Hi, I have just had my last treatment & had used the ‘cold cap’ during all of my courses of chemo so was lucky enough not to lose my hair, having said that it has thinned & obviously is out of condition. A nurse looking after me yesterday suggested I can get it cut now, (I had a shorter style to begin with) & said this will help the new hair growing, I usually have a colour on as well but know this won’t be happening for a good few months yet! Has anyone else experienced this & can offer any advice?
While you are waiting for some replies to your post I’ve attached a link to our publication on “Breast Cancer and hair loss”. Although not strictly relevant because you did not lose your hair, I thought it might include some helpful information
Hi Je - Congratulations on finishing your treatment. I finished my chemo (6 FEC) in December 2012 and like you used the cold cap. My hair went very thin so I still wore a wig. By June 2013 my hair was almost back to full thickness which enabled me to have a proper haircut and colour although the colour did take a bit of work getting it to decent shade. I just trimmed the ends of my hair but as I still wore my wig it didn’t matter if the ends were straggly. When I coloured my hair I started with dyes from a certain health food shop but found they didn’t do a lot so I used an amonia free semi-permanant which was a lot better. I did find the colour faded very fast but it made me feel better. I fon’t think cutting makes your hair grow quicker but think it makes it feel thicker. I have my hair cut every 8 weeks and it is completely back to how it was before my treatment started. Hope this was of some help to you
Hi Jan, congatulations on completing your treatment It may be worth popping into your salon when it’s not busy, as mine offered me free hair cuts until my hair was more ‘normal’. I’ve found coconut oil to be a good leave in conditioner, its solid at room temp and liquifies when you put it in your hand. Cheap, no chemicals and good for your scalp too. As your hair begins to grow and you get more you won’t notice the grey so much, it’s about 1 cm a month so depending on how long your hair is you can judge how long it will take to blend in, personally I went for a very short cut so it quickly looked like a deliberate hair cut choice, no need for hair dryers, combing or styling and lots of new dangly earrings.
It may be worth popping into your salon when it’s not busy, as mine offered me free hair cuts until my hair was more ‘normal’. I’ve found coconut oil to be a good leave in conditioner, its solid at room temp and liquifies when you put it in your hand. Cheap, no chemicals and good for your scalp too. As your hair begins to grow and you get more you won’t notice the grey so much, it’s about 1 cm a month so depending on how long your hair is you can judge how long it will take to blend in, personally I went for a very short cut so it quickly looked like a deliberate hair cut choice, no need for hair dryers, combing or styling and lots of new dangly earrings.