Hi ladies
Need some advise…had my first chemo last friday with cold-cap and trying to keep hold of my hair which is now short and curly.
Have been advised to use a mild shampoo and leave-in conditioner ( any recommendations) and would also like to know if there is a serum/ curl prod i could use to control the frizz !!
Also, any oyher top-tips ?
Thanks girls x
Hi Madgse62,
I didn’t use the cold cap but I think the advice re: shampoo is probably the same for everyone. I was told to use a pH balanced one or a children’s/baby one - but the latter are no longer pH balanced since they went ‘no tears’ so not during chemo… A very experienced-in-this-stuff hairdresser suggested ‘Simple’ shampoo or E45 and he said don’t use conditioner… you will find advice varies enormously. There are expensive ones you can buy but Simple is quite good, as I believe is one from the Pantene range. Because I have senstive skin I settled for E45 (it smells pretty evil) which was fine. Now 7 months post chemo and with short curly hair (rather than the waist length straight stuff I had before) I am using Simple repair formula shampoo and conditioner (pink top bottle for shampoo) which my hair seems to like
I bought a ‘baby’ comb when I began my chemo which was kinder to my head for the 10 days or so I still had hair… hopefully you will keep yours but a gentle comb must be a good idea I reckon.
Hope the cold cap works for you. I’m sure someone with more experience to match your will be along soon.
Take care.
Hi I used cold cap 18 months ago it didn’t really work on me but was told to use baby shampoo but not to wash it much was told to put loads cond on it spray it wet and leave it on then just rinse the cond out a few days later in the end I gave up with cold cap because I still had to kp head covered as was plastered to my head with cond hopefully yours will work
I am on EC and used the cold cap but afraid it didn’t work. Something to do with the E which causes hair loss. About to have number five and just had it clippered. I used korres ph neutral. It has to be ph neutral. Only wash it once a week. Hardly brush it. I also used a silk pillowcase. Choose a wig now in case you lose it but don’t buy it till you do. Just know what style and colour and size. I didn’t use any products or hairdryer on it. I’ve met lots of ladies who’ve had great success guess I was unlucky. Good luck x
Laura how far into treatment did you give up and did you the lose all your hair and how long did it take to grow and when did it start growing?
I have had 2 FEC so far and due my third on Thursday. I have been using the cold cap and although my hair has thinned a lot (mostly on the top of my head) I can still get away with it by wearing a wide hairband. I use Simple shampoo and conditioner. I only wash once a week and comb as little as possible - I have a wig at the ready in case I lose much more - I have 3x TAX after this so not sure how this will effect my hair. I am looking at the long term really and hope I can salvage some of my hair, but in the short term I realise my hair is not going to look good!!
Hello Madges62,
There are some ladies on here who’ve had great success with the cold cap and have posted their pics post coldcapping and look fab. I’ve met a couple in the flesh too!
I’m using the cold cap too and have had 5 sessions of chemo (1st Tax last week) and was super duper happy with the results, but did have quite a large sheddage after my Tax. I think if I’d been having 6 sessions in total I’d have a really good chance of looking alright by the end of it - but I’m having 8, so will have to wait and see!!
Anyway - top tips! Use a PH neutral or herbal shampoo NOT baby shampoo as it is alkaline. I use Simple shampoo and conditioner and use lots of the conditioner before the cold cap is applied (on wet hair). You’re not meant to wash it for about 48 hours after the cold cap. I’ve also got curly wurly hair and usually have buckets of product on it to make it manageable! But I just use some of the Simple conditioner in place of my serum on dry hair. A silk pillowcase is meant to be good (I bought a cheapy off Ebay and certainly haven’t woken up with any hairs on my pillow).
So - there have been days that my hair has been a bit manky as it’s been overloaded with conditioner! But we’re lucky as it doesn’t show up as much on curly hair I don’t think - doesn’t look as greasy. I’ve just worn some pretty head scarves or head bands or clipped it up at the sides.
Oh - other thing. About 25 days after my first chemo I got the sore scalp feeling and lost what felt like LOADS of hair (but was comparably not alot to what I had on my head - and it was a thinning all over) and though that was it and that it was time to shave it. However, I persevered and since that big molting session it’s just been a general thinning every day. So, if you do have a sudden loss of lots of hair but still have lots remaining, don’t just assume that its time is up.
I really hope it goes well for you.
x
Bit of a random comment…
I’ve been using baby shampoo on my fluff sinse it came back a couple of months ago. It’s very thin on top.
I bought simple shampoo last week, and have used it twice. I have lots of new hairs just breaking the surface, a bit like grass when the seeds latch on. Coincidence?
Thanks for your comments ladies
Simple seems to be the brand to get…is it widely avail ? Any idea where i can buy it ?
Must say the washing once a week is already seriously doing my head in but guess its all part of the challenge, eh ?
Also…skin. Simple again ?
M