Six months ago, we heard from Dan Geiger as he embarked on a long-term Rogaine trial to test the effects of the touted hair loss miracle solution. While he started to see some benefits, a product like Rogaine needs time to take hold. After more than six months of religiously using the product, Dan has noticed a significant slow in his hair loss. But like all of us 21st century, image-conscious, fashion-savvy young professionals, Dan wanted to know more about what was happening to his hair, why, what else he could do to stop it and how other people like him cope. So he went to the best source around for advice: Thom Priano, lead stylist and partner at GARREN New York, and new resident stylist/spokesperson for Rogaine. Priano’s editorial work has been featured in Vogue, GQ, Rolling Stone and Elle, just to name a few. He has worked his hair wonders on some of the most indubitably handsome men – Brad Pitt, Keanu Reeves, Edward Norton and David Bowie are among them. In speaking to Thom about the myths and realities of hair loss, Dan learned – among other things – that short hair is best, you can’t fight genes, and yes – men DO care about their hair. A lot.

Thom Priano, celebrity stylist and Rogaine’s new resident stylist/spokesman

Dan: Thom do you use Rogaine?
Thom: I do. I use the foam.

Dan: Does it help your hair?
Thom: I was worried about my hair thinning out. In the first six months I saw a little bit of difference. But now that I’ve been using if for a while I feel like my hair has maintained and it’s given me more than I had before. Now I don’t feel so conscious of the thinness. Do you use Rogaine?

Dan: I do.
Thom: Has it worked for you?

Dan: It hasn’t grown new hair for me. But it’s kept the hair I have.
Thom: That’s a plus.

Dan: It doesn’t work for everyone?

Dan Geiger is a real estate reporter and writer living in New York City

Thom: It works for 85 percent of men. But those margins are pretty good.

Dan: How did you get involved with being a spokesman for Rogaine?
Thom: I’ve had a long career in doing men’s hair. I don’t know if you know me or not?

Dan: I don’t.
Thom: Back in the 80s I had an influence on changing the way men look as far as their hair. I’ve built a big portfolio. I do the hair for Abercrombie & Fitch, Ralph Lauren, Calvin Klein, Banana Republic.

Dan: Like for modeling shoots?
Thom: Yes. Rogaine approached me and I said why not.

Dan: What was wrong with hair in the 80s?
Thom: Men didn’t really have style back then. I got affiliated with this photographer, Bruce Weber, one of the leading photographers in the world of men and what we did, these athletic bodies you see today and the short hair that goes with it, he was one of the people responsible for bringing that to the public eye. And it was a big changeover back then. Now it’s normal to see that.

Dan: Okay, so how did it feel for you to go bald?
Thom: I’m not bald. It’s thinning out.

Dan: To have thinning then?
Thom: It bothers me that I don’t have the great head of hair I used to have. But my hair still looks good because it’s groomed properly. I don’t find people with less hair any different as long as it’s groomed right. If it’s groomed right, you should feel good about your hair. If your hair is just thinning and I called you a bald man, you’d be offended. So I try to categorize that. Most men, if they have hair, they don’t want to say that they’re going bald. They just want to hear that they’re thinning out. It’s kinder. It’s a gentler way of dealing with hair.

Dan: So how did you get to rep Rogaine?
Thom: I’ve worked with men’s hair for over thirty years. I would be pretty good at being a spokesperson for them. I do men’s hair all the time. I see hundreds of men’s’ hair and I have a good perspective on it.

Dan: Did you use Rogaine before you were a spokesman for the product?
Thom: Yes. I’ve been using Rogaine for two years now.

When it’s time to shampoo away the sand, sunscreen, pollution and sweat of summer, your regular shower routine may not cut it. Remember, it’s not just your strands that have gone through the ringer, it’s your scalp too. While you may already be treating yourself to some deep conditioning, consider the deep-cleansing scalp treatment products below to add to your post-summer pampering. If you’re really in for a self-treat, take a trip to the spa sanctuary, Phyto Universe, for an expert scalp exfoliation. Cleansing your scalp once a month will ensure that your hair buds and tresses remain healthy; a once-a-month commitment worth making.

There are two Phyto Universe locations: one in Paris and another in New York City, where nature and elegance meet effective hair science. Once comfortably ensconced at a hair diagnostic station near the 2850 sq-ft. vertical garden wall of 9,000 tropical plant species, your hair and scalp analysis will determine what your hair needs – and which Phyto products will best enhance it. Dry, brittle, thinning, color-treated, aging, lifeless, thin and limp hair are all transformed with 100 percent essential oils in the nurturing Phyto Universe. A scalp cleansing includes a head massage and unique perks such as a Petrossian Bakery cookie and visit to the Caron fragrance room. The relaxing, scalp-cleansing process takes approximately 90 minutes, and leaves your hair stronger, softer and more lustrous.

PhytoSpecific’s Phytogrowth Serum is specifically formulated to help fortify the scalp with vital nutrients and promote hair growth. Skincare treatments are offered at this natural oasis as well. Visit http://www.phytouniverse.com or call 212-308-0270 to book a hair spa appointment at 715 Lexington Avenue at 58th Street.

Another excellent line with scalp-cleansing and enhancing products is Philip Kingsley. This scalp health range features targeted offerings such as Flaky Scalp, Scalp Tonic and Scalp Mask to home in on specific conditions. Trichologist (hair scientist) Philip Kingsley has crafted nuanced and high quality scalp products that render hair silky, clean and glossy. Find them all at http://www.PhilipKingsley.com or at the Philip Kingsley Salon at 16 East 52nd Street.

Every season, major hair care lines introduce their newest “state-of-the-art,” “one-of-a-kind” products to an audience who probably just got back from Duane Reade buying what they thought was the newest hair hotness. Admittedly, even as a hair editor who knows a thing or two about what’s out there, it’s hard to keep up. And even harder to justify the necessity of each specific product. In order to ease your anxiety, we have created a tight guide to some of the season’s new products and given you one – in some cases two – product in each category that we think you’ll be happy to put in your daily repertoire. Some of these products were recently released, a few will come out August 1st – in which case, we admit, we’ve given you a backup option. But regardless of whether you can wait, come the end of August you’ll have a quick, easy, 5-step hair product routine that will make you seem more trend-forward and knowledgeable than any of your friends and will take you well into next year. Fine, maybe you’ll buy a few newbies here and there, and we’ll forgive you. But with a global dip in savings accounts, we think it wise to tighten up your routine…for now. This step-by-step should do you hair enthusiasts just fine and give you some juicy products to grab now and put on the list for August.

Step One: Cleanse

Launching in August, the Rene Furterer Volumea hair line was formulated to add volume to limp and fine hair. The Volumea shampoo is said to increase hair strand volume by up to 11 percent through a natural Carob extract that coats the hair shaft from root to end and enhances the diameter of each strand to perceptibly thicken and plump each hair. The cleanser is gentle enough to use every day and also has a clean, fresh, non-chemically scent. It will hit Sephora stores in August – but for those of you who can’t wait a month, we suggest another recent intro for an even busier gal like yourself: Furterer’s Travel Size Naturia Dry Shampoo, launched in May. This will get you through July until the Volumea launches – but trust us, it’s worth the wait.

Step Two: Condition

We always like our conditioners to smell better than our shampoos. Of course it’s nice for both to smell delightful, but something about it being the last product we rinse off in the shower makes us long for a lasting, delicious smell. With Klorane’s new Conditioning Cream with Pomegranate, we got our wish. You’ll get it too, come August when this line hits the shelf at Sephora, along with the Furterer shampoo above.

Four years ago, one of the world’s most famous faces in hair passed away and left a legacy behind him that is a strong today as it was when he was magically working his scissors on Madison Avenue. John Sahag and his NYC salon, the John Sahag Workshop, have left a mark on the hair industry unlike any other. In his life, Sahag was known not just as a rocking hair stylist, but a rock star himself. Women as royally fashionable as Diane Von Furstenberg have validated his genius; the short cut he gave Demi Moore for Ghost became its own fashion statement. There are few popular hair trends today that can’t be somehow linked to his hands.

The late John Sahag created a one-of-a-kind and continuously-successful hair oasis on Madison Avenue

With such a storied impact on the beauty and hair worlds, BN wanted to check in with the Workshop and see how his history is being perpetuated and what about him made the salon such an NYC staple. Fortunately, Sahag would be happy to find that some of the most talented hair cutters in the city continue to execute with perfection the “dry cut” he made so famous. While it’s oft been imitated, the dry cut was something that Sahag originated in the late 70s after experimenting with different ways to shape hair. He found that when it was dry, he could follow its natural form and carve and structure the hair as an architect does with a building. Sahag thought that the traditional “wet cut” was boring, unimaginative and less like art than what he knew he was capable of. Thus, he found a way to craft a style that looked like it had “grown out of the head,” giving birth to the Sahag Dry Cut Technique. That method is what he taught his stylists – not just to dry cut hair, but to treat it like a work of art, a sculpture that should be shaped, manipulated, formed and reformed.

Not every hair stylist is cut out for (pun alert) such an ambitiously artistic way of cutting hair, but Sahag found a good handful who were. One of those was Karmela Lozina, a senior stylist who has worked at Sahag for the past 14 years and couldn’t be happier with her job. When we were told Karmela would be cutting our hair, we had no idea we’d be in the hands of such a seasoned pro, and such an interesting character to boot.