

Trichologist and head of a renowned clinic centers and lines targeting thinning.

How often do you get your hair cut and coloured?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself bi-weekly to preserve strand health, and have lightening sessions every eight weeks.

Which low-cost item is a game-changer?

Hair-thickening particles are truly impressive if you have see-through sections. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a variety of shades, making it seamlessly blended. It was my go-to post-pregnancy when I had a lot of hair fall – and also now while experiencing some significant shedding after having a bad infection previously. As hair isn’t an essential tissue, it’s the initial area to show decline when your diet is lacking, so I would also recommend a healthy, varied eating plan.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

For those with genetic thinning in women, I’d say medicated treatments. Regarding increased shedding, or telogen effluvium, buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need medicated treatment 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 popular remedy is ineffective?

Rosemary extracts for shedding. It doesn’t work. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of a mild minoxidil solution versus rosemary extract. A mild formula such as 2% is inadequate to do much for genetic balding in men, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

Likewise, mega-doses of biotin. Hardly anyone is biotin deficient, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can alter thyroid level measurements.

What’s the most common mistake you see?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – 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 harmful to their strands, when in fact the reverse is correct – notably in cases of dandruff, which is aggravated by oil buildup. 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 careful compromise. Provided you wash delicately and manage wet locks gently, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

Which options help with shedding?

With female pattern loss, minoxidil is essential. It has the most robust evidence behind it and tends to work best when compounded with other hair-supportive actives. If you then want to try other things to support minoxidil’s effect, 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.

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 flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will clear up naturally. Alternatively, endocrine issues or nutrient shortages may be the cause – 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