I’ve just started Chemo and of course am a bit anxious about hair falling out. I went to a Headstrong session which was great and gave me good ideas and confidence in tying and wearing scarves and hats.
I’ve been browsing the net for ideas on how to keep hair strong and healthy through natural ingredients. I’ve read that Jojoba oil and aloe very and good for the hair and roots, so I might give them a try. I did get some Simple brand shampoo and conditioner but I’m not convinced it’s chemical free enough.
I would love to hear what others have tried and found beneficial through their chemo treatment.
hello
i was advised to use baby shampoo and have done since ju st before chemo started. Also wash hair as little as possible. Keep it cut as short as you can bear, I had a pixie cut initially then a gradE four back and sides and slightly longer on top.
my hair thinned day 5 and started to fall out day 12 after first chemo . Then again after second. but then regrew a little bit ( short soft tufts of white!) I have one bald patch on back of head and several small bad patches but mainly i have lots of very very short bits! And I have had third Fec chemo 2 weeks ago and lost a few bits more. I look bald as head is now covered in a soft downy white spiky covering!
i am convinced that having the weight taken out of my hair and hardly washing it has helped. Also hardly brushed it when it was pixie cut,m just used fingers.
I hope you have joined one of the forums for people starting chemo in June… I think it’s called June junkies.
also, I have to say, I hated the thought of losing my hair but wearing a wig when I go out or scarves is fine with me. Its amazing but one day I just woke up and thought, oh well! it will grow back:-)
good luck
Hi Helm
Are you using the cold cap? If you are not then I’m afraid hair loss is pretty much a given, and usually starts 12-14 days after your first treatment. So don’t waste time and money trying to stop it happening! Although, saying that, I did and do still, use baby shampoo. Actually, my wig lady told me baby shampoo was much too drying, but I guess I didn’t follow her advice, and I’ve never bothered wearing my wig either!! 
I had 4 Tx of chorophosphamine and Adriamycin, and actually although I was pretty smooth and shiny at the sides, but never went complely from the top, which I had to shave smooth to match the sides! During Paclitaxel, conversely, my sides started to grow in (white!), so I stopped shaving, and the top began to fall out! (Go figure!!!) Luckily it didn’t all go, but it is thinner on top than on the sides, and the top has a bit of colour, although hard to see WHAT colour!
I only finished chemo a week ago, and I do have quite a covering now, albeit thin. I even cut the bit around my ears this week, as the sides are a bit longer than the top. I’m debating shaving the whole lot off to grow from scratch now I’m done chemo, but I’m afraid of disappointing all my hair-admirers!
Does everybody find that your head becomes public property once you lose your hair??? 
The regrowth is so soft though, I must admit I find myself stroking it often too! And I think it might be a bit curly! Never had curls before. I almost wish the whole thing would be pure white, maybe quite striking, but I think its going to be grey/light brown on top …
Hi, When I was going through treatment I used the coldcap. I did manage to keep my hair but it was a learning process of trial and error.I realised washing my hair in hot water stimulated the hair follicules so hair woukd fall out so I washed my hair in cold water. I also used baby shampoo and kept washing it maybe twice a week. i would use dry shampoo instead. Hope that helps x
Hi, i decided against the cold cap as i suffer with migraines. I had my haircut very short prior to starting chemo and donated the ponytail to a children’s charity. I never did wear my wig and very rarely wore scarves. I got use to the bald look very quickly and only wore hats for warmth. Your hair will grow again, mine is now a couple of inches long x
Hi I wore the cold cap and did keep a bit of hair til half way through chemo. Used dove shampoo and still do. I have my hair growing back now it is an acceptable amount . lol but curly I finished chemo in January Good luck xxxx
Hi everyone, thanks for the replies so far. I’m 3 weeks after the first chemo and have noticed hair slowly falling out. It’s not too much, my hair still looks pretty normal. But I’ve got scarves in preparation. I’m tyring to wash it as little as possible. Iv’e decided to not brush it unless absolutely necessary. My hair is quite frizzy and usually needs taming with hair product and spray, but I’m going to give those up for now. So I’ve got a nice little headband type scarf I can wear at home when answering the door, and when going out so my hair doesn’t have to be neat yet I’ll look half decent.
I’m not sure that will make any difference over the next few weeks, but gonna give it a go:)
I used the cold cap through 6 cycles of FEC 75 (last cycle three weeks ago). It did pretty well for me. I would certainly reconmmend anyone to try it. People are amazed that I look normal and just as important I feel normal.
The first ten or fifteen minutes with the copld cap were really sore and cold, but I found that paracetemol helped, and after about half an hour the cold was present but tolerable. The worst aspect was the length of time you have to stay under the cap and therefore in the unit - my unit said half an hour before, and two hours following the treatment, which is longer than Paxman say…but I wasn’t going to argue because I really wanted it to work. You need the fitting to be really tight - mine was variable, depending on the skill of the nurse (you need to insist that they put it on really tight including to touch the top of your head, which is where I lost most hair). On two of three occasions I even managed to doze off briefly while wearing the cap.
I have fine hair ansd wear it short, and cut it really short before treatment. I had it trimmed once - dry cut - half way through. I washed it as little as I could stand in lukewarm water - twice a week maximum. Dabbed it dry and no hairdryers, dyes, other harsh treatments. I combed it infrequently, and put a silk scarf between my head and my pillowcase when in bed for the first five cycles (then I found it too hot). I used Ph neutral shampoo and the cheap Boots conditioner I always used. I am still adopting that regime and will be for a while yet (I have radiotherapy next) until I feel that the hair on the top of my head is definitely recovering.
i hope this helps those of you just starting out on the chemo.
I am day 6 past my last cycle of chemo (6 x Docetaxel and Carboplatin) and so far have never been totally bald. I shaved my head to a number 1 or 2 before I started and although it has thinned it has never really gone. It stopped shedding about the end of cycle 2, since when it has been growing again. I dowonder what might have happened had I not shaved it. I didn’t use the cold cap and haven’t spent any money on treatments. I wash it by gently wiping it with a face cloth, no shampoo, no drying, no nothing. It is very baby soft. I have also managed to cling on to my brows and lashes, but there is still time for those to depart!