NOC’s Nina Tan Is Balding, Candidly Shares Hair Loss Journey & Cracks Jokes About Self Despite Feeling Down
“Just be kind, you never know what someone else may be going through” - this saying is one that you’ve probably heard time and again, but it's ever-relevant. And this is the very case for Nina Tan of Night Owl Cinematics fame, whom, despite still sporting what seems to be a full head of her trademark long locks, has been recently suffering from something we never would’ve expected: Hair loss.
Taking to Instagram, she candidly shares about her experience and even cracks jokes along the way, despite feeling down about the 3 bald spots she’s currently sporting.
Read on to find out more about Nina Tan’s hair loss and journey towards recovery!
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Drama has been rife in local media company Night Owl Cinematics (NOC) for the past two years. First came the heartbreaking divorce of co-founders Ryan Tan and Sylvia Chan, but that was just the tip of the iceberg. Following that was a whole expose with bullying allegations, a bunch of clapbacks, and a juicy 1h 40min nterview with celebrity influencer Xiaxue, among other happenings.
Finally, Ryan ended up leaving NOC, with Aiken Chia also following suit, and Sylvia’s brother posting shady Instagram stories in response.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Amidst all the furore, there’s been one person who has been laying low: Nina Tan. For those who don’t know, Nina happens to be Ryan’s cousin, but is also close friends with Sylvia, which has understandably put her in a tight spot throughout everything. Her last Instagram post in 2021 was uploaded in October, after which she went off the radar while the rest of the drama unfolded.
Nearly half a year later, she made an eventual social media comeback on 9 March 2022 with a surprising Instagram post detailing her battle with hair loss, with a lengthy caption suggesting that her condition was caused by stress.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Part of the post reads:
“Disclaimer: Bald spots/hair loss”
“Really want to document my new botak-ness down.”
“Introducing the 3 new bald spots in my head that send chills down my spine whenever there is a cold breeze lol.”
“Jokes aside, I’ve reach[ed] a stage in my life where my body tells me obvious signs when I needa chilllllllz the F out.”
She mentioned that she always felt that stress was something “normal” and that she wasn’t “special” because everyone else also experiences their own forms of stress. It was only until her “hair was breaking up with [her]” that she realised she had to seek medical help, which also involved the consumption of anti-anxiety medication.
She then went on to say that she would try to focus more on doing the things that bring her joy - including ending her online hiatus, much to the delight of fans.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
In addition to that, Nina also posted a series of Instagram stories detailing her situation, and even referred to herself as “kepala botak” - Malay for “hairless head”. She also revealed that one of the three bald spots started off thumb-sized, but suddenly grew much bigger over the span of just a weekend.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Not one to be easily brought down, she joked about naming all 3 of the spots to “give them an identity as part of [her] life journey”.
That said, Nina was honest in clarifying that she was indeed feeling sad about the whole situation, which has been taking quite a toll on her self-esteem. Nevertheless, she wanted to share some words of encouragement with those facing similar problems, and told them not to be disheartened, especially since “stressing doesn’t really help with the hair growth”.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
“I’m trying to be positive here but it’s really quite sad…[Especially] when you see the amount of hair falling out faster than someone ghosting you.”
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
It’s not all doom and gloom though. Nina has been seeking treatment for her hair loss issues, and has finally begun seeing some results! Although her 3 bald spots appear to be bigger than before, the silver lining is that baby hairs are actually sprouting from her scalp, which means that she does stand a good chance of regaining her full crowning glory.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Nina has not yet shared where she’s getting her treatments from, because she wants to ensure that there are significant results first.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
We applaud Nina for her courage in coming forth to share her experience so candidly, given that hair loss, in females especially, still comes with a lot of social stigma. Case in point? The Will Smith/Chris Rock/Jada Pinkett-Smith hoo-ha which occurred as a result of Chris making a cruel joke over Jada’s alopecia, on a stage in front of a live audience of hundreds, no less.
It’s also heartening to see that she’s keeping her spirits up and celebrating all the mini milestones in her journey, despite this being a highly trying ordeal.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
As for her current involvement with NOC? It’s still unclear. While her LinkedIn page still states that she’s part of the company, her name is not listed on the NOC website's staff lineup, and we haven’t seen her in any recent videos by the media company as of late.
Sylvia and Nina are still mutually following each other on Instagram. The official NOC and Sugar Melon accounts are also still following Nina and vice versa.
But here’s the tea: While Nina is still following her cousin Ryan, he is no longer following her back. This may suggest that she’s still friends with Sylvia, but is perhaps on less-than-stellar terms with her relative.
Photo from @ninatsf via Instagram
Nina was recently spotted hanging out with ex-colleagues Aiken and Dee Kosh, the latter of whom used to be an NOC host and talent before he got caught in a big scandal that made multiple headlines.
If you're experiencing hair loss too, these articles might help:
- 19 hair care mistakes to avoid: To minimise hair fall, breakage, & split ends
- Antioxidant scalp repair treatment review: To tackle scalp issues at the root
- GirlStyle Favourites: Best anti-hair loss products to try
- Hair loss in your 20's: How to treat it with TCM
Share this with a friend who’s facing a similar problem so they won’t feel so alone!
Text by: GirlStyle SG
