Hair loss

A silk pillowcase is my recommendation- not cheap but is brill for hair.  Wide toothed comb.I washed my hair as little as possible and the same with brushing my hair. My hair only really came out when I washed or combed it - never woke up with hair on pillow thanks to the silk pillowcase 

Hi

What a lovely sister you are x I couldn’t cold cap so can’t comment on that , but even if she does she will lose the hair from the rest of her body , possibly eyebrows and eyelashes too, so I really appreciated lovely pampery things that people bought me, I was lucky to have a fab family and friends who supported me , so just being there in itself will be a big boost. I had friends who arranged a rota to cook and deliver the food for us, flowers every couple of weeks , cards through the post etc, they were all lovely gestures and helped enormously. Having cancer takes you to a lonely place, you don’t want anyone to worry more than they have to, and also no-one understands until they have been in that situation, so understanding that will also help you to support her. 

Best wishes

Jo x

Thank you so much Jo xX 

Thank you so much xx 

Hi

I tried the cold cap for two of my chemo sessions. I can only describe it as having a bucket of ice cold water thrown over your head. I found that if you can get past the first 15-20 minutes it does get better. Unfortunately after the second session I did loose quite a bit of hair and have decided not to cold cap on my next chemo session. It may work for your sister and it is worth giving it a go. Only wash the hair once a week and do not use a hair dryer or hair straighteners. Leave hair to dry naturally. Comb through with a wide tooth combe . I use avenno  shampoo. I wouldn't use any other products on her hair.  Buying a silk pillowcase is a great idea and a sleep cap. 

You may like to look at the June or July Chemo  link which has some great tips. There is a number of ladies currently going through chemo on this site and I know they would be happy to answer any questions.

I am on my 3rd chemo session and have 5 more to go. 

Hope it goes well for your sister.

Linda xx

Hi, 

I use the cold cap for x4 docetaxel herceptin and pertuzumab. My hair thinned out a lot near the end and I wore a wig. It started growing back while going through surgery. I am now on x3 FEC and had a lot of hair on my head have had x2 FEC and have bald spots. I was given by the chemo nurse a leaflet on the Paxman cooling system they used. You can search online for Paxman I was advised to do so. 

I use simple shampoo and conditioner. When wearing the cold cap wear soft headbands around my forehead to help with the pressure. I suck on foxes glacier sweets which help me with the coldness.Also I take paracetamol up to an hour before wearing the cap. 

Even though I have had a lot of hair loss I will persevere with the cold cap on my last treatment. 

Best wishes to your sister 

xxx