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Jack Martin

Styling Professional operating from the Golden State who focuses on silver hair. He works with Hollywood stars and renowned personalities.

Which budget-friendly product is a must-have?

I swear by a soft fabric towel, or even a gentle tee to dry your hair. Most people don’t realise how much stress a regular bath towel can do, particularly for silver or chemically treated hair. A simple switch can really minimize flyaways and damage. Another affordable staple is a wide-tooth comb, to use during washing. It shields your locks while smoothing out tangles and helps keep the health of the individual hairs, especially after lightening.

Which product or treatment is worth splurging on?

A top-tier thermal appliance – featuring innovative technology, with adjustable temperature options. Grey and blonde hair can become discolored or suffer heat stress without the proper tool.

What style or process should you always avoid?

DIY bleaching. Online tutorials can be misleading, but the truth is it’s one of the most hazardous actions you can do to your hair. I’ve seen people cause irreversible harm, snap their strands or end up with striped effects that are nearly impossible to correct. It's best to steer clear of chemical straightening processes on color-treated or grey hair. These formulations are often too aggressive for delicate locks and can cause lasting harm or undesired tones.

Which typical blunder stands out?

Clients selecting inappropriate items for their particular strand characteristics. Certain clients overapply colour-correcting purple shampoo until their silver or blond hair looks lifeless and muted. Others rely too much on protein-rich treatments and end up with stiff, brittle hair. The other major issue is heat styling without protection. If you’re using 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?

Thinning requires a comprehensive strategy. For direct application, minoxidil is highly proven. My advice includes follicle treatments containing stimulants to enhance nutrient delivery and aid in hair growth. Incorporating a clarifying shampoo regularly helps clear out buildup and allows treatments to work more effectively. Internal support including clinical supplements have also shown positive outcomes. They enhance overall health for hair benefits by correcting endocrine issues, anxiety and lack of vital nutrients.

In cases requiring advanced options, blood-derived therapies – where a personalized serum is applied – can be successful. 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.

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A Trichology Expert

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

What’s your routine for trims and color?

I get my hair cut every 10 to 12 weeks, but will remove split ends personally every two weeks to preserve strand health, and have color touches every two months.

Which bargain product do you swear by?

Hair-thickening particles are truly impressive if you have areas of scalp visibility. They attach using static to your strands, and it comes in a variety of shades, making it seamlessly blended. I used it myself in the postpartum period when I had significant shedding – and also presently during some marked thinning after having awful flu a few months ago. Since hair is non-vital, it’s the earliest indicator of health issues when your nutrition is inadequate, so I would also recommend a balanced, nutritious diet.

Which premium option is truly valuable?

In cases of hereditary hair loss in females, I’d say prescription hair-loss topicals. When dealing with temporary hair loss, known as TE, buying an non-prescription item is fine, but for FPHL you really do need prescription-strength formulas to see the optimal outcomes. From my perspective, minoxidil combined with additional ingredients – such as hormones, anti-androgens and/or anti-inflammatories – works best.

Which hair trend or treatment would you never recommend?

Using rosemary essential oil for thinning. It doesn’t work. This belief comes from a minor study from 2015 that compared the effects of 2% minoxidil to rosemary oil. A low concentration like 2% is insufficient to do much for hereditary thinning in males, so the study is basically saying they work as little as each other.

Additionally, excessive 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?

I think the term “hair washing” should be changed to “scalp cleansing” – because the main goal of cleansing is to clear away sebum, debris, sweat and pollutants. I notice clients skipping washes as they think it’s bad for their hair, when in fact the opposite is true – especially if you have 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 careful compromise. However, if you cleanse softly and treat damp strands kindly, it won’t be damaging to your strands.

Which product, treatment or supplement would you recommend for hair loss?

For FPHL, your core treatment should be minoxidil. It's backed by strong research and tends to be most effective combined with additional ingredients. 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 collagen induction therapy (with a specialist), and perhaps PRP or low-level laser therapy.

With telogen effluvium, investigation is key. Excessive daily shedding occurs in response to an internal factor. Sometimes, the cause is transient – 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 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