Kaz Crossley has taken to social media to openly talk about her struggle with stress induced alopecia, which was triggered after her recent stay in a Dubai jail.
The former Love Island star revealed that the hair loss was a result of ‘recent stress’ after she was held in a prison on suspicion of drug offences.
Kaz was detained at Abu Dhabi airport in early February whilst transferring to a flight heading to Thailand – where the reality TV star was heading to carry out voluntary work.
Updating her 1.1 million followers, Kaz revealed that she was currently holidaying in the Dominican Republic to celebrate a friend’s birthday. But whilst the first picture showed the star looking glamorous in an orange headband, the next photo showed an emotional Kaz revealing a small bald patch at the front of her hair.
Opening up to fans, she shared ‘Due to recent stress, I’m experiencing hair loss. It’s got a lot thinner, I also have a small bald patch right at the front of my head.’
She continued, ‘I’m still trying to cover it by changing my parting or wearing one of my @Kazbands (of course) but when I tie my hair up it’s still so noticeable. In all honesty I’m pretty sure it’s getting worse. I’m not usually one to care too much about what I look like, but it’s starting to affect my confidence.’
Kaz also asked followers for ‘advice or products/treatments’ – writing ‘Feel free to comment below, you’d really be helping me out and hopefully others reading this too. #hairloss #alopecia.’
Using her platform to share her own experience, Kaz opened up about the profound impact her alopecia was having on her self-confidence and body image.
One fan wrote, ‘Do some blood work or visit a dermatologist to rule out any conditions. Otherwise try managing stress with meditation, yoga, or therapy.’
Another advised, ‘Looks like alopecia areata. I would book an appointment to a dermatologist or referral via general practitioner 🙌’
And whilst Kaz admitted her own brand of hair accessories were coming to the rescue, one fan flagged up that not using the right materials could cause more damage. They wrote ‘If the Kaz Bands aren’t satin lined, they will make it worse,’ with another fan agreeing ‘Silk or satin are the best materials.’
Fellow Love Islander Georgia Harrison also took to the comments to show her support and share her own hair loss story. Explaining that she too experienced similar issues after dealing with stress she recommended a treatment called PRP Hair Rejuvination – in which your blood is drawn, processed, and then injected into your scalp.
‘I can see my hair regrowth and my psoriasis on my scalp has cleared up,’ Georgia wrote, joking ‘We could go for a bald batch blast together when you’re back 😂❤️’
And some of the star’s friends took to the comments to simply share their support. One fan wrote ‘Huge shout out for the honesty,’ whilst fellow Love Islander Demi Jones added ‘You’ve got this angel 💪🏻’
Clearly, Kaz isn’t alone in her hair loss struggle.
In fact, research carried out by Monpure found that over half of women find themselves struggling with hair loss at some point in their life. Proving that there's still barriers to break down, the same research revealed that 80% of women felt that there was more social stigma attached to female hair loss than male.
From celebs such as Jada Pinkett-Smith to Viola Davis, many women in the public eye have battled hair loss.
So why aren’t we talking about it?
Stress is a common trigger when it comes to young women experiencing hair loss, but it isn't the only factor at play when it comes to thinning locks.
Some factors can be easily remedied, such as a change in diet or reducing the amount of heat used on your hair. Other factors are less easy to control - with areas of hair loss being linked to genetics, menopause, and childbirth.
In many cases, hair loss is often temporary. But whilst it’s not a condition associated with any life-threatening consequences, it doesn’t deserve to be brushed under the carpet.
But with women like Kaz sharing their own hair loss journey, we're one step closer to breaking down those taboos.