Whether an ordinary citizen or a high-profile star, wacky hairlines can give you a tough time. Hairlines are hard to keep. Once it starts to go, you will find it leaning back until you decide to go completely bald. The situation becomes even worse for people associated with the entertainment industry as constant wear and tear from weaves and styling causes them unavoidable consequences. Most celebrity women fail to embrace their moving hairlines, while many are open. In this article, we will talk about the ten worst celebrity hairlines that became the talk of the town in no time.
What is a Receding Hairline?
Hair loss is a prevalent issue faced by both women and men. Almost half of the worldwide population suffers from abnormal hair loss at some point in life. The American Academy of Dermatology (AAD) revealed that nearly 40% of women experience hair loss by turning 40 (1). As hair starts falling in chunks, bald patches develop in the scalp. The hairline moves above the normal forehead in another kind of hair loss. Though there are multiple ways to combat hair loss, a receding hairline is irreversible unless you undergo a hair restoration treatment.
Causes of Hairline Recession
We have almost 100,000 hair follicles underneath the surface of our scalp. When they get damaged near the hairline, the average growth cycle of hair fibers gets disturbed. This results in a receding hairline. Following are some of the significant factors that contribute to this condition:
- Age
- Heredity
- Hormonal changes
- Traction alopecia (gradual hair loss caused by hairstyles that are too tight, like ponytails, braids, etc.)
- Autoimmune diseases, such as alopecia areata (2)
- Illness due to high fever, severe infections, surgery, etc.
- Certain medications (used to treat cancer, etc.)
- Poor diet and lifestyle choices
- High levels of stress
Female pattern hair loss (FPHL) or androgenetic alopecia is responsible for general hair thinning and lesser volume of hair. It turns the part wider and makes the scalp visible. FPHL increases with age and affects more than 50% of women (3). However, the hairline usually does not recede in this kind of baldness.
Symptoms of Hairline Recession
The process of hairline recession usually starts above the temples and moves back across the top of the head. Most of the time, the hair in the middle stays closer to the forehead, leaving the scalp bare at the sides and the back of the head. It also leads to a ‘V’-shaped hair growth in the front. The entire hairline can also move back, giving the forehead a more prominent appearance.
How to Manage a Receding Hairline?
No guaranteed treatment will stop a receding hairline. But there are health strategies and treatments you may want to consider to keep your hair as full as you can for as long as possible.
- Eat an antioxidant-rich, healthy diet to protect your hair from oxidative damage.
- Apply traditional herbal hair loss remedies (Chinese hibiscus, ginseng, gotu kola, gooseberry, aloe vera, etc.) topically to your scalp by mixing them in a carrier oil (4).
- Replace your regular shampoo with a gentle ketoconazole shampoo that can stimulate the follicles in your hairline.
- Combine essential oils (rosemary, peppermint, lavender, etc.) with a carrier oil for topical application.
- Massage your scalp gently with your fingertips for at least 4 minutes daily to promote blood circulation (5).
10 Worst Celebrity Hairlines That Will Shock You
As celebrities navigate hairline recession during their careers, they either strive to conceal it or bravely acknowledge the issue, overcoming potential embarrassment. Here, we highlight ten female stars who have significantly faced this challenge while maintaining their focus on fame and appearance.
1. Naomi Campbell
The ‘supermodel,’ who once ruled the glamour world, faced one of the worst cases of traction alopecia after using extensions and weaves for years. It once forced her to avoid all the glitz and blitz or cover her bad hair all the time. But after realizing that covering up always worsens the condition, Naomi stopped hiding her balding and started caring for it. This led to most of her bald spots growing 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 Campbell, Evening Standard (6)
2. Lindsay Lohan
The Mean Girls star was famous for her gorgeous hair, but the redhead has hurt it significantly. It is thought that the crazy lifestyle of the actress took a toll on the health of her locks and made them fall apart. Though Lindsay successfully hides her bald spots most of the time, the camera frenzy people often catch her with a receding hairline and scraggly hair.
3. Britney Spears
Once declared as the ‘queen’ of the pop world, Britney Spears shaved off all her hair in full view of the paparazzi in 2007. She had to go through a lot at a young age, which was coupled with charges of drugs, divorces, etc., as she grew up into an adult. The receding hairline was an added anomaly in her life, as it says all about her mane even after she tries to cover up her visible baldness with thin, ratty-looking weaves.
4. Tyra Banks
Tyra Banks is undoubtedly a true inspiration when dealing with a receding hairline. Her hairline shows how high-stress levels and years of processing affect the natural hair by causing alopecia areata or spot baldness. The model celebrity has been through it all, and she never hesitates to talk about how much effort is needed to transform it into a glorious mane.
“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.” – Tyra Banks, The Wall Street Journal (7)
5. Keira Knightley
For the award-winning actress Keira, the hair started falling out with dying, and it became even worse as she kept wearing wigs for five consecutive years. Her experiment with her hair inevitably made her pay the price at a later date. This is what most of the actors experience these days. However, the hair began growing in 2015 as Keira became pregnant with her daughter Edie.
“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 Knightley, InStyle (8)
Read Also – 12 Best Hairstyles for Gym to Get a Trendy, Workout-Ready Look
6. Jennifer Lopez
While Jennifer Lopez is aging like fine wine, her hair is not. Just do an old vs. recent comparison of JLo’s photos, and you will see how her hairline has been moving back. The superstar has been suffering from traction alopecia due to wearing her hair in tight ponytails or buns always, and it proves how her hair has fallen prey to the beauty standards in the entertainment industry.
7. Rihanna
From trying exclusive colors to styling the strands extensively, Rihanna never leaves a chance to play with her drop-dead gorgeous mane. But this practice comes with a price, and even a pretty face can not do anything about it. Though the star rocks all hair colors and styles with aplomb, her hairline reveals that her hair has already taken the fall for whatever it has gone through over the years.
8. Viola Davis
It took Viola Davis some time to realize that she had been suffering from alopecia areata, which was solely caused by stress. The acclaimed actress internalized the struggle of balding and got into the habit of wearing wigs to make people believe she was beautiful. She was so embarrassed about her hair that she kept it hidden until she was liberated from that feeling and learned to embrace her natural hair.
“I woke up one day, and it looked like I had a Mohawk. Big splash of bald on the top of my head. I was like, What is this? Until I found out it was stress-related. That’s how I internalized it. I don’t do that anymore. My favorite saying in the world is, ‘The privilege of a lifetime is being who you are.’ I am telling you, I have spent so much of my life not feeling comfortable in my skin. I am just so not there anymore.” – Viola Davis, Vulture (9)
9. Beyonce
‘Queen Bey’ has long been on top of the wig game among the celebrities listed here. With a hairline receding slowly, the talented singer seems to be dealing with traction alopecia; hence, she prefers to hide her natural hair under the best wigs or weaves. However, it is hard to find bad pictures of her as she is incredibly conscious about maintaining her public image.
10. Christina Aguilera
Pop superstardom has showered Christina with fame and money and caused her hairline to recede along with her pattern baldness. Her addiction to hairdressing took a severe toll on her crowning glory, leaving bald patches on her scalp and pushing her hairline back.
Summary:
Hair loss is an extremely common issue faced by both women and men around the world. As hair starts falling in chunks, bald patches may develop in the scalp and the hairline may also start moving above the normal forehead. Though there are multiple ways to combat hair loss, a receding hairline is considered mostly as an irreversible issue unless you go for a hair restoration treatment. When the hair follicles under the scalp get damaged near the hairline, the normal growth cycle of hair fibers gets disturbed, thus causing a receding hairline. Age, heredity, hormonal changes, traction alopecia, autoimmune diseases, illness, certain medications, poor diet, unhealthy lifestyle, and stress are some common factors that contribute to this condition. The process usually starts above the temples and moves back across the top of the head gradually. When celebrities go through the hairline recession during the course of their career, they either do their best to keep it hidden or open up about the damage by overcoming the embarrassment. Naomi Campbell, Lindsay Lohan, Britney Spears, Tyra Banks, Keira Knightley, Jennifer Lopez, Rihanna, Viola Davis, Beyonce, Christina Aguilera, etc. are some popular female celebrities, who experienced it bigtime while focusing on fame and appearance.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
How Can I Regrow My Hairline?
While regrowing your hairline is not possible naturally, you can try improving your hair’s health, volume, and appearance by choosing natural remedies to stimulate its growth. These include aloe vera, coconut, fish, ginseng, onion juice, and rosemary oil. Etc.
Can You Stop a Receding Hairline?
Once the hairline starts receding, you cannot stop it in any way. However, you can always try strengthening your existing hair by taking good care of it, preventing it from falling out.
Is Receding Hairline Normal?
A receding hairline that loses around 100 hairs daily is considered normal. But if it goes beyond that and you start losing hair from your hairline in chunks, seek the help of a doctor.
Is It Possible to Regrow Hair on Temples?
If you have started losing hair on your temples, consult your doctor. They may prescribe you topical medications like minoxidil (Rogaine), which is known to be a potential solution for stimulating hair follicles and producing hair growth.
References:
- “Hair Loss in Women“, WebMD.com
- “Alopecia Universalist,” RareDiseases.info.NIH.gov
- “Female Pattern Hair Loss: Current Treatment Concepts,” NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
- “Hair Growth: Focus on Herbal Therapeutic Agent“, ResearchGate.net
- “Standardized Scalp Massage Results in Increased Hair Thickness by Inducing Stretching Forces to Dermal Papilla Cells in the Subcutaneous Tissue,” NCBI.nlm.nih.gov
- “Naomi Campbell on Her Work with Refugees, Wanting a Baby and Why Nothing Will Ever Come between Her and Kate…“, Standard.co.uk
- “Model Mogul: Banks’s Next Chapter,” WSJ.com
- “Keira Knightley Forced to Wear Wigs in Films after Dye Made Her Hair Fall Out,” Independent.co.uk
- “Viola Davis’s 14-Step Guide to Happiness“, Vulture.com
