Hairloss from Chemo - what to prepare for - headscarves/hats/wigs?

[Baileysandcream]

I will be starting chemo in December and have been told that the chemo I am having will cause hairloss.

I'm thinking that I will want/need some pretty headscarves as well as a wig ( or two?), beanies and sleep caps.

Does anyone have any recommendations of what to get and where to buy things?

Depending on where you are, you may be able to get a free wig on the NHS. The unit where you have your chemo should be able to refer you. Macmillan do some subsidised scarves etc and I bought some from Annabandana after seeing them mentioned on here.

I hope your chemo goes well. Losing your hair is a big thing and I haven't completely come to terms with it yet. I'm happy to talk more if you want.

Also this
https://www.chemotherapyheadwear.com/

Your scalp is likely to be tender so go for something soft. Some people find wigs too scratchy. At this time of year, regular soft beanie hats are as good as anything for going out in.

I use a company called DJC Boutique. You can find them online or on Etsy

I used the cold cap and although I have had loss it’s come out in strands rather than clumps so far. I finished 6 rounds of chemo a few weeks ago so I’m really hoping it will now start growing again as the oncologist said it would. I’m still having phesgo so not sure. I’ve got a wig that I haven’t used yet in case it falls out altogether. My eyebrows and eyelashes are going too sadly! Good luck with your treatment 💐

Thanks so much for this, I'm sorry that you're going through similar.

I can get a £100 voucher towards a wig, can't find too many wig shops in my local area, but have found one that looks promising and is an approved NHS supplier.

Annabandana looks good, thanks, I will have a longer browse later.

I'm really gutted about losing my hair. This is my second lot of chemo, the first time I was very lucky that it didn't cause hair loss. I'm late 50s so it's very likely that my hair will grow back very differently when it does eventually grow back. It's a lot to process and deal with on top of everything else.

Congrats on finishing your chemo, I hope you start to see some new growth soon.

Hope you don't mind me asking how you found the cold cap? I've been given the option of trying it and am still debating. I've heard it's super painful and that is putting me off trying.

Cold capping isn't recommended for certain types of cancer (e.g. blood cancers) because it can prevent the chemo reaching all the cancer cells during treatment.

I hope it worked for you and your hair regrows well.

Check out "Cancer Support Thread 97" - some of the lovely ladies on there use cold caps and can give advice/ opinions.

My sister was able to cold cap but lost eyelashes etc, she liked the magnetic false eyelashes, trimmed to a reasonable length. And used loads of brow and lash serum.

She found cold cap manageable early on, but later when the treatment was new and so the timings less exact she found it really tough and eventually stopped.

Agree, I got a wig but couldn't wear it as my scalp was really tender. Silk scarf with a woolly hat on top when it got cold, and something for night time if it is winter. My head got cold in bed!
Your hair will grow back and it will be fun to see what it looks like - I couldn't stop touching mine, as it felt so lovely and soft.
Lots of good vibes and wishes to you to get through this. 💐

I’m currently going through chemo and was told I might lose my hair. I now wash my hair as little as possible using only baby shampoo with the flat of my hands. I don’t blow dry my hair (Bumble and Bumble Air Dry Cream) and have stopped dying it (roots galore). Use only a wide toothed comb. So far I still have my hair and I’m three out of six in.
There is no guarantee that you’ll lose your hair if you have good hair and treat it gently.
Good luck with your chemo and treat yourself (as well as your scalp) gently.

@Baileysandcream I found it ok. The real issue can be the amount of time it adds to the appointment -1/2 hour before treatment and 11/2 hours after. The first 30 mins is the cost then I found it was ok. Worth a try, you can stop the process any time.

Have a look on Amazon for some bamboo caps, your head will get cold at night time.

Be prepared for your hair loss to be a little sore / prickly….. a little like pins and needles but spiky - difficult to describe.

At that point I shaved it all off and took back control.

I had one great wig that I wore to a wedding, once, but wigs just weren’t my thing.

The bamboo caps were the best for me.

Take paracetamol before to be honest I was fine didn't even feel cold after the first 5 mins I said it's not very cold husband said well you've got ice crystals on your head. It's worth a go....but does extend your treatment time by an hour.

Thanks so much for the advice and suggestions, I hadn't thought about my scalp feeling tender/sore so that's something to be mindul of.

I was coming here to say bamboo caps are the best.

I struggled with wigs, found them too hot and itchy.
I ended up with a fab range of beanies, but indoors threw caution to the wind and went baldy.
No one was In the least bit bothered, and I was comfortable.

Do what suits you x

I struggled with wigs, found them too hot and itchy.
I ended up with a fab range of beanies, but indoors threw caution to the wind and went baldy.
No one was In the least bit bothered, and I was comfortable.

Do what suits you x

My friend got persuaded to spend a fortune on extras for her wigs and never wore them and felt more comfortable with hats and scarves
Also this was over winter and she did need a hat overnight as felt cold otherwise

Sorry this is your second time going through chemo. It's such brutal treatment.
I had a few ready tied head coverings online which I found easy to just pop on. If you hace any Afro Carribean wig and hair shops near you, they may sell head coverings too. A woman I chatted to at chemo had a couple of lovely hats from one near us.
Re. cold cap. I did it but lost about 3/4 of my hair. It did start growing back when I was on the second chemo drug. I took a couple of paracetamol about 20/30 minutes before it went on then distracted myself with game on my phone for the first 5 minutes. I would make sure you have blankets and warm drinks as it can make you feel cold all over.

cancer has enough financial consequences as it is without spending money on headgear too especially as you won’t need it for very long. There’s a great charity called prelovedreloved.org.uk that has lots of secondhand (and some new) head scarves, beanies and wigs etc which they supply free of charge.

Not heard of them. Might be somewhere to donate my wigs if / when my hair ever grows back.

I’m on a new round of chemo and into wigs now. My hair is so thin now I have no choice. I have a few artificial and real hair wig too. It’s just a transition I don’t think about it now

Where did you get them, please?

Good luck with the new round of chemo; I hope it does the job.