Perfect Hair, Today: Professional Hairstylists Reveal Favorite Items – And What to Avoid

A Color Specialist

Styling Professional based in the West Coast who focuses on grey hair. Among his clientele are celebrated actors and renowned personalities.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

I highly recommend a microfibre towel, or even a soft cotton T-shirt to dry your hair. Many are unaware how much harm a standard towel can do, particularly for lightened or dyed strands. This minor adjustment can really lessen brittleness and splitting. Another affordable staple is a broad-toothed comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while removing knots and helps maintain the integrity of the individual hairs, particularly post-bleaching.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A top-tier thermal appliance – ceramic or tourmaline, with smart temperature control. Silver and light-coloured hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the correct device.

What style or process should you always avoid?

At-home lightening. Internet videos often simplify it, but the actual fact is it’s one of the riskiest things you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people severely damage their locks, snap their strands or end up with striped effects that are incredibly challenging to remedy. It's best to steer clear of chemical straightening processes on color-treated or grey hair. These chemical systems are often excessively strong for delicate locks and can cause chronic issues or discoloration.

What’s the most common mistake you see in your salon?

People using the wrong products for their hair type or colour. Some overuse violet-based cleansers until their silver or blond hair looks drab and lacking shine. Others rely too much on high-protein masks and end up with stiff, brittle hair. A further common mistake is heat styling without protection. If you’re using flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a defensive spray or cream, – notably with color-treated strands – you’re going to see discoloration, dehydration and damage.

Which solutions help with shedding?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. Externally, minoxidil remains a top choice. My advice includes scalp formulas with active ingredients to boost blood flow and support follicle health. Applying a cleansing scalp wash often helps clear out buildup and allows products to perform better. Oral aids like specialized formulas have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by correcting endocrine issues, tension and lack of vital nutrients.

For those seeking higher-level solutions, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be successful. That said, I always suggest getting a professional diagnosis beforehand. Shedding may relate to internal factors, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than chasing surface-level fixes.

A Hair and Scalp Specialist

Follicle Expert and leader in hair health clinics and product ranges for hair loss.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

My trims are every couple of months, but will trim off splits at home fortnightly to preserve strand health, and have color touches every two months.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Hair-thickening particles are remarkably effective 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. I used it myself in the postpartum period 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 diet is lacking, so I would also recommend a healthy, varied eating plan.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

If you have female pattern hair loss (FPHL), I’d say medicated treatments. For excessive daily hair shedding, AKA telogen effluvium (TE), buying an over-the-counter product is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the best results. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as endocrine regulators, blockers and/or soothing agents – works best.

What should you always skip?

Rosemary oil for hair loss. It shows no real benefit. 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 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 affect thyroid test results.

What’s the most common mistake you see?

In my view, we should rename "hair washing" to "scalp cleaning" – because the primary purpose of washing is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I see people avoiding shampooing as they think it’s harmful to their strands, when in fact the contrary is accurate – notably in cases of dandruff, which is intensified by sebum accumulation. If oils are left on your scalp, they break down and become inflammatory.

Sadly, scalp requirements and hair preferences may conflict, so it’s a delicate equilibrium. But as long as you are gentle when you shampoo and handle wet hair with care, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

What solutions do you suggest for thinning?

For genetic thinning in women, start with minoxidil. Scientific support is substantial and tends to show optimal results when mixed with supporting compounds. If you're interested in complementary therapies, or you prefer not to use it or are unable, you could try micro-needling (under professional care), and perhaps injections or laser devices.

In shedding cases, root cause analysis is crucial. Increased hair loss often stems from an underlying issue. Occasionally, the reason is temporary – such as sickness, virus or emotional strain – and it will resolve on its own. 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