A business owner is warning holidaymakers and backpackers to always carry a water filter with them - after 'hard water' in Bali caused her hair to drop out.
Hollie Marie was visiting the island with friends in 2021 when she noticed her hair started thinning but was clueless about why it was happening.
Within months the 27-year-old had lost the majority of her 30-inch long blonde hair after it became matted and 'huge chunks' fell out every time she brushed it.
This forced a horrified Hollie, who'd been wearing wigs for months to hide patches, to shave her head completely.
To prevent other tourists from going through her 'traumatising' experience Hollie, who's lived in Bali for the last three years, set up her own shower filter business.
Documenting her hair journey on TikTok, Hollie shared a clip urging people to be aware of how water can affect hair and skin that went viral, racking up 786,800 views.
One shocking clip shows the large clumps of hair found on Hollie's brush after a single use.
She says those going for 10 days or less will most likely be fine but urges those going for a fortnight or more to ensure they use filters to protect their locks.
Hollie, originally from Cardiff, Wales, said: "It's horrifying. You just take a lot about yourself for granted, It's such a shock when things like this happen.
"I noticed I was losing hair, but because I had so much hair initially it took a while to notice how drastic the change was.
"Three months into living in Bali I went on a trip and on the drive back my hair fused together.
"The texture of my hair changed and my hair strands literally melted together, it was really scary.
"The bonds of my hair had changed. It had matted so badly that the people at the hairdressers couldn't do anything with it so they had to cut it all off.
"I went back to the hairdresser because I was still losing a lot of hair.
"Every time I brushed it, huge clumps were coming out. I noticed I had a bald patch and thought 'What the f**k is going on?'.
"I never put my hair in the pool really so I knew it wasn't the pool water."
The content creator, who is a natural blonde and has never dyed her locks, revealed she was losing so much hair she decided to shave it all off on Christmas Eve 2021.
Hollie said: "I had about one-fifth of my hair left on my head. The texture was horrible, it was so matted all the time. I thought 'Let's start again, completely fresh'.
"I had to get a guy from a barber to come round and shave my head. I'd been wearing wigs for four months anyway.
"The next day I was spending Christmas with a load of friends which was kind of traumatising. I have never wanted a shaved head.
"I knew I wouldn't suit it, I looked like Bob the Builder.
"It was very strange. You take your hair for granted, it's not something you ever think will desert you.
"It's part of your identity, it's your crown. I still didn't know it was the water at this point.
"I didn't go out for about two months. I didn't go shopping, I didn't go to the gym, I stopped socialising because I just didn't want to see anyone. I just felt so ugly.
"I could recognise that it didn't suit me which is why I wore wigs. I also wore caps a lot and bandanas.
"It was not a good period for me, especially in the first year. I had horrific hair growth phases.
"We're a lot more than what we look like, I believe this so inherently.
"What you look like is the least interesting thing about you but that doesn't mean it doesn't have a huge impact on how you feel."
It wasn't until months later in April 2022 that Hollie says an Australian hairdresser in Bali revealed her hair loss was caused by the water and regrets not being more 'proactive'.
Hollie: "I didn't realise it was the water until I went to a hairdresser and she told me this happened to a lot of people.
"The quality of water here is so hard that it can really affect your hair and skin.
"I really regret not being proactive when I first noticed clumps of hair coming out. I thought 'Maybe it's stress, maybe it's the sun'.
"I just blamed it on anything else. I would never have thought of the tap water being a problem.
"It wasn't until I started making videos about it that loads of people started replying to me and saying 'Oh my God this happened to me but I didn't realise it was because I went to Bali'."
Now sporting shoulder-length hair, Hollie vows to 'always use a filter' and wants to spread awareness to others.
Hollie said: "I left it too late to do anything. By the time I thought I needed to do something about my hair loss and speak to a doctor, I had lost a significant amount.
"It's scary. The last thing anyone wants is to come back from their holiday and find they've lost all their hair.
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"It gave me an idea. I suffered something really traumatising and I can help people not go through the same thing.
"If you're coming for 10 days, you should be fine. If you're coming for two weeks or longer it's quite important to get a filter.
"The filters are actually designed especially for the water found in South East Asia.
"They fit the majority of showers, we test all the water and we make them specifically.
" It's small, you can carry it on the plane, and it's easy to attach, it literally takes 30 seconds.
"It'll also prevent any heartbreak, because who wants that when they go on holiday?"
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