How common is celebrity female hair loss? In this article, I’ll talk about 10 female celebs who’s suffering from hair loss. Learn how they manage it and get some tips on how to regrow your hair!
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Celebrity Female Hair Loss
Here’s the thing about celebrities. Most of the time, we think they’re perfect beings. When we see them in the covers of magazines, films, award shows, and gala nights, they’re usually dressed in gorgeous designer dresses, wearing the most pristine makeup, and when you really take a long look, you’ll notice that they don’t even have a hair out of place.
Sometimes, as a pretty average person, insecurity sets in. How and why do they look so gorgeous all the time?
But, here’s another thing about being a celebrity. Most of the time, they just show us what they want us to see. When we look at their look in their most recent photoshoot, we don’t see the hours they spend in the dressing room or the days they spend training in the gym. And even then, they’re still not perfect beings–they still have textured skin, arm and belly flabs, scars, and they even experience hair loss.
In this article, we’ll be talking about celebrities who bravely came out with their hair loss experience and how they worked their way around it.
10 Female Celebs Who Experienced Hair Loss
#1 Viola Davis
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In one of the early episodes of How to Get Away with Murder, it was revealed that Davis’ character, Annalise Keating, wears a wig to work. What casual viewers don’t know is that there is an ounce of truth to Annalise’s situation. At an early age of 28, Davis started to experience alopecia areata, which is also known as spot baldness. This took a great hit on her confidence, causing Davis to start wearing wigs–to filmings, interviews, at home, and other events.
In 2012, Davis ditched her wigs at the Academy Awards, as she donned a gorgeous green dress and let her hair go free. It was a big moment for her and her fans, and we applaud her for it! In her interviews after the Oscars, Davis revealed that she still wears a wig from time to time, but she is now confident enough to go without one.
#2 Kim Kardashian
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Kardashian shocked many of her followers in 2014 after photos of her showed significant thinning of hair. One of the reasons that could be behind this hair fall is due to her sudden weight loss and the birth of her child, North West. It is common knowledge that pregnancy can cause drastic hormonal change, which may cause thinning of hair, or worse, baldness in women who just gave birth.
Kardashian, on top of her already thinning hair due to childbirth, also tried to cover up the hair loss by using hair extensions. These extensions may cause the hair follicle to stretch out of their natural state, which in turn, also causes hair fall.
At present, Kardashian has a healthy and beautiful mane, and you wouldn’t even notice that she had gone through hair loss a few years ago! Her sister, Kourtney, had even shared on her blog Kim’s secret recipe to her thick, glowing hair. While there are experts who frown upon DIY beauty treatments, what Kardashian had done to her hair truly made a difference!
#3 Keira Knightley
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To truly embody a character, actors must go through the long and tedious process of characterization. This can mean physical training, skills learning, accent training, and even changing one’s physical appearance to help them step into their character’s shoes better. Most of the time, the latter includes heavy makeup, prosthetics, and/or dyed hair. Knightley, one of the most renowned actresses in Hollywood, is not exempt from this and has been asked to color her hair multiple times for various roles.
The constant exposure of hair to harsh chemicals like bleach and dye ultimately wore out her hair, causing it to fall from her scalp. It got so bad that she had to wear a wig for years, which, according to the actress, was the best thing that happened to her hair. During the time she wore wigs to her public appearances, Knightley also took the time to rest her hair from bleach and hair dye.
#4 Ariana Grande
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Anyone who knows the young popstar can recognize her signature ponytail from miles away. It wasn’t always a conscious choice she made to keep her popstar image. It was also once the only hairstyle she could do to her hair!
Before her days in the music industry, Grande’s door to fame was her role as Cat Valentine in the Nickelodeon series, Victorious. Her character, Cat, sports a red hair in contrast to her natural dark brown mane. As part of her character, Grande had to constantly bleach and dye her hair red during her time in the show. This excessive exposure to chemicals caused great damage to her hair, causing it to grow thin and fall.
To hide this, Grande donned a ponytail, which at the time, was the only hairdo that worked for her hair. Through the years, the ponytail became a part of her image and Grande even said in an interview that it became her preferred look as well.
#5 Jesy Nelson
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If you watch any of Nelson’s performances and videos with Little Mix, her former group, one of the first things you’ll notice is her luscious and glowing hair. In fact, you wouldn’t even notice that as a child, she experienced alopecia areata or baldness caused by stress.
In one of her interviews with Fabulous magazine, Nelson revealed that at the early age of 13, she experienced hair fall due to stress. It may have been that her high school bullies caused the stress-induced hair loss. Nelson explained that, “I got picked on because I’ve always liked to dress differently. I’ve never really wanted to fit in with everyone else.”
If you don’t know how to tell if you’re going bald from stress or vitamin deficiencies, better consult a dermatologist.
#6 Dolly Parton
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Parton is one of the most famous country singers and actresses in the country. Just the sound of her name is enough to conjure an image of a woman with big, blonde hair and her iconic makeup. In truth, Parton had bleached her hair blonde the moment she had the money to buy hair bleach. This constant and excessive hair bleaching has caused drastic damage to her hair, which caused Parton to wear wigs.
While some celebrities may take years before they admit that they’ve worn wigs or experienced hair loss, Parton never shied away from the fact that she has a large collection of wigs and indeed, loves wearing them! In fact, she does now own a fashion line which includes makeup, hair products, and you guessed it right–wigs.
#7 Tyra Banks
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For many of us, stress is an ever-present inclusion in our daily lives, and not even the greatest celebrities are exempt from it. Banks, a supermodel, producer, and now writer, has experienced stress and its unwanted impact on the body, one of which is hair loss. During the time she experienced hair fall, she was juggling her responsibilities as a television personality and book writing.
“I got a little alopecia from the stress,” Banks revealed in an interview with the Wall Street Journal. Dermatologists say that once the stressor goes away, hair growth may return to normal, which turned out to be factual, in Banks’ situation.
#8 Lea Michele
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Pregnancy can change a lot of things in a woman’s life. They experience change not only in their environment but also in their body, especially with hormones! These hormonal changes do not only cause mood swings and emotional instability. It may also manifest in the mother’s physical appearance, hair included. In fact, many women experience thinning of hair after childbirth. Such is the case for former Glee star, Lea Michele.
In an Instagram post, Michele wrote, “The postpartum hair loss is REAL.“
In another post, she captioned: “Enjoying this long hair while it lasts because the mom bob is right around the corner.”
Four months after her initial posts about postpartum hair loss, Michele gave tips on how to regrow hair after childbirth. A balanced diet, constant intake of prenatal vitamins, certain hair products, and hairstyles that does not include heat and tight ponytails were her go-to treatments after experiencing hair loss.
#9 Naomi Campbell
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Campbell is one the greatest supermodels to ever catwalk on this earthly plane. She has appeared in hundreds of magazines, fashion brand exhibitions, and television shows. As a model, her physical appearance is one of the most important aspects of her career. And, with fast-changing fashion trends come the need to follow such trends. This includes makeup, clothing, and even hair.
Throughout the years, Campbell’s hair has been rough-handled after years of extensions, weaves, and braids. Frequently sporting these hairstyles can exhaust the scalp and hair, causing hair to fall from the head.
Campbell reveals that she now takes better care of her hair and even commented that,
“Everybody in the world wears wigs. It doesn’t matter any more. I do what I want, or whatever the job calls for.”
Whether this statement implies that the model now dons wigs or not, Campbell’s admission to hair loss made us realize that one should be careful with following the fashion world’s latest trends.
#10 Kristin Davis
Starring in a TV show that went on for years can get exhausting. In Davis’ case, her hair was also the unwilling victim of this post-show exhaustion. Right after the final season of Sex and the City, the actress noticed that her hair was starting to fall.
In an interview with Women’s Wear Daily, she shared that her hair wasn’t always like Charlotte’s, which was her character in the famed show. Davis also shared her sentiments about her experience with hair loss. “It was very fine, like it had gone away, there just was hardly any hair there… It’s always been not quite that easy, but because I had a lot of hair, the professionals could help me make it look nice.”
At present, Davis loves sharing tips and hair products which helped her regrow her hair after her tragic experience with hair fall.
Common Causes of Celebrity Female Hair Loss
Hair loss is caused by a number of things, and hearing from these celebrities, we now know that they are either caused by stress, excessive (and damaging) hair styling, hormonal changes, medical conditions, or it may even be as simple as genetics!
Alopecia
Alopecia areata is brought on by severe stress to the body. When an individual faces a constant and heavy stressor, a reaction occurs, which may include hair loss. Another type of hair loss caused by severe stress is telogen effluvium, which is usually interchanged with alopecia areata. These types of hair loss are believed to be temporary, and once the individual’s stressor is removed, hair growth may continue in its normal state. It is, however, advised to go talk to a doctor if there is sudden hair loss.
Excessive hairstyling
Celebrities are always in the spotlight, and when they’re in the public’s eye, they have to look their best. Hair stylists may frequently use heat while styling which might ultimately damage the hair. Some actresses are also required to color their hair for a role or to keep their image. Constant bleaching and dying exposes the hair to very harsh chemicals which will gradually cause the hair to become brittle and fall off.
Hormonal changes
As established earlier, pregnancy can cause a lot of change in the production of hormones. In truth, the rising estrogen levels in the body may actually prevent hair fall. But, during pregnancy, mothers may also develop severe stress, especially in the first trimester of their baby. In such cases, mothers may experience alopecia areata or telogen effluvium (another stress-induced hair loss condition). Another cause of hair loss is iron deficiency that women have a heightened risk of getting when pregnant.
After childbirth, the hormones in the mother’s body return to normal. So, after a rise in her estrogen levels, the body returns to its normal state, causing hormonal change in such a short period of time. This is another cause of hair loss in women.
Medical conditions
Any medical condition may cause changes in the body, whether in appetite, organ function, or something seen on the outside like skin, nails, or hair. Usually, hair fall is one of the results of an underlying medical condition like seborrheic dermatitis. In some cases, mental conditions like depression or anxiety can cause scalp problems like hair loss and dandruff. Treatments for some health conditions like kidney dialysis or chemotherapy may also result in hair loss. If you’ve suffered from COVID-19, you might want to look at Covid hair loss treatment.
Hair Loss Treatments Available Today
If you’ve ever experienced bald spots in your scalp, don’t worry! Dermatologists claim that most hair fall conditions are temporary and can be treated in a number of ways.
Use of supplements
Many health companies offer supplements that may help in hair growth. Usually, these remedies have the ingredient biotin, which hair experts believe has a positive effect on hair and nail growth. On top of that, supplements may also boost your immune system, so you spend less sick days and more beautiful hair days! One of the things you’ll have to watch out for is that they may not work for everyone, and some supplements may have side effects as well. Get supplements that have DHT blockers to help remedy hair loss.
Use of alternative hair products
If you have damaged and brittle hair from constant bleaching and dying, one of the proven and tested ways to turn your hair healthy again is by using products that are safe for damaged hair. These are usually the products that claim to be sulfur-, paraben-, and/or silicone-free. It is also encouraged to choose products with natural ingredients. Check our list of the best female hair loss shampoos to see what product is best for you.
Laser treatments
Hair growth laser treatments or low-therapy is a quick painless way to get your hair growing back again in no time! This procedure irradiates photons into the scalp which encourages hair growth. The only catch here is that laser therapy, aside from being expensive, is also often inconsistent, so results may vary.
Try laser caps like the Hairmax Powerflex Laser Cap 202 or HairMax Flip 80 Laser Cap.
Hair transplant
This surgical procedure is one of the best ways to ensure proper hair growth and is often utilized after severe hair loss and other similar conditions. Surgeons will usually get a part of your scalp with hair and will graft those hair follicles into the bald spots of your scalp. The duration of this procedure may last from 4 to 8 hours, depending on your hair type and size of the area where you’re getting a transplant. After the surgery, you will be asked to take pain medications for a few days or weeks while your head heals. The only catch here is that it is expensive, and health insurance companies don’t usually cover these types of procedures.
Au-naturel way.
One of the best and cheapest ways to treat hair loss is the natural way. This includes changing your diet, lifestyle, and letting your hair grow out naturally. In essence, a change in your diet causes positive effects on the body, and in turn, may also encourage healthy hair growth. Aside from supplements, biotin, a nutrient that is known to support hair growth, can also be found in certains foods like egg yolks, red meat, legumes, and some fruits.
Other celebrities also admit to using wigs or hairpieces while they let their hair grow back to its natural state without having to compromise their look on the red carpet. One of the disadvantages of letting your hair grow back naturally is that it is time-consuming and requires you to be more disciplined with your lifestyle.
How to Take Care of Your Hair–the Hollywood Way
Whether you’re here to address a hair loss condition or just here to gawk at gorgeous and luscious hair, there is a lesson to be learned about how to take care of your locks the Hollywood way. Here are some of the tricks professional hair stylists do to ensure that celebrities have their picture-perfect hairdo every time.
Establish a hair care routine and stick to it!
There are different hair care routines for different hair types, and the first thing you’d have to do is find out what your hair type is! Then, you can create a hair care routine based on your hair type, whether it’s washing every day or not, using leave-in conditioners or not, using a hair dryer, or leaving it to air-dry. It’s your choice! Just make sure that it’s appropriate for your hair and that you stick to it!
Take vitamin supplements
Supplements ensure that your body gets all the proper vitamins and nutrients that you cannot acquire from your diet alone. Make sure to find supplements that have biotin to encourage healthy hair growth. Aside from that, supplements boost your immune system, so talk about hitting two birds with one stone!
Use heat protectants
Celebrity or not, no woman is exempt from the damaging effects of heat styling. Whether it’s using a hair dryer, a hair straightener, or a hair curler, frequently using these products may end up damaging your hair instead of actually making it look better! If you’re someone who always uses heat to style your hair, it’s best to use heat protectants before you place your scalp under any heat.
Wear wigs or hairpieces
If you’re letting your hair grow back to its natural, healthy state, one of the best ways to prevent further damage to your hair is by wearing a wig or a hairpiece! These faux hair products help you retain your gorgeous look and great confidence while letting your mane regrow.
Here’s the thing about celebrities. In our eyes, they’re perfect beings and we are just mere mortals compared to their looks. But behind the pretty hairdos and flashing smiles, these celebrities are also human! While some reasons for hair loss are not natural, what we should remember is that change in our body is completely normal. And when you finally make peace with that fact, you’ll be able to find ways to become confident and comfortable with your body.
