Advice please, hair loss with Chemotherapy treatment

I've always thought that in that situation I'd get a very short brush cut and dye it pink or maybe purple until it fell out.

Your hairdresser will become your best friend as they are very used to helping clients with cancer. I had mine shaved off when I started losing it, and my wonderful hairdresser kept it under control until my hair grew back to normal

My dd had her beautiful long blond hair shaved before she began extensive chemo. It was online to make money for a cancer charity.
She didn’t bother to hide it and mostly went out bald, I admired her strength and confidence, though occasionally when it was very cold, wore a scarf.
As to cutting your long hair first, yes I would advise doing that.
Good luck with it all.

I had breast cancer my hair is short and spikey I had it cut shorter still after 2nd round of chemo scalp was very itchy and hair loss so oh shaved it ,I did get a wig but mainly wore scarves and chunky wool hard if it was cold, I also bought a couple of skull type hats for sleeping my head got very cold . Hair started growing back same colour and wavey think Judy Dench it's now back to original but thinner ..I wish I had thought to have eyebrows tattooed mine are very thin now . Best of luck.

Blood cancer patients are not allowed a cold cap.

RedRidingHood my husband was a devil. There where always 2 ladies with the cold caps on this was October 2023 to January 2024. And they looked like jockey caps. So he always asked them what race they where in and the name of their horse they said it made their day him asking even though he was cheeky as they didn't feel self conscious because of him . Plus they played along with him and thought up the most outrageous names but it made everyone laugh. One lady kept her hair but the other one lost hers. But they where on different chemos and strengths.

Just to add to my comments above.
I felt rather pressured to try the cold cap. As though I wasn't trying hard enough if I didn't even give it a go. Once I explained that to husband and grown up sons they were very supportive of me not trying cold cap.
It's unpleasant and adds time to an already long process.

I haven't got any advice to offer but wish you all the very best, take care.

DH has had 30+ rounds of chemo. It depends on which drugs they use. At first he kept his hair but when they changed the regime his hair fell out in clumps before becoming totally bald. It grows back if he has a break from chemo before the regime restarts. Losing his hair really was upsetting as he had long hair. Best wishes. Hopefully your side effects wont be too bad.

I've lost my hair twice due to chemo and the best advice I can give is to have your hair cut short or shaved before starting treatment. The first time I had chemo I wasn't prepared for hair loss and I found it very upsetting as my hair came out in handfuls and got everywhere. Even going out on a windy day was risky! Obviously, check with your oncologist to see if the chemo you are given will cause you to lose you hair before shaving your hair off.

I did have a wig (free with an NHS voucher) which I've seldom worn and prefer my collection of colourful scarves from eBay which I tend to wear 1940's style. My hair is starting to grow back now - it's still very short but I'm no longer bothered about what I look like and feel quite liberated.

There's plenty of help and advice out there for you jeanie - I found Macmillan a good source of information. Also, if you have a Maggie's centre where you live I would recommend you popping in to have a look round - you don't need a specific reason to be there-it's a very calm environment and there is always someone who can answer your queries and address your concerns.
I hope everything goes well for you

Didn’t want to pass by without wishing you all the best

Poor you. Really hope the treatment goes well. My daughter -48 - is halfway through chemo (chemo every 2 weeks for 16 weeks) and started losing hair just after second session. She'd already had her (very thick) hair thinned out and cut - so she's now got a very very . short hair cut and she's ended up looking just like her younger brother, which I'd never noticed before!! She's taken to wearing lots of pretty silk scarves tied round her head. She's been told her hair will grow back thicker and curlier when the chemo is over - could be interesting as she's always had so much hair!! She had her eye brows semi-tattooed before the chemo, which seemed a very good idea. She had the dreaded ice-cap for the first 2 chemo sessions, but that didn't stop the hair loss. She was told that about 50% of people lose 50% of their hair. Not that that helps you in any way....just hope you get through it all as best you can. Everyone seems to react differently. Sending positive thoughts and love

Different chemo treatments cause differing amounts of hair loss. My consultant told me that I would lose some hair but not all. He was right it became thinner all over but I lost a 2 " band just at the bottom of the back of my head, all the rest returned well enough but the bit at the back hasn't rturned, just a few wisps here and there. I now have a shoulder length bob instead of longer hair. I can't wear my hair up because of what my daughter calls my severe undercut and I cant wear it short either. But I do console myself with fact that I haven't had to shave my legs or underarms for 8 years.

Hello do try the Headwrappers work shop from Look Good Feel Better. You will learn about scarves turbans etc. For me a wig was what I wanted (wore one for 2 summers and not too hot) in the exact style of my own hair. Managed to find one and was super happy with it. I also bought a plain cap with hair attached to it, sounds weird but again it looked fine and was quick to put on! One tip I would say is investigate a wig (plus use the nhs voucher) pretty soon. I was referred by my breast care nurse the day I was booked in for chemo. Everyone is different but you have to be realistic and think you may not feel like going out and about physically or online searching for a wig. In the end I bought mine online and my regular hairdresser trimmed it for me to suit. Like another on this site if you have time for eyebrow microblading it's 100% worth it. On a positive note hair grows back at quite a pace and even eyelashes will return quite quickly after treatment ends. I wish you all the very best.

My friend used the cold cap firing chemo to prevent hair loss, she felt it had been quite effective, but found it very uncomfortable. After a while, she shaved her head, and that was really upsetting for her. She tried on lots of wigs, but stuck to hats and scarves for most of the time. She had a very individual style, and got things which fitted in with her general look.

No advice, just best wishes

I dreaded loosing my hair but it really was not as bad as I thought. I wore scarves initially but then had a fantastic wig and my hairdresser cut it a little to look as much like my hairstyle as possible - no more bad hair days! Also, it was so easy to wash and leave to dry overnight in the bath. It wasn't too warm in the UK though I wore a baseball cap when running as I think it would have been hot then. When my hair grew back I was delighted with the colour and condition. I have a different style now, keeping it short whereas before I had a bob and had highlights regularly. I no longer have highlights so save money too. I can honestly say losing my hair was actually a positive thing about chemo! Good luck with your treatment and I hope you find the best solution with your hair loss.

Thank you everyone for your lovely comments advice and help supporting me through this very difficult time.in my life.
You are such a wonderful group of ladies.

XXXX

As I said above I didnt lose my hair, but my niece in her early 60s did. She bought a wig and only wore it twice as her scalp was very sensitive. It was in the winter and she wore beanies. I bought her a cashmere one from Turtle Doves which she said was wsrm and light.

She said she only had one or 2 times when the loss upset her. Her hair grew again.

She has since undergone another round of chemo 3 years later and lost it all again. Hasnt worn her wig at all. And her hair has regrown to pixie cut length.

As a poster above says so many people now are in the same position. Having eyebrows marked on by microblading if allowed will help keep face definition otherwise an eyebrow pencil. I have heard that rosemary oil is soothing for the scalp. I used E45 shampoo or Aveeno which is gentle for scalps and for hair which is thinning. And E45 and Cerave moisturising lotion for face and body. Plus my trusty Boots No 7 Plum Beautiful lipstick.

A family member shaved her hair before she lost it completely and then she wore a series of different hats. To be honest I think so many people are having cancer treatment now that you do see other people with a variety of hats on or none. They did get their eyebrows tattooed on, but it was a local cancer charity who gave her the recommendation for this. I'm sorry I have no more information than this, other than if you have a local cancer charity to approach, they may be able to assist you. Wishing you all the best for your treatment.

Good luck with your treatment jeanie. As someone with alopecia, hair loss is tough. Mine will never grow back. I hope yours comes back thicker and fabulous.

jeanie99 I'm sorry to hear you are going through this and send you all good thoughts as you start your treatment. My daughter has recently completed a course of chemotherapy and this is what she learned.
1) The hair loss was unexpectedly sudden. She had long thick hair which she had had cut shorter but was completely panicked when it came out in handfuls. Visited a hairdresser who simply didn't know how to handle the situation which made it ten times worse. Her very sensible partner simply shaved her head that night. The type of chemotherapy she had meant she couldn't use cold capping.
2)Her treatment was started very quickly as her cancer was aggressive but she just had time to get her eyebrows micro bladed by a practitioner with an excellent reputation. One of her best decisions - kept her facial features looking relatively normal.
3)She rarely wore wigs but learned to wear caps and head wraps with great style - look on Pinterest at women who cover their hair for cultural reasons. She was treated during the winter months and would quite often wear a woolly hat or beanie at home.
I hope this is useful for you and again, my very best wishes

My sister and I both lost our hair during chemo. Having seen my sister gradually lose her hair in clumps I opted to have mine shaved at the start. If you have a local Maggies you will find them very helpful, if not they provide excellent online support. Good luck with it all.

My best wishes to you, jeanie and good luck with your treatment.

Thank you so much everyone, I have so much to think about now.
I speak to my oncologist in a couple of weeks and have a number of questions now to ask him.
Thank you again.