Celebrities are more open about their beauty rituals than ever before. From what plastic surgeries they’ve had to their grossest guilty pleasures, it’s never been easier to know every aspect of a star’s routine. Recently, there’s been another once-taboo (but increasingly common) topic that celebs haven’t been afraid to get real: hair loss.
For years, the condition was considered something to hide and worry about in private, often leading to embarrassment around shedding for millions of people around the world. (Though, according to Webmd, 40 percent of women in the U.S. are affected by age 40.) Fortunately, many celebrities have begun to break through those stigmas by revealing their personal experiences with hair loss. The causes behind each person’s story varied: some experienced traction alopecia from wearing haircuts that were too tight, while many others experienced hair loss as a persistent side effect of COVID-19.
This is normal: “Hair loss [is] caused due to a sudden shock to a bodily function,” Bridgette Hill, board certified trichologist and founder of Root Cause Scalp Analysis, previously told POPSUGAR. “It can be stress-induced, hormonal, mental, nutritional, or physical.” on the other hand, “something is causing hair to stop growing,” according to the American Academy of Dermatology Association. The causes of hair loss can be hereditary, including harsh hair care products or an overreaction of the immune system, among other causes.
Still, stars speaking about their experiences help normalize the reality of hair loss and, hopefully, inspire action rather than sadness. Keep reading to see which celebs have gotten real about hair loss, along with what they’ve done to help.
Megan Trainer
While Trainor recently told POPSUGAR that she’s always had thin hair, it wasn’t until after the birth of her first child that she started experiencing more severe hair loss. “My first — I thought my hair was growing because of all the vitamins I was taking,” she says. “Postpartum, that’s when the lumps come out.”
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Jada Pinkett Smith
Image source: Getty/Axelle/Bauer-Griffin
In 2018, Jada Pinkett Smith revealed that she cut her hair because she experienced a “terrifying” moment in the shower where handfuls of hair came out. Over time, Pinkett realized she suffered from alopecia and recently shared a video revealing how the condition continues to progress, and has now left a faint line on her crown.
Pinkett continues to embrace her hair loss in a recent Instagram post, saying, “Me and this alopecia are going to be friends… period!”
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Alyssa Milano
Image source: Getty/Jon Kopaloff
In August 2020, Alyssa Milano revealed on Instagram that she was suffering from hair loss due to “long COVID” where people who previously had the COVID-19 virus suffered from a range of longer term side effects.
In the short video posted to Instagram, Milano sat in front of a camera with wet hair and began brushing her hair with a detangling brush. After each pass, Milano shows the clumps of hair both in the brush and in her hand. After sharing the final amount of hair she lost, Milano ended up urging anyone watching to “wear a mask.”
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Drake
Image source: Getty/Karwai Tang
Drake has also dealt with COVID-19 related hair loss. After a fan account compared the most recent version of the now-iconic heart etched into his hairline to the previous, fuller version, Drake wrote in the comments: “I had Covid that sh*t grew weird, I had to start over… It comes back, don’t diss.”
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Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley
Image source: Getty/Chip Somodevilla
In 2022, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley revealed she had been living with alopecia areata. In a video announcement, Congresswoman Pressley dropped the twists that had become a part of her brand to reveal that the last bit of hair she had on her head had fallen out.
She says she shared this information because she wanted to feel “free from the shame” that came with keeping her battle with alopecia a secret and said she still made peace with it. Since then, Congresswoman Pressley has become an advocate for alopecia awareness and continues to embrace her new look.
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Violet Davis
Image source: Getty/Jerod Harris
In 2014, Viola Davis revealed in an interview with Vulture that she lost half of her hair to alopecia areata. “I woke up one day and it looked like I had a Mohawk. Big splash of baldness on top of my head,” Davis said. She further realized that the condition was stress related and has since worn her natural hair in a cropped style, alternating with wigs and other extensions when she feels fit.
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Mary Cross
Image source: Getty/Rachel Luna
Marcia Cross revealed in 2018 that not only had she been battling cancer, but she also lost most of her hair due to the treatments. Caption to her photo: “So grateful and happy to be alive, but sad that my hair fell out…”
Cross asked her followers to share if they’ve been affected by cancer-related hair loss, and her comments were inundated with encouraging testimonials from others who also suffered from hair loss.
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Lala Anthony
TV personality Lala Anthony recently shared her experience of hair loss with POPSUGAR: “My hair just came out,” she says, adding that it was a direct result of wearing protective haircuts too much. “I always wear my hair up and [it’d] just constantly tugging at my edges.”
As a result, Anthony has come up with her own hair care solution, born from her kitchen called Inala, which aims to address damage.
