Cold Capping Advice

Hi WelshCake79b3e33d and welcome to our group.

I’d like to wish you well, first of all, with your treatment starting this week.

I don’t have experience of cold capping myself as I had Cisplatin chemo which doesn’t cause hairloss, but if you can share which chemo you are having then hopefully others who have had the same will come along and share their experiences with you.

Sarah xx

Hi 

I’m not sure what treatment plan you are on ? I presume if your trying cold cap you are doin the combined chemo regime before starting the chemo radiation . I started treatment last November and I did the cold cap ( mostly because having young grandchildren I didn’t want to scare them being bald !) I have quite thick wavy hair passsed my shoulders . I decided to have my hair cut quite short to get the cap to fit better so giving me a better chance of hopefully keeping my hair . Some people are advised to use a leave in conditioner on day of cold cap they do spray your hair with water before starting . The cold cap goes on 20 mins or so before chemo starts so that it’s ready for chemo . The first 10-15 are quite strange as young can feel it freezing your head but after that it just feels numb and I found it not to bad but worth it . I didn’t really wash my hair much maybe once a week ( it’s sounds gross ) to try and stop damaging it . I also didn’t dry it with a towel etc just let it dry on its own .  I also didn’t really stile it just brushed it . I maybe lost 5-10 percent of hair but not in clumps just a bit thinner . When I finished chemo I still didn’t wash it much for first few weeks and used it good shampoo and conditioner . My hair never really stopped growing although I’m lucky that my hair grows quick anyway . 
I hope some of this helps and please ask anything else you need to know . Theyre a lot of good advise given from here . I wish you the best of luck with your treatment and hope all goes well 

val 

Thanks for replying, and sorry for the lack of detail. I’m doing 6 weeks of carboplatin + paclitaxe followed by the combined chemo/radio. I know there’s mixed reviews about the effectiveness of Cold capping, I’m grateful for any tips people have x

Thank you so much, I’ve seen a lot of negativity around the amount of hair lost and it being a painful process. It’s great to see someone having a positive outcome x

No problem-thanks for clarifying the chemo.

My fellow community champion,Jane from the womb group, also did this chemo combination and wrote a blog sharing her experience which I hope you might find helpful too.The link is here-

Jane’s Hair Cooling Story

I think you’ll find it a positive story!

Sarah xx

Thank you Sarah, reading her story has definitely put my mind at ease more. I know everyone is different, but getting a few positive stories has really helped x

I’m really glad to read this. I’ll tag jane2511 to make sure she sees this and I’m sure she’ll be very pleased to read it has helped put you at ease.

Sarah xx

Hi WelshCake79b3e33d I'm 3 weeks into induction chemo (paclitaxel and carboplatin). I've been doing the scalp cooling using the Paxman cooling system. Relaying my experience so far-

My hair is wavy and thick (more so from the back as I've recently discovered). Because of my hair type, the pre-cooling is 45mins and although the standard is 60mins post-treatment, I requested it for 90mins (the nurses have been very kind to me!). I've starting shedding slightly this week with standing coming loose but no clumps so far. No major observable difference yet so far however, I've only done 3 sessions and holding my breath for sessions 4-6!

I only wash my hair with shampoo once a week the night before chemo (followed Granny55 's advice on this, thanks you!). I am very careful and don't rub it into my hair too much - just enough to lather and then wash out. I don't turn my hair over, I put my head back into the tub (like at the hairdresser) and have my husband help me with my hair wash. I pat with a microfiber towel and let it air dry.

On chemo day, the lovely nurses help me wet my hair with a spray bottle. My hair at the scalp is saturated with water and I comb it back with a wide-tooth comb to get the knots out and help flatten it. The nurses then put conditioner on my hair to smoothen and flatten before the cap goes on. They use the Simple brand and they use a LOT! After chemo, when I get home, I wash out the conditioner gently in the bath, towel pat and air dry.

I have purchased the Daniel Field Scalp cooling booster 1 & 2 which are meant to be mixed and applied to the hair instead of the conditioner for scalp cooling however, I have not used it since the nurses said anything that isn't Simple would have to be applied by me and I was not brave enough to take control so I've left it to the nurses and have been going with the Simple conditioner. I am using it after chemo from day 1 to 3, where I mix booster 1 with some water and saturate my hair, comb out knots and let it air dry.

I did used to have very long hair and had to cut it to chin length for the scalp cooling. The main point with scalp cooling that is reiterated is appropriate cap fitting and no air pockets. Try to go in and have a cap fitting before your session if you can. The first 15 minutes can be intolerable but if you hand on,v you're head will go numb and you'll get used to it. The biggest thing for me is not the cold but the tightness and weight of it all which takes some getting used to. With the antihistamine and the paracetamol premeds, the drowsiness makes you forget it's all on there!

Wishing you all the very best with your treatment and hang in there! x