Not all chemotherapy drugs cause hair loss, but the ones that do are fairly predictable. If your doctor has told you to expect hair loss, this is what usually happens:
One and a half weeks after your first treatment, your scalp may become tender. Some people don't feel this at all, and for others their scalp becomes quite sore. This is normal and goes away after the hair loss is complete.
Hair loss begins about two weeks to the day after your first treatment and takes 3-7 days. I promise you, you will not lose your hair before two weeks, and you will not wake up one morning bald without warning.
You can generally wear your hair normally for the first few days, but by the third or fourth day (after the two week mark) you'll be ready to comb out what's left and cut it short, if you haven't already.
Whether or not to cut your hair before you begin treatment is a matter of personal preference. For some women, having their hair cut into a shorter style helps them get used to it, and it's less traumatic when the hair begins to fall.
For others, particularly if you love your hair, cutting it any sooner than you have to is more traumatic. Either way, you'll definitely want to have it cut short once hair loss begins.
100 hairs that are two inches long are much easier to deal with than 100 hairs that are 6 or 10 inches long. Also keep in mind that even before your hair begins to fall out, it will probably look dull and lose body.
In my 25 years as a hairdresser helping cancer patients through this process, here are my best recommendations:
When your scalp becomes tender is a great time to cut your hair short, down to about 2 inches. Don't shave it yet. I'll explain more later. Cutting your hair short at this point will greatly relive the tenderness.
Three to five days after the two week mark, your hair loss will really pick up speed and you'll be tired of dealing with it. At this point you want to encourage the hair to come out.
Gently comb out your hair. Then shampoo and rinse. A lot more will come out. Apply your regular conditioner and comb through your hair with the conditioner in. This puts just enough tension on your hair to gently coax it from the follicle. This will probably remove about 80% of your hair and it will not hurt.
Rinse out the conditioner, dry your hair and now you are ready to clip it down. It's very important that you do not clip it all the way to the scalp. Please use a #2 attachment.
If you clip it all the way to the scalp, those little whiskers will get caught in the follicle. They will detach from the papilla, the bulb that feeds the hair, but be stuck in the follicle. This will be like a splinter or ingrown hair and you will get tiny red bumps or sores. This is not good and can be totally avoided if you use an attachment and leave a little bit of hair.
Okay, so you've clipped your hair with a #2 attachment. Now take one of those masking tape lint rollers and roll it over your head. You will be amazed at how much more hair comes out. Use the lint roller several times a day to get the rest of it out. Your head will feel so much better. When the hair follicle is inflamed even the weight of a couple inches of hair can be uncomfortable.
Continue to wash your scalp with a mild shampoo (not bar soap) every day, even after you've lost your hair. Your oil glands will put out the same amount of oil whether you have hair or not, and this will keep your wig, hats and scarves cleaner.
This is such good advice. I did just what you said without reading this. Im having a hard time sleeping so i put a fleece blanket on my pillow. Its helping a little. My head does hurts and im ready for the rest to be gone! Im sad about no hair. Thank you for you advise!
Thank you so much for this much needed advice. Time to break out the clippers!!!
Thank you for the post. It was very helpful to me. I had my hair cut as short as I could. I have my 2nd Chemo is tomorrow. My scalp began hurting several days before my hair started falling out. I’m losing it all from the top. Nothing from the back. Will it eventually come out.
My question is, you say to wash your bald head everyday.
I started chemotherapy in October and finished the treatment in March.
I lost my hair but now it’s coming back.
Should I shave the first hair? My nurse told me, that I need to shave it twice.
There is a lot of information about hair loss but not much about, what to do when the hair is coming back.
I need Radiation later 5 days a week for about 3-4 weeks.
I hope that you can help me so I know, what to do to so my hair will be healthy again.
Best Regards,
Pia
For those who are losing their hair, two options unless you want to put a lid on it. Shave your skull now, best idea, or play around with the remaining strands then shave, begin growing again. Those with breast cancer, one full or 2 separate tattoos. The shops that can do arms, legs, thighs, etc can do chest as well. Remember guys have been getting chest tattoos for over a century. Wouldn’t it be nice to find someone mature enough..never mind the age who would accept women for what they represent & present. Nature is the why we don’t. And, boy….do we rip ourselves off because that happens. Yer all going to come out fine. Science is nor taking a nap now anymore than it did in 1918. End of WW1. Dan
“When I initially left a comment I seem to have clicked on the Notify me when new comments are added checkbox and from now on each time a comment is added I recieve 4 emails with the exact same comment. Perhaps there is an easy method you are able to remove me from that service? Thanks a lot!”
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gder4563
Great video,
Thank You,
Thanks for the tips. I started with the cold cap but was told I would lose my hair with my drug. I always had long hair but had my husband cut it way shorter as it started to fall I can still get away with a cap but debating just shaving it (thanks for the #2 tip) or trying a wig. No 4 chemo coming up this week.
Good luck everyone.
I’m glad I found this advice. My hair is 22 inches long and I really love it. I’m going to cut it short but I don’t know when. I start chemo April 21. I don’t want to do it too soon, but I also want to get it over with.
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