Style and comfort during chemotherapy.

[Lunificent]

Hi. I’m starting chemotherapy soon. I’d like a wig, soft beanies, caps for bed, scarves, moisturiser etc. Any recommendations for good brands, styles gratefully received.

Wishing you all the best. I wonder would a cancer site have this information & stockists maybe?

My mum had chemotherapy quite a few years ago and I bought her a couple of scarves which were already tied at the back. There was much less material in them than a normal scarf, so they were cooler and more comfortable. I can't link to the ones she had as it was so long ago. I might even have bought them from eBay. But a google for 'pre-tied chemotherapy scarves' brings up quite a few.

All the very best with your treatment.

Deresina Bamboo night sleep cap beanies were lovely for me; Deresina scarves were a good size, looked like silk but I think are viscose, washed well. I got both on Amazon but there are loads of sites which seem to stock them. I found some cotton beanies too thick.

I have really dry skin and used Diprobase on my skin as it has no perfumes or irritants. Cetraben cleansers.

My hairdresser recommended staying with my usual shampoo and conditioner, even on my bald head, as previous clients of hers felt good when they had that familiar scent. Which I did until they ran out, my friends also bought me some very gentle shampoo ( I was bald as a coot but the ritual of massaging my head was quite comforting).

I used Sanex shower gel and a roll on dove deodorant - if you are in hospital the smoke alarms can react to spray ons.

I went with products that were simple, but smelled good.I was in hospital for chemo and I did like getting all fresh and putting on a nice scent each morning.

Hope all goes well for you. It’s not fun, but it passes.💐

Thanks for your replies.
FunnyWonder- I’ll google that.
Happytentoes - thank you for great tips.

Different chemo drugs have different effects (as I'm sure you know) but hands can get very cold and seize up so some nice gloves that you can wear indoors - maybe fingerless - might be useful, and also wheatbags that you can heat up in the microwave for quick relief.

Buttons and laces can be troublesome too for a while so it might be worth choosing clothes and shoes you can pull on and off.

You might get some body lotion supplied but if not, I'd ask at the hospital for recommendations as anything perfumed can irritate.

Best of luck.

Good luck with chemo.

I wore a synthetic wig by Rene of Paris as I couldn't be bothered with maintenance. Also a cheap wig stand to keep it in shape and wig caps. I didn't have to get it adjusted by my hairdresser but my friend did. I started biotin after treatment which helped speed up hair growth.

Anything scented was a no go it made me feel really nauseous for the first few days.

I got cheap sleep caps from Ebay.

www.rewigs.co.uk/c/wigs.html?gclid=Cj0KCQjwmcWDBhCOARIsALgJ2QdrwwMm0c_02Vzt6yUuuliJxgDmMGHUFXE3hEFFqLIIFhc9Mc7LGCIaAgp4EALw_wcB

I got my wig from Vicki Ullah - she was at Harrods at the time, I’m not sure if she still is but you can get her wigs on eBay and Amazon. They are synthetic, pretty cheap and keep their shape well. She was amazing (you can claim the VAT back too as a medical condition). Just give them a swish about in diluted fabric conditioner every 3-4 days. She also sold some scarves that were folded in half length ways and stitched together apart from a bit for your head to go in, you could then tie them at the back much more easily than a whole scarf, which I found a bit slippery. I didn’t bother with hats at night, I snuggled under the duvet.
I changed my skincare to all REN as so natural but to be honest I didn’t really feel much difference in my skin.

Are you having an IV via a portacath? If so think about what clothes for access to it, if not be prepared for the veins in your hand to go black - arnica cream will help them to heal afterwards.
Good luck - it passes and the memories fade.

I'm just out and my hair is on the way back. I would recommend soft nightwear, a silk lined cap for when the air conditioning is a bit harsh or for night time. A soft blanket you can throw on in the day and night as I hugely feel the cold. Liz Earle skin care as it was so natural and fresh and reminded me of outdoors. Moisturiser for your whole body as the chemo is drying.

Audio books when you can't be bothered to read or watch a screen they were very restful.

Thank you for all of these tips everyone. Will look up Vicki Ullah wigs.I’m in the North West and there seem to be very few wig shops here.

Does anyone know if there are any wig companies have an app so you can see how a wig will look on you?

I don’t know of any apps unfortunately, but I did get my hair cut shorter before I started ( tried a cooling cap but it was one of the ones that you had to keep changing and it didn’t work for me) and when I got my wig Vicki put a random one on me so I could get used to the feel of it whilst she matched one to my new shorter hair and colour because it’s a bit odd to be in a wig. Honestly, people couldn’t tell the difference.

@Lunificent

Thank you for all of these tips everyone. Will look up Vicki Ullah wigs.I’m in the North West and there seem to be very few wig shops here.

There is an amazing one in Preston Valentine wigs and manchester has a few specialist cancer wig shops, you should get a voucher for up to two wigs to the value of £250. You need to contact your Macmillan nurse to arrange the voucher.