Keira Knightley Comes Clean About Going Bald And Severe Acne Outbreaks

Oscar-nominated actress Keira Knightley opened up about her health and beauty practices in a new interview, and the Everest actress was her usual candid self in talking about her struggles with maintaining her look, going so far as to reveal news of her secret hair loss. Ms. Knightley also spoke about her fight with severe acne and the differences between American and British beauty and fashion practices, revealing that British women take a much more relaxed approach to the ways in which they publicly present themselves.

Keira Knightley Confesses That She’s Been Suffering From Hair Loss For The Past Five Years

Entertainment Tonight reports that Knightley has been losing her hair gradually over the past five years and that Keira believes the change occurred because of her frequent dyeing and hairstyling practices for film roles. This explains the drastic changes seen in Knightley’s appearances in The Imitation Game, in which she sported short, blonde hair, and in Everest in which Keira’s hair was darker than usual.

“I have dyed my hair virtually every color imaginable for different films,” Ms. Knightley confesses. “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.”

While the actress does say that her hair loss has been significant enough to require wigs, Keira also revealed that her existing real hair has again changed since she became a mother. She says her natural hair has always been very curly, but it has been doubly so, since giving birth to daughter Edie. The thicker hair has begun to form dreadlocks, which Keira smooths out by applying Tangle Teezer to the problem tresses.

“It gets rid of the kinks without snagging my hair out. I also use conditioner every two or three days,” says Ms. Knightley. “Bumble and Bumble Creme de Coco, £21, loosens my curls and makes my hair smell like coconut.”

Collateral Beauty Actress Keira Knightley Fesses Up About Her History With Severe Acne

During her interview with InStyle UK, Knightley was asked about her beauty practices as a teenager and in revealing that the only make-up she wore was black eyeliner, Keira also revealed a struggle with acne. While this is nothing exceptional for a teenager going through puberty, the Collateral Beauty actress reveals that her case was more severe than the average outbreak. Keira says she tried virtually every skin care product on the market, but none of it seemed to have a lasting effect.

“I tried a million products, but none of them worked. I had bad skin up until I was 25. I later learned that it was more about diet and hormonal changes.”

While the war on acne is a universal struggle for all teenagers, Keira does reveal that the British outlook on beauty varies greatly from that of American women. While American women are rarely seen in public without their nails and hair done, Knightley says British women are more “grungy” in the way they present themselves. She adds that she also falls in line with the British outlook, preferring not to polish herself, unless it’s absolutely necessary. Even then, Keira says she feels phony.

“When I look sleek, I feel like I’m pretending. Whenever I’m not filming though, I paint my nails with a bold Chanel colour, like Mythique, £18, and wear Chanel’s Rouge Coco Stylo in Roman, £26, it’s my lip amour,” says Ms. Knightley. “It’s the perfect pink shade, and has the texture of a lipstick, gloss and balm in one.”

Keira Knightley will next be seen in the David Frankel drama Collateral Beauty, due out on December 16.

[Photo by Mike Coppola/Getty Images]