Hair loss is a lot more common than you may realise and it affects one or two people in every 1,000 in the UK. Last week two of UK’s actress Andrea McLean and Nadia Sawalha admitted to the large public they suffer from thinning hair and are showing early signs of baldness.

‘I feel less womanly’: Loose Women’s Andrea McLean, 47, declared admitting she suffers from thinning hair and covers it with make-up. Her co-host Nadia Sawalha broke down in tears as she showed fans her thinning locks in an emotional online video.

Nadia Sawalha is an English actress and television presenter best known for her role as Annie Palmer in the BBC One soap opera EastEnders from 1997 to 1999.

Andrea, 47 says that she is also thinning on top, explaining that her hair has extensions in it

‘Mine started thinning in my early forties,’ she admitted. ‘I actually spray it, I put make-up on it to cover it.

(…) It makes you feel less womanly, and I decided that I won’t take it lying down!’

In the video, Nadia had said: ‘I used to have the most amazing hair. It was my crowning glory. It was my favourite thing about myself,’ she cried in the video. ‘I’ve lost about a third of my hair – my hair does not like this normally,’ Nadia said, referring to her full-looking locks.

“I’ve got male pattern baldness!”

‘My hair really started to change after I had my kids. Bloody kids.

I lost a lot like a lot of new mums do but it started to change a lot, the texture… having gone from naturally curly hair. It would go frizzy.

‘But when I started going through Perimenopause (the start of the transition towards menopause) I think I lost a third of my hair.

“People always say my hair is so thick and amazing. This is where it’s balding. I’m losing it all over.”

‘It sounds awful saying it as people lose all of their hair to alopecia or cancer treatment but it doesn’t make it any easier, the fact that I’m losing my hair.’ ‘I went to the top hair guy, a specialist, who said to me that I have the balding gene.

‘I didn’t know women could have it. He drew this picture of my hair follicles and he was saying the follicles have closed [in some areas] and they aren’t coming back.
‘Sometimes I think I shouldn’t be ungrateful. ‘It just makes me feel old and I know I should feel grateful, I do try to and I do say I’m grateful but it doesn’t mean that I don’t miss my hair terrible.’

In September 2016, Nadia announced on an episode of Loose Women that she had been diagnosed when she lost an excessive amount of hair after becoming a mother.

I’ve been diagnosed with the balding gene. My hair is a quarter of what it used to be.’

Nadia, who is a mother to 13-year-old Maddy and 9-year-old Kiki, continued: ‘All mums lose some hair when they have a baby, but I noticed that more and more hair started coming out and it wasn’t growing back.

‘I eventually went to a top guy in London. He got this massive magnifying glass out. He said, “I’m very sorry to tell you, you have the balding gene.

” You don’t lose hair just because you age, you have to have the gene.’
And admitting that like many women, she takes great pride in her hair, she added: ‘I do define myself by my hair… I feel really shallow about it… I feel almost guilty. A lot of women don’t talk about it because we’re like, “Well, I haven’t got cancer, why am I worried about losing my hair?”’.

Keep in mind: You don’t have to suffer in embarrassed silence. You can get help – once you know where to look.

If you are in the same situation and looking at hair restoration you will need to see a Hair specialist. You need to know the cause of the hair thinning and hair loss and what process will be adopted by the specialist to examine the cause.

There can be various reasons for hair loss: Genetics, nutrition, infection, hormonal, drugs, hair products and lifestyle could be certain causes but how do you figure out what is your cause and what can you do about it.

How to find your Hair Loss Cause(s) 

Rule out the basic causes – medication or infection could be troubling you – if so speak to your doctor.  Otherwise, follow what we call the NUTRIGRO Hair Plan. Professor Romesh Gupta OBE from Lancaster University calls it “a revolutionary natural plan to keep your hair for longer”.

N – utrition. With our busy lives, it is possible to miss out on essential protein vitamins and minerals. How would you know if this is the case? Try some hair protein, vitamin and mineral capsules such as Nutrigro capsules or Noukrin for three months and see if they make a difference. Ayurvedic research shows that ‘cooling’ foods such as salad, yogurts and fruits help. This is based on the theory that an imbalance in Pitta or heat energy is imbalanced in the scalp.

U – se non-harsh chemical, no Sodium Lauryl Sulphate, no artificial dyes or artificial colours hair products as normal hair products may be causing a reaction.

T – raining. Make sure you do physical and breathing exercises daily to increase blood circulation and hence nutrients to the hair follicles. Yoga and exercises that specifically help the scalp and hair are in my book, Hair Today…Hair Tomorrow.

R – outinely remove toxins. Massage your scalp daily to improve circulation and remove toxins.

I – magine yourself enjoying great hair and a healthy scalp. A positive self-image can help a positive outcome. Everything happens twice in life – first in the mind than in reality. Imagining the hair you want can play a part in trying to realize that goal. Cut out the hair you would want and place it on a picture of yourself. Let nature work on your goal.

GRO – wth of existing hair and a healthy scalp can be achieved in this way.

If your hair is falling off easily try the new Red LED scalp roller treatment. This is simply a plastic device you roll on the scalp to cause microchannels allowing ingredients to hold the hair more strongly to the follicle, the ‘live’ part from which the hair grows. It causes collagen and elastin to be made to strengthen the follicle further.

Here is a list of other celebrities who have spoken openly about their hair loss, and regained their hair:

1. Viola Davis – Actress, How to Get Away With Murder This ground-breaking, award-winning actress and Hollywood A-lister confessed to frequently wearing wigs on the red carpet to hide her patchy hair loss caused by alopecia areata.
2.   Jesy Nelson – Singer, Little Mix The former X Factor contestant explained to the Little Mix website, “I was probably about 13 when my hair just started coming out. Stress can cause alopecia and it wasn’t nice. “ Now it has regrown, the pop star says she loves having ‘big hair’.
3.  Sean Ward – Actor, Coronation Street Sean Ward nearly missed out on getting his big break playing bad boy Callum Logan on top TV soap, Coronation Street. The actor considered quitting the profession when he started losing patches of hair brought on by stress. His hair loss righted itself although it is unknown whether he used any form of treatment, such as high strength minoxidil, or if it regrew naturally.
4. Tyra Banks – Model & TV Presenter Tyra Banks always looked impeccably groomed. When she turned her hand to writing, however, the stress became too much and, as she explained to the Wall Street Journal, “How can I say this without tearing up? I got a little alopecia from the stress.”
5. Jimi Mistry – Actor, East is East. Stress is thought to be one of the key triggers of Alopecia Areata and actor Jimi Mistry developed bald patches during a particularly anxious time in his life. Following nationwide success upon joining the Eastenders cast and international acclaim for his work in films like East is East, the attention made the star agoraphobic. Coupled with a strained marriage and not knowing who his biological father was, the actor – who is now married to his Strictly Come Dancing partner, Flavia Cacace – developed AA’s signature patchy hair loss, which later resolved itself.