Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
Comments
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lighthouse - it seems like a lot, but you have so much more on your head. Hang in there.
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Hi ladies, I wanted to chime in about hair washing. I read this suggestion from someone on this board (maybe Hope?) and it worked well for me. Get one of those plastic bottles with a pointed tip they use to apply hair color. I got mine at Sally's. Put shampoo in the bottle, dilute with a little water and then shake the bottle. Use the pointed tip to apply the shampoo to your head. It's much easier to apply the shampoo directly to your scalp and underneath your hair this way. I felt like my hair was getting much cleaner using this method rather than just patting some shampoo on my head.
I have three more radiation boosts and then I'm finished! I'm still shedding at 13 weeks PFC- it should stop soon right?
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I have a question for those that colored their hair a few months post chemo. My hairdresser has been investigating different gentle hair dyes but they all need heat to work. Even Clairol Beautiful that so many cappers have used needs heat to activate. I'm more concerned about the heat than the dye itself. So, what did you use to color, did you use heat, and did it work to cover the grays? I don't care if it's long lasting as I'm willing to reapply a few times until I get to the six month mark.
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Jc245-- congrats on just 3 more! I got marked yesterday and can't wait till just 3 more! Yes shedding will stop soon for all of us!
I forgot about the squirt bottle. I picked some up at the grocery store in the BBQ section! It's a ketchup or mustard bottle, but whatever works, right?0 -
I should add too that when I said I used my fingertips, I don't pull them through but rather use like a light tickling motion and kind of walk them through.
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jc254 - I used Clairol Beautiful twice. I had my regular color person apply it. The first time I was afraid to use heat, so I just sat with it on for a while. It covered the gray to some extent, but I still had two-tone hair (just light brown and dark brown, vs. gray and dark brown). But the line of demarcation wasn't nearly as bad as it was before.
About 4 weeks later I used Clairol Beautiful again, with heat. It worked much better. Both times, however, when my head got hot I dripped brown sweat (like at the gym), and the color came off on my pillowcase. Ruined a couple of t-shirts that way. After that I went back to "regular" color - I figured it was OK because I had no shedding. I will say that it's been very hard to get the color right on the 2"-3" of formerly gray growth. It doesn't seem to soak into the hair like it used to do, and my hair has a slightly "frosted" look. I'm 9 months PFC now, and used Clairol Beautiful for the first time at about the 7 week PFC mark.0 -
When I first went in to try to even out my color the salon staff discussed what might be best and gentlest and decided to just use a colored glaze. While it didn't cover everything perfectly, it evened up things enough that I felt remarkably better about my hair and left smiling. A month later we did it again. Six weeks after that we moved to real color.
My avatar was taken about four weeks after my final chemo. My hair was dry and damaged. I have slowly shortened it to shoulder length and it looks healthy and shiny again. It had always been straight, but now it has two gentle chemo waves. They may be growing out as they seem to be moving downward and the new hair above them appears to be straight.
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Hello ladies!
17/33 rad- halfway there! So sick of going, of being sore and itchy, and extremely tired, but I feel like I can make it. Hair is doig very well. Actually looking forward to my salon appt- I know it is very unever in length so I need a good cut and style. Baby hairs coming in all over my temples and forehead and my eyebrows are growing back! Actually had to shave my legs this week- was never so happy to do that in my life!!
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Tmb. Awesome news about the hair! You will be through rads in no time too. Have a great time at the salon :0)
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Tmb- half way through! Hang in there. I start rads in a few days and am really nervous about it. Great news about your hair and brows!
4sew - so glad you made it through surgery and are on to the next phase. Feels good to move forward doesn't it?
Lighthouse - I had a lot of hair too. I lost a lot but kept enough to not wear a wig. I cut off the straggly ends and have been wearing a short bob with a scarf around the front to cover some extra thin areas. I'm about 7 weeks pfc and still have that scary steady shedding.
Portland good luck with your surgery - and mfm- I hope your chemo is all downhill from here. You'll get through it, hang on.0 -
Hello cappers! I have really missed a lot in the past couple of weeks, and I hope you are all doing well whatever stage of treatment you are in. I just hit my 6 month pfc last week and have since gone back to my old hair routine - it is so nice to just wash my hair like normal in the shower and put it into my towel turban and blow dry again! Shedding has stopped, just the normal level I'd had in the past, and lots of soft new hair that's about 2" long now coming in all over! Those still capping, hang in there - you'll get to this point before you know it, I couldn't believe it had been 8 long months since I had been able to wash my hair in the shower. I am planning to go for color and highlights in late Oct, figuring 8 months pfc all should go well. Any advice?
p.s. shipsgirl, I have been taking Tamoxifen for about 3 months now and have had no issues. I take it before bed as some others had recommended. I hope you find it easy as well!
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I have tried to read through a lot of old posts and pick up tips as I go, but I thought it would be helpful to start a list of To Do's and Not To Do's for the current cold cappers. I see so many posts by cold cappers that have been successful in keeping "most" of their hair, I am essentially "borrowing" your advice, but would welcome your additions to the list for those of us who are just starting out. And, conversely, if there's something you did and wish you didn't, plase let us know. So, TO DO's:
1. Follow the cold cap timing and temperature regimen to the letter.
2. Make sure the cap fits snugly, especially around the hairline and ear line so those areas don't unnecessarily lose hair.
3. Use moleskin / mini pads to protect your forehead and ears from frostbite or ice burn (which I got my first time)
4. Bring an electric blanket, warm tea, and blankets to the day of chemo.
5. Wear iced mittens and socks to protect your fingers and toes from neuropathy and other damage. You only have to wear these during the chemo infusion.
6. Suck on ice or popsicle during chemo to protect mouth from sores and thrush.
7. Do not wash your hair for 2 days before and 2 days after chemo.
8. Only wash your hair once a week. When you do wash your hair, use paraben free/sulfate free phbalanced shampoo/conditioner. Wet your hair with cool water, use cup or other device to gently pour water over scalp and gently massage in shampoo. DON"T wet hair under shower head.
9. Carefully comb your hair once or twice a day using wide toothed comb.
10. Don't pull your hair back or otherwise pull on it.
11. Don't use hairdryer or other hot hair tool.
12. Buy a satin pillowcase to protect your hair while you are sleeping.
13. Take silica compound if your MO okays it.
14. Use a spray bottle during the week to wet your head if you get hot working out or otherwise.
I think that's it. If anyone wants to add/subtract/comment, i would welcome it. Thank you all for posting!
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hope - thanks for the encouragement. It's makes me a little nervous to say the least. It's great to hear from someone that isn't having problems. Before bed is good to know.
Congratulations on getting back to hair-normal! That is fabulous. I'm washing in the shower because shedding stopped about 3 weeks PFC for me. But I'm still treating it carefully and don't have enough regrowth to do much styling. I bet none of us will ever take our hair for granted again... or lashes and brows.
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Hi all! Hope your weekend is wonderful :0)
Shipsgirl- tamoxifen is going to be a walk in the park compared to where you have been the past few months. I was on it before chemo and took mine around dinner time. They say it can make you tired so I think that's why they say before bed and not first thing in the morning.
Kaydee- heck yes it feels great to move on and tick one more thing off that kick it to the curb list! Our Dx are pretty similar and it looks like we are starting rads about the same time. I went for mapping Thursday and start 9/30.
Hope-- I can't wait for that first shower!
Portland --good,luck with surgery. I am laying here with these dreaded drains, but this too shall pass!
Tmb--rads will soon be a distance memory! Try cutting an old tshirt in aloe juice and drape it on. That way you don't have to rub. Just a thought?
Mfm-- you will be on the other side of chemo soon. Hope the tide turns soon.0 -
Hey ladies, we aren't easy to find on the active thread list anymore. Anyone think we should start bumping to keep the word out there?
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I know this is crazy...but has anyone used Cold Caps after their first treatment has passed? I just jumped into this whole chemo thing - it was too overwhelming to think about one more detail - and now that I've been through one round of TC, I'm wondering if I can just start using Cold Caps for treatments 2-4. Anyone out there tried this?
Thanks...
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4sewwhat - congrats on the new hairs!
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Sdraugelis,
I have heard of someone that started on her second treatment but I can't remember what her drugs were or where I saw her story. If memory serves, I think it turned out ok but she lost more than if she would have if she started in the beginning. I guess it will depend on how much you lose by your next treatment. I have also heard that capping during helps it grow back faster. I am 5 1/2 weeks post chemo and my hair grew throughout (dark roots!) and I have little baby wisps all over now where I shed.
I did TC and did not lose hair on arms, face, etc.. I did and still do have shedding with having used the cold caps. I still had to shave legs! Hopefully it won't hit your hair too hard yet and you can start capping. I also had very mild tolerable side effects, so hang in there. The first treatment was worst and it got better from there. Especially the mouth stuff.
Some of the old timers will probably have better info for you. Good luck!
Lynne0 -
Thanks Murphy! You and all the other current cappers will be there soon too!
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Question for the experienced cappers.... now that I've started really shedding, my next chemo on Thursday scares the crap out of me! I thought we were being pretty easy on my head/hair during cap changes, as we didn't get my hair caught in the velcro, etc. But when I see how easily my hair is coming out now, the thought of doing the caps is stressing me out. Is there any advice for making cap changes easier on my poor hair? I don't want to lose any more than I have to, and I can just envision the chemo room floor being littered with my hair. AGH!
You can't tell that I have thinned at all, but I'm only 2 treatments in... if I keep losing as much hair as I have the last few days, my hair won't last through AC, let alone Taxol!
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Hi Michelle,
I used disposable shower caps for capping but I did EG caps, not PCC, so I don't know if you could do that but I really don't see why not. They don't insulate at all, they just made the cap slide on and off without putting any friction on my hair. I also wet my hair with watered down leave in conditioner and then put the liner on. It is a couple bucks for 12-15 caps at Sally's or any beauty supply place. I just got my hair wet and used a pick to smooth itmtowardsmthe back. Mthat way I didn't have to worry about changing my part line between cap changes either.
Good luck! It's going to hang on, you'll see :0). This should be the worst shedding and it should level off soon.0 -
When I got ready to have a cap change my helpers connected the velcro straps before putting it on my head. Then they tightened the straps once on. It helped keep my hair out of the Velcro and avoid pulling.
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We used felt to cover the Velcro until we were ready to connect it at the back of my head. Also we found that if I put my hair in a loose ponytail or pigtails when the cap went on, then also when the cap comes off, that it was less likely to get stuck in the Velcro. We took the pig/ponytail out when the brow band went on the nape of my neck so my neck wasn't bare or hair too thick in one spot.
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sdraugelis, I am afraid it may be too late to save your hair, but why don't you email your question to Penguin?
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lighthouse - I was going to suggest one of the hairnets that you put under a wig. But I didn't have any issues with the caps pulling out any hair. I know it's all a bit scary. You'll be okay. You can afford to lose a lot of hair before it shows.
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I feel like I'm hogging the board with my issues lately, but I think I need help! I know we are supposed to completely baby our hair, but I don't really know how to do that with mine. I have thick, naturally curly, coarse hair that I can't get a comb through on a good day. I've tried to spritz it with spray-in conditioner in between wash days and gently get through some of the tangles with a pick. Unfortunately a whole lot is coming out these days.... ugh. Just looking at me you'd never know, but if you put all of what has come out over the past five days, it's a LOT. I'm not sure if that's considered "shedding" or just plain old hair loss. I'm depressed. If it doesn't slow down & I don't find a way to care for my hair, it will never make it through 6 more treatments.
Anyway, I just went in the bathroom and the back of my hair felt funny.... so I looked and I basically had a dreadlock on each side in the back.... not sure if it was from loose hairs getting tangled in the rest, or the fact that I am not washing or wetting it very often so it's just getting unruly tangled or what. How do I deal with this? I am not putting anything (product) in my hair, but I still can't get it detangled without pulling a ton out. I am trying to gently use the pick each day to keep it ok, but obviously that's not cutting it. Oh, to have silky straight hair!!!
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Lighthouse- are you using a conditioner when you wash it? My hair was not that tangly. Can anyone offer advice?
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Lighthouselady - oh the dreaded dreadlocks! Ugh! I had a major dreadlock or 2 in the back of my head. I think it is the hairs that are going to fall out, also with good hairs stuck in the mix. My suggestion is that you should try to comb it out as best you can so that the bad hairs dont take more good hairs with them. I used a leave in conditioner and a detangler simultaneously (I also have very curly hair). The back of my head is where i shed the worst - there isn't much left back there, but there is more on the sides, which i use to pin up at the back to camouflage the thinness. Go slow and just do your best. I remember it took me a good 1.5 hours to get through that awful dreadlock, but eventually i did get through it. I did hear from someone that some ladies don't get through the dreadlocks and just cut them off. You can't leave it there - it will attach itself to some of the good hair and you don't want that. Just be gentle and do your best. I used a pick to comb through it and went very slow. It is very frustrating.
Hang in there. You'll get through this.
xo
curly0 -
Thanks curly and mdg. I do use conditioner when I wash it. My hair has always had an awful texture, though, and having it be extra dry and dirty during this doesn't help I'm sure.
Curly - thanks for the advice. That's pretty much what I did. I sprayed a bunch of detangler and tried to work my way through it. I got a pick-full of hair by the time I got done with each one, but I think I got it all untangled. I'm sorry others have had to deal with this, too, but I'm glad I'm not an anomoly. I almost freaked when I looked in the mirror and saw the dreadlocks! LOL Is there NOTHING easy about this cancer journey? Good Lord. I think the thick, curly hair is a double-edged sword. It's great because it camoflauges a lot, but it's horribly difficult to care for without being able to do your usual hair routine.
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Could you put any of it in loose braids just so it doesn't tangle when you sleep? Just an idea....
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