Female Celebrities Dealing with Hair Loss

Celebrities are just like us; they deal with all the same problems as regular folks. That includes hair loss. While hair loss (and, more specifically, balding) is typically associated with men, many women also experience thinning of the hair. It can be quite a traumatic thing to go through, especially for those constantly in the public eye. Good news: there are hair loss solutions to help restore a person’s locks.

What Causes Hair Loss in Women?

The typical hair cycle goes through three stages: the anagen phase, the catagen phase, and the telogen phase. Hair loss occurs when there’s a disruption to that cycle. In this cycle, most people lose 50-100 hairs per day, but hair loss means that a person will lose more than that.

The most common cause of hair loss in women is female pattern baldness (androgenic alopecia), which usually affects women later in life. Other potential causes include telogen effluvium (shock hair loss usually caused by stress) and anagen effluvium (caused by medications like chemotherapy). Understanding the root cause of hair loss gives you a greater understanding of how to treat it.

Who Are the Female Celebrities with Hair Loss?

With how common female pattern hair loss is – affecting around 40% of women by the age of 50 [1] – it’s no surprise that there are plenty of female celebrities with hair loss, including actresses, singers, models, and more. Here are some of the most high-profile celebrity women with thinning hair or complete baldness.

Jada Pinkett Smith

There are several bald famous women out there, and Jada Pinkett Smith is one of the most famous. The actress, talk-show host, and spouse of Will Smith is an extremely influential and talented lady who experienced hair loss after battling alopecia areata. Speaking during Red Table Talk in 2018, Pinkett Smith said about her hair loss [2]:

“It was terrifying when it first started. I was in the shower one day, and then just handfuls of hair, just in my hands, and I was like ‘oh my God am I going bald?’”

She later went on to say she was shaking in fear. Of course, those initial fears lessened as time went on, with Jada Pinkett Smith finally embracing the bald look, joining other bald female celebrities. It clearly didn’t detract from her beauty, as her striking features lend themselves nicely to a bald or close-shave cut.

Tyra Banks

Another celebrity female with hair loss is Tyra Banks, who also experienced alopecia areata. She cited stress as the driving force behind her hair loss. It’s suspected that she had telogen effluvium, with the stress involved with writing her book “Modelland” causing shock hair loss. Since that time, she has been able to grow a full head of hair.

Kristen Davis

Kristen Davis was one-quarter of the hit TV show Sex and the City, starring alongside castmates Sarah Jessica Parker, Kim Cattrall, and Cynthia Nixon. In the show (and in real life), Davis was known for her gorgeous brunette locks. It’s hard to imagine that she became one of the female celebrities with hair loss, but it’s true. As the years went by, Davis experienced hair loss, causing her once effortlessly thick locks to turn thin.

She stated that the reason behind it was excessive damage, potentially from using hair extensions over the years. This isn’t uncommon – damage caused by something like hair extensions happens all the time and is called traction alopecia. That, paired with the fact that Kristen Davis is now in her 50s, means that hair loss isn’t all that surprising. Thankfully, she knows how to work her thin hair and still looks gorgeous!

Lea Michele

Lea Michele is best known for starring as Rachel Berry in the hit TV show Glee. Since then, she’s found a lot of success on the stage, starring in Broadway productions like The Little Mermaid and Funny Girl. It’s hard to imagine a woman with so much success experiencing hair loss! Lea Michele became one of the female celebrities with hair loss when she had her child in 2021. In an Instagram post, Michele was very upfront about her hair loss, sharing a picture of her fallen hair with the caption, “The postpartum hair loss is REAL.” [3]

Postpartum hair loss is very common, affecting around 50% of new mums after giving birth. [4] Fortunately, this type of hair loss after giving birth is usually temporary, and your strands should go back to normal. If you look at Lea Michele today, you wouldn’t guess she experienced hair loss, as she now has her full head of dark hair once more.

Gail Porter

Gail Porter is one of the bald female celebrities who experienced alopecia totalis, which caused her to lose all of her hair. Refreshingly, Porter decided against hiding her baldness with wigs; instead, she raised awareness for female hair loss and supported charities that give children with hair loss access to wigs.

Gail Porter went through multiple types of treatments to try and help her alopecia, including steroids, but nothing really worked. Today, she still rocks her completely bald look – it gives her an edge and a uniqueness without lessening her beauty.

Ariana Grande

Ariana Grande is a pop sensation known for her high ponytail. Her hair always looks long and very thick, but that doesn’t mean she hasn’t experienced hair loss. After years of over-styling and dyeing her hair while starring in Victorious, Grande’s hair began to fall out. Cleverly, her signature ponytail is a way to hide her hair loss, and she often uses hair extensions to give the appearance of thicker locks. It definitely works for her!

Celebrity Female Hair Loss: More Common than You Might Think

As you can see, there are plenty of female celebrities with hair loss. Some of these are simply female celebs with thin hair, whereas others have experienced alopecia totalis, leading to a fully bald scalp.

Female Celebs Who Chose to Shave Their Heads

A woman without hair doesn’t necessarily mean she has experienced hair loss. In fact, several celebs have decided to shave their heads over the years, whether for an acting role or simply for the striking look.

Natalie Portman

Natalie Portman has a naturally beautiful face, which meant that when she shaved her head for V for Vendetta, the result looked stunning on her – if anyone could carry it off, it was Natalie Portman! She even said that she loved the bald result, and she can be seen sporting the look on the red carpet. She has since grown her hair out, but no one can deny just how strikingly beautiful she looked with a buzz cut.

Demi Moore

Demi Moore is a long-haired actress who’s starred in big hits like Ghost and Charlie’s Angels. Like Portman, she also shaved her head for a role – to get into her character for GI Jane, she shaved her head on camera. It was a bold move, and she naturally looked incredible, even after doing it herself!

Amber Rose

The American model and rapper Amber Rose is certainly one who always captures the attention of those around her. She became even more striking when she shaved her head at age 19, giving her a unique appearance that helped her stand out from the crowd. She carried on shaving her head for fourteen more years before deciding to grow her locks out in 2016.

It’s safe to say that the bald look can look incredible on women. It might not be the most traditional style for a female celebrity to have, but it can certainly make an impact. Having female celebrities with hair loss can also help both young girls and women come to terms with their own hair loss – showing them that they don’t need a full head of hair to be beautiful.

Can You Reverse Female Hair Loss?

Do you have a lot in common with these female celebrities with hair loss? Whether you’ve experienced slight hair thinning like Kristen Davis or lost all your hair like Gail Porter, you’ll likely want to know if you can reverse the damage.

It depends on the cause. For example, postpartum hair loss can easily be reversed, with new mums usually regaining all their hair by the time their baby reaches one year old. However, alopecia areata, alopecia totalis, and female pattern baldness do not have cures, and the hair loss doesn’t usually reverse. In this case, you’ll want to look into hair restoration treatments such as Minoxidil and hair transplants.

What About a Hair Transplant?

Much like hair loss, hair transplants are much more common than you might think, with many female celebrities getting hair transplants (including Naomi Campbell and Fergie Duhamel). A popular method is the FUE (follicular unit extraction) hair transplant, which involves removing individual follicles from a healthy donor area for an endlessly natural result.

Ready to restore your locks? Here at HS Hair Clinic, we have the top surgeons in hair transplants, providing patients with only the most natural results. If you’re interested in a female hair transplant, we can help you. Either get in touch or download our handy app, which will provide you with access to consultations.

Sources:

1. Demographics of women with female pattern hair loss and the effectiveness of spironolactone therapy
2. Jada Pinkett Smith speaks out about having alopecia
3. New mom Lea Michele shares photo of postpartum hair loss
4. Postpartum Hair Loss Is Real—Here’s How to Deal With It