Hi, I have fake bright red hair using XXL live (without bleaching hair first) and my natural colour is an auburn colour, (a browny-red colour).

I see I won't be allowed to dye my hair again once chemo starts, which is only next week (July 11th). This means my roots will show through which doesn't look great. I'm having my hair chopped off from being long to a bob length to get used to shorter hair and would be able to handle it more when it starts falling out.

I have found a hair colour remover (Adee Phelan) which is bleach and ammonia free, which is great as it won't damage my hair. I've just done the strand test and it comes out lighter than my natural hair colour, strips it of the fake red but looks more ginger now. I will have to put a light brown colour on top - which is more treatment.

Now, do I go ahead, remove my colour then put more dye on top? Or do you think it would be better for my hair, just to leave it alone and it will probably all fall out anyway and any hair colour removal etc are wasted efforts and therefore weakening my hair cuticles?

Please can anyone advice? I want my hair as strong as possible before chemo but also don't want to look rubbish while I might feel rubbish.

Hi Mini-moo,

You dont say which chemo you are having.  I had Taxotere first and my hair came out in handfuls by day 12 after the first session and within a week after the second it was pretty much all gone (although I had shaved it at that point anyway).  So you may well be better just sticking with what you have at the moment as you may not have enough hair to show any red roots or at the very least because chemo stops the fastest renewing cells (such as hair) you may not get any growth on the hair you have and so not have the roots coming through as you would normally expect to!!

Hi

I was going to ask which chemo you are having and weather you are going to use the cold cap? as has been said some chemo your hair will just fall out pretty quickly and you have no chance of saving it.

My hair is dyed a bit off my natural colour mostly to cover the gray I have had 3 lots of fec chemo with the cold cap and so far it is fine, I had it cut from half way down my back to shoulder lenght to give it a better chance, it hasent grown atall so if you dont lose your hair there shouldent be much root regrow only in my experiance though,

good luck

Caz

Hi, I'm having FEC-T and will be using the cold cap. Will give anything a go if it means slowing things down a bit x

its up to you but judging by my re-growth you might be better off leaving your colour in rather than damaging it with the removal thing and leaving it strong to start with.

Im only having FEC so dont know about the effects of the other, here are the tips I have picked up off of here.

Dont wash your hair for a couple of days before or after chemo(i have cut right back on washing mine)

use a really mild shampoo and conditioner, I have been using Dove

No haIr dryers or straighteners

be REALLY gentle wiht it dont rub with towel or brush often or hard

use a silk pillow case

Hope this helps

Caz

Brilliant. Thanks ever so much for your help. Never would have thought about not washing it just before chemo. xx