🔗 Share this article

A Color Specialist

Hair Color Expert operating from the West Coast who excels at silver hair. His clients include celebrated actors and renowned personalities.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

I swear by a microfibre towel, or even a gentle tee to dry your hair. Many are unaware how much harm a regular bath towel can do, especially to lightened or dyed strands. This minor adjustment can really minimize flyaways and damage. A second budget-friendly essential is a large-gap comb, to use during washing. It protects the hair while removing knots and helps preserve the strength of the strands, notably following coloring.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A professional-grade heat styling tool – featuring innovative technology, with precise heat settings. Silver and light-coloured hair can develop brassy tones or get damaged without the correct device.

Which popular practice is a definite no-go?

Self-applied color lifting. Social media makes it look easy, but the actual fact is it’s one of the biggest gambles you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people severely damage their locks, break it off or end up with striped effects that are nearly impossible to correct. I would also avoid chemical straightening processes on color-treated or grey hair. Such treatments are often excessively strong for weakened hair and can cause long-term damage or color changes.

What frequent error do you observe?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their hair type or colour. Certain clients overapply violet-based cleansers until their silver or blond hair looks flat and dull. Some depend excessively on strengthening conditioners and end up with stiff, brittle hair. Another significant problem is heat styling without protection. When applying flat irons, curling irons or blow dryers without a heat protectant, – particularly on bleached locks – you’re going to see brassiness, lack of moisture and splitting.

What would you suggest for thinning hair?

Hair loss needs a multilayered approach. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. I also recommend scalp serums with caffeine or peptides to enhance nutrient delivery 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 notable improvements. They work internally to benefit externally by correcting endocrine issues, anxiety and dietary insufficiencies.

For people looking for something more advanced, blood-derived therapies – where your own platelet-rich plasma is injected into the scalp – can be beneficial. That said, I always suggest consulting a skin or hair specialist initially. Hair loss is often tied to underlying health issues, and it’s important to get to the root cause rather than pursuing temporary solutions.

---

Anabel Kingsley

Follicle Expert and head of a renowned clinic centers and lines targeting thinning.

What’s your routine for trims and color?

My trims are every couple of months, but will snip damaged ends myself bi-weekly to maintain tip integrity, and have highlights done every eight weeks.

What affordable find is essential?

Building fibers are absolutely amazing if you have thinning spots. The fibres cling electrostatically to your own hair, and it comes in a variety of shades, making it virtually undetectable. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had noticeable thinning – and also now while experiencing some considerable hair loss after having awful flu a few months ago. Because locks are secondary, it’s the earliest indicator of health issues when your intake is insufficient, 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 prescription hair-loss topicals. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an retail solution is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the best results. I believe minoxidil mixed with supporting compounds – such as balancing elements, inhibitors and/or calming components – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Rosemary extracts for shedding. It's ineffective. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of a low-dose minoxidil with rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they provide similarly low results.

Also, high-dose biotin. Rarely do people lack biotin, so using it may not benefit your strands, and it can affect thyroid test results.

What blunder stands out often?

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 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 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 be most effective combined with additional ingredients. Should you wish to enhance minoxidil's benefits, or you choose to avoid it or cannot tolerate it, 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. Noticeable thinning usually relates to a health trigger. Sometimes, the cause is transient – such as flu, Covid or a period of intense stress – and it will resolve on its own. Alternatively, endocrine issues or nutrient shortages may be the cause – 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