Jennifer Grey Gets Candid About Her Experience with Hair Loss
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When I hopped on a Zoom call with Jennifer Grey, it was hard to believe that the topic of our interview was to discuss her recent hair loss, especially as I stared at her full, healthy, light brown waves with perfectly placed blonde highlights. Grey started the call acknowledging that she’s always had a great head of hair: “I’ve always been the girl with the hair. It’s something I took for granted. I thought it would be something I would always have...and I didn’t know it would change.”
The change she’s speaking of, however, wasn’t obvious. The 62-year-old actress didn’t wake up one morning and notice significant shedding whenever she finger-combed her hair. In fact, she can’t recall any particular moment when the strands began to drop. But sometime during the “middle of the pandemic,” she realized her strands were beginning to look lackluster and flat. “My hair just felt a little bit lifeless, a little bit sad,” she says.
Grey shared her feelings with her go-to hairstylist, Tracey Cunningham, who suggested a haircare brand named Harklinikken. The brand's clinic, founded by Danish researcher Lars Skjøth, is becoming a bit of a mecca for celebrities who are looking for natural hair loss solutions (Ricki Lake is an avid user and spokesperson). At this point, Grey really wasn’t seeking help for hair loss but liked the idea of getting a personalized hair assessment (the brand offers a free online hair assessment as well as more personalized consultations in-person and online), so she met with Skjøth in Beverly Hills. After a thorough analysis, he mixed up a custom hair extract (a proprietary blend that includes burdock root, marigold, apple, and other botanicals) and told Grey to apply it nightly. She’s followed his instructions to a T. “Before I go to bed, I shake the bottle of extract and then distribute it all over my scalp using a little included syringe. Then I massage it in. Takes about 30 seconds,” she says. Grey also washes and conditions her hair daily and does minimal styling. Skjøth explains that washing and vigorously massaging the scalp every day helps provide better absorption of the product.
Four months later, Grey was back at the Harklinikken clinic to review her before and after photos. They revealed a significant change in her hair. “I kind of didn’t know that my hairline had been receding and my part had gotten wider until I saw these photos. But there was an undeniable shift,” says Grey, who is now a spokesperson for the brand.
Hair loss is a nuanced condition that ranges in severity, from thinning to baldness. It can result from a variety of factors, including genetics, hormonal changes, and aging, according to the Mayo Clinic. There are also reports that say about 55 percent of women experience some hair loss by the age of 70. As we get older, studies show that it’s common for hair to become thinner as a result of the gradual decline in estrogen production post-menopause. Less estrogen also means less natural oils, which the scalp needs to hydrate hair and keep it shiny and healthy, Ellen Marmur, MD, a dermatologist in New York City and founder of MM Skincare, previously told Oprah Daily. Without enough sebum, the scalp becomes dry and flaky, which can result in dull, dry hair prone to breakage. This is what Grey was experiencing before turning to Harklinikken.
With the return of healthy, thicker hair, Grey admits she has a newfound love and appreciation for her strands. But she also realized the power and importance of vulnerability and seeking help. “There’s nothing worse than feeling powerless in a situation,” she says. But there’s nothing better than “taking action, advocating for yourself, and honoring the fact that something’s bothering you.”
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