Gabrielle Union is notoriously candid about everything in her life. From her marriages to her children, her struggles with mental illness, and beyond. So it is no shock that she is taking fans on her latest journey, and one that has been very vulnerable for her. Union is experiencing hair loss and opened up about the changes in her hair.
Gabrielle Union has been a beauty and hair staple for years. Since her breakthrough, people have always complimented her hair and skin. As a result, Union launched a haircare line following an initial struggle with hair loss following IVF treatment when she was trying to get pregnant. Called Flawless, the haircare line was established around the same time she was losing hair from IVF, something that was hard for Union to deal with. However, the journey helped her develop healthier hair habits that allowed her to relaunch the line in 2020 with Amazon.
“I wanted to postpone the launch so that I could have some time to grow back my hair because launching a brand called Flawless when you feel the opposite was very disingenuous,” she recalled about the initial 2017 launch. Union says another big component of the relaunch was her gaining ownership in the company, which at the time of launch was only “black-fronted” but not “black-owned.” Fighting to grow her hair back after IVF was a big part of the relaunch because Gabrielle was able to test different things and see what worked and what did not work. This was instrumental in how they rebranded with new formulas.
Eventually, Union reformed a new relationship with her own hair. In 2022 she talked about letting go of what “acceptable” hair looked like and embracing her natural hair. Union says that quarantine allowed her to grow her hair out and let it be free and healthy. She used this newfound freedom for a series of photoshoots to promote further extensions of Flawless. Union also says that her husband Dwyane Wade and daughter Zaya’s own experimentation with their hair helped further research and reach of her products since they liked dying their hair.
“As a parent, I had to really work to unlearn a lot of traditions and let go of ideals about what acceptable hair is supposed to look like and really leaned more into healthy hair.” In a video from December, Union promoted her Flawless product and talked about how her secret to hair growth has been hydration. She also reveals that she cut her hair 1.5 years ago and has been working on regrowing ever since.
Despite all her advances and fight to keep her hair, it appears the results of Union’s IVF took a toll on her hair. Some sites have pointed out what seems to be clear signs of baldness on the side of Union’s head, matching up with the description she gave about her hair loss in 2017. Union said it was a “headband of baldness,” which can be seen under her braids in a picture of her giving her daughter a kiss.
Gabrielle Union continues to promote her hair growth product and contributes her hair growth to the product. In a new reel, Union shared an update of her hair from July 2021 to current.
