Jada Pinkett Smith Isn't The Only Celeb To Deal With Alopecia — Here Are Some Other Stars Who Have Opened Up About Hair Loss

"It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear."

Dealing with hair loss is painful — and when you're in the public eye, it can only make your journey even more difficult.

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Jada Pinkett Smith has been particularly open about her struggle with alopecia. With the condition affecting as many as 6.8 million people in the US, Jada is far from the only celeb who has dealt with hair loss.

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According to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation, alopecia related hair loss affects people of all ages and genders. And Mayo Clinic says it is often the result of genetics, stress, hormonal changes, medical conditions, or aging. 

While some stars have only temporarily dealt with hair loss, others have chosen to shave their heads or wear wigs. And no matter what their decision, these celebs have proven that hair or no hair, everyone is beautiful.

Here's what these stars had to say about hair loss:

1. Jada Pinkett Smith

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Jada Pinkett Smith first revealed her struggle with alopecia in 2018 and since then, she's been very open about how she deals with the condition. Although she says the first time discovered she was losing "handfuls of hair" in the shower, it was "terrifying," she has tried to embrace her alopecia. 

"It was one of those times in my life where I was literally shaking with fear...Even in my terror and even in my fear and in the moment of just going, ‘Oh, my God, like, why are you so terrified that you might lose your hair?’ I really had to put it in a spiritual perspective of, like, the higher power takes so much from people. People are out here who have cancer, people who have sick children. I watch the higher power take things every day. And, by golly, if the higher power wants to take your hair, that’s hair? When I looked at it from that perspective, it really did settle me," Jada said on Red Table Talk.

And in 2021, Jada decided that it was finally time to "let go" and shave her head — thanks to a little encouragement from her daughter Willow. After rocking her shaved head for most of the year, Jada shared that she was still determined to become "friends" with her alopecia. 

2. Jesy Nelson

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When former Little Mix singer Jesy Nelson was just 13, she began to lose her hair due to alopecia, brought on by stress. At the time, Jesy was being bullied, and her hair loss only made it worse. Her hair has since regrown. 

"I was probably about 13 when my hair just started coming out. Stress can cause alopecia, and it wasn’t nice. I got picked on because I’ve always liked to dress differently. I’ve never really wanted to fit in with everyone else," Jesy told Fabulous magazine.

3. Viola Davis

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Viola Davis was in her late 20s when she suddenly began losing her hair. She said the random bald patches on her head made her incredibly self-conscious, and for years, she covered up with wigs. 

"I woke up one day, and it looked like I had a Mohawk. Big splash of bald on the top of my head," Viola told Vulture. 

And while Viola admits she spent much of her life "not feeling comfortable" in her skin, she eventually ditched the wigs and decided she wanted to be herself. 

"It was a crutch, not an enhancement. I was so desperate for people to think that I was beautiful. I had to be liberated from that [feeling] to a certain extent," she added.

4. Neve Campbell

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Scream actress Neve Campbell says she began experiencing hair loss when she was in her early 20s, brought on by a stressful period in her life. 

“At 23, I developed alopecia. I was horribly overworked and going through a divorce. Also, I had stalkers and started receiving threatening mail. I was so distressed by it all that my hair started falling out. Life hasn’t always been a bowl of cherries," Neve told Daily Mail.

5. Tyra Banks

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Tyra Banks went through a period in her life where she experienced hair loss due to stress. The model and television personality explained that while she was writing her book Modelland, she started to lose her hair. 

"Honestly, chilling for me was eating a meal. I couldn't just look at the ocean. And in hindsight, that wasn't healthy. How can I say this without tearing up? I got a little alopecia from the stress," she told The Wall Street Journal.

6. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley

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In early 2020, Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley revealed that she had been living with alopecia for several months. After noticing a few bald spots a few months prior, her hair loss quickly escalated. Despite trying a multitude of techniques to stop the condition from progressing, she eventually lost all of her hair. 

"I did not want to go to sleep because I did not want the morning to come where I would remove this bonnet and my wrap and be met with more hair in the sink and an image in the mirror of a person who increasingly felt like a stranger to me," Ayanna said in a YouTube video.

When she began wearing a wig, Ayanna says she didn't feel true to herself and felt she owed an explanation to the little girls who had come to look up to her for the twists she formerly wore in her hair. When she was ready, she opened up about her condition and removed her wig in a video, freeing herself from her secret and the shame she felt. 

"I am making peace with having alopecia. I have not arrived there. I am very early in my alopecia journey. But I'm making progress every day...It’s about self-agency. It’s about power. It’s about acceptance," Ayanna said. 

7. Keira Knightley

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After many years of dyeing her hair for movies, Keira Knightley began to experience hair loss. She says things got so bad that she decided to start wearing wigs — which ended up being really helpful for her hair to heal. And after welcoming her baby Edie, her hair began to grow back even thicker.  

"I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films. It got so bad that my hair literally began to fall out of my head! So for the past five years, I’ve used wigs, which is the greatest thing that’s ever happened to my hair," Keira said back in 2016. 

8. Naomi Campbell

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Naomi Campbell began experiencing hair loss after many years of using extensions. She says she ended up with bald patches, but thankfully, after she began taking care of her hair, it grew back.   

"I do take more care of my hair now, because I lost all of it with extensions. I am more careful, and I do different things," Naomi told Evening Standard. 

9. Alyssa Milano

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After suffering from COVID, Alyssa Milano says she began experiencing hair loss caused by the stress her body endured fighting the virus. In a video on Instagram, she showed the clumps of hair she pulled from her head while brushing her wet hair. 

"Thought I’d show you what COVID-19 does to your hair. Please take this seriously. One brushing, this is my hair loss,” she said in the video.

10. Ricki Lake

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It took Ricki Lake nearly 30 years to be ready to open up about her hair loss. The actor says that for most of her adult life, she had been dealing with her hair falling out, which she believes all began on the set of Hairspray. After hairstylists triple-processed and teased her hair every two weeks, her hair was never the same.

"In my case, I believe my hair loss was due to many factors, yo-yo dieting, hormonal birth control, radical weight fluctuations over the years, my pregnancies, genetics, stress, and hair dyes and extensions. Working as talent on various shows and movies, whether DWTS or my talk show, also took its toll on my fine hair," Ricki wrote on Instagram. 

She says the ongoing ordeal has been "debilitating, embarrassing, painful, scary, [and] depressing" — and in 2020 she decided to finally shave her head and share her story. 

"Almost no one in my life knew the level of deep pain and trauma I was experiencing...I know that by sharing my truth, I will be striking a chord with so so many women and men. I am not alone in this, and my goal is to help others while at the same time unshackle myself from this quiet hell I have been living in," Ricki shared. 

11. Christina Milian

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After Christina Milian gave birth to her son Isaiah in 2020, she says she began to experience postpartum hair loss. She admitted that her confidence was "crushed" and was "embarrassed" by the situation, even trying to hide it from her boyfriend.  

"I have always taken pride in not being the girl that leaves hair in the shower. Like, you're not going to find my hair all over the soap. Well, I became that girl...It's a really disheartening experience. I had times where I wanted to cry because I wasn't sure if I'd ever have my hair grow back again," Christina told People. 

Christina was later on able to find products that helped her, which she continued to use after welcoming her third child. 

To learn more about alopecia, head to the National Alopecia Areata Foundation.