Cold cap advice

• Hi, my hair was sprayed wet and conditioned on the chemo ward.  I didn't have to take my own conditioner either, they had it ready on the ward x

Hi Ovia80

my experience was the same as .mel28, and I have fine straight hair.  The nurses sprayed it with water and then put conditioner on.  I think the Paxman info said you need damp hair to transfer the cooling temperature more effectively.  People with lots of thick hair need more water to slick it down.  Best of luck x

Hi

My hair is always sprayed wet and then conditioner applied. At my first chemo I was given a bag with a hair brush, conditioner and a hair band that I take with me each time. x

I think this kinda confirms to me that the chemo nurse I spoke to either doesn’t hold much hope in it working on my hair or doesn’t want the extra faff- I got the impression she was in a hurry yesterday when she did my assessment and bloods. I’m not sure this bodes well,  but I’ll go up with damp hair tomorrow then.  Thanks for your replies xx 

Hopefully chemo on a saturday will be a calmer affair. Just take your time to prepare your hair and try to make sure there aren't any bubbles between the cold pack and the outer cap. They are most common over the crown area- the top hat has to be pulled down quite firmly and tight to stop those unwanted bubbles. Really hoping the cold cap works for you x

I've used the cool cap 3 times now, the first time successfully,  second time I don't think my hair was wet enough and I stopped using it when my hair started to fall out. I've been using it for 6months on current chemo and have to say the difference between chemo nurses with knowledge on how to use and apply the cool cap is sometimes worrying  !

I've had some who admit they don't know how yo use it, some who think they know and others I pray that I will get because they actually do know that your hair needs to be wet and they check the time scale based on your treatment. 

Last week I had a nurse who I heard saying that she had had cool cap training the day before. That said a spray bottle couldn't be found and what happened next stunned me.

The nurse went over to the hand wash basin, wet a paper towel came back and was going to dab my hair with it ! I politely told her that was not going to be sufficient and that I'd rather just stick my head under the tap, which I did. 

There is plenty of advice on the Paxman website, I'd recommend anyone familiarise themselves with it just in case you ever need to pass thos info on to your chemo nurses.

hi Ovia80 I hope your cold cap hasn’t been as bad as you feared. I did use the cold cap last year and as others have said my hair was always sprayed with water to make it quite wet and then conditioner applied. The cap does have to be quite tight. I watched Victoria Derbyshires videos from a few years ago and found these really useful. My hair did thin a fair bit but I kept most of it and didn’t need the wig I bought. Itt has grown back thick now. I always thought the first 10 minutes or so were the worst - if you can grit your teeth and get through that it is not so bad. I usually took paracetamol beforehand too which helped. Good luck 

I am another with fine, straight hair. The nurse sprayed my hair with water and then put Nioxin conditioner on it. 

Hi coddfish,

How is is going cold capping, im still undecided if its worth it? X

Thanks for your replies;  the cold cap is going ok….I find it manageable,  I’ve just taken control with wetting it and just leave it wet from showering in the morning and then spray more again as I don’t feel the nurses want to be bothered.   I find I have a little ice on my hair after the treatment. My hair is fine and blonde,  I have lost a few strands of hair already,  it’s def starting to fall out so not sure whether this will slow down or whether I should just cut it and wear my wig.  Xxx