“This is a very weird video,” Osaka starts, laughing. “I’ve been really struggling with my hair for like the past two years. Like, during pregnancy and after pregnancy I lost my edges and stuff.
“They’re back now,” she adds proudly. “Well, kind of. Kind of! Don’t look too closely. I also dyed my hair a lot, so I had to cut it off, blah, blah, blah. But I think it’s back now.”
According to Johns Hopkins Medicine, postpartum hair loss—known as telogen effluvium—is common after childbirth:
“Postpartum hair thinning or hair loss… occurs when hormone levels drop back to their regular levels after childbirth… Postpartum hair loss usually ends about 6–12 months after giving birth. Most women see their hair returning to its normal thickness as their hormone levels stabilize.”
Read More: Naomi Osaka opens up about body image struggles, pressure to “snap back” after giving birth
Osaka welcomed her daughter Shai on July 7, 2023, after stepping away from tennis in late 2022. She returned to training just two weeks later and has since spoken openly about body image challenges and the pressure—self-imposed and external—to “snap back.”
“Anyway, I’ve been wearing a ponytail, as you can tell, because I didn’t know how to wear my hair,” Osaka says later in the TikTok. “And then I watched one TikTok yesterday—don’t look too close, again—but I think we’re back! Hey!”
