Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
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suladog! Can't believ you're almost done. Time flies when you're freezing. I'm so glad you've had great results? You'll get your hair colored soon. I'm getting a cut next week, breaking the rules a bit, I guess, but I really need to take off a few inches. Hope you are doing well
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Dear Angiel,
Thank you so much for pointing out that our cold cap rep for Penguin is a total gem.! And thank you for letting me peek into what must have been one of your first cold-capping/Chemo sessions in February. Your hair looks amazing! I just finished my third Cytoxan and Taxotere treatment yesterday. I have probably lost about 30% of my hair. I get discouraged sometimes, but after reading some of the statistics regarding Taxotere and lack of hair re-growth for up to 6% of women, my husband and I definitely concluded that cold-capping was the best strategy I know to avoid the worst of those side effects. I may ultimately have to cut short; but, I am really happy that I am doing what I can to preserve my hair (current and future!) I feel really strongly that finding and using cold-capping shouldn't be so difficult!!! There should be more freezer, more chairs, more concern on the part of physicians. Hair is a big deal! Of course not the MOST big deal….but given what research is finding about the mind-body and wellness connection. (Ok, I will attribute that rant to the last of the steroids leaving my body!) Anyway, congratulations to you Angiel as well as the other women who are persisting with cold-capping. And very best to the women who are curious and want to try! Kimberly
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Way to go Suladog! And BB - more than halfway finished!
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Just washed and still a little damp, but not bad for 7 Taxols. Even though I cannot style it as usual, I'm happy I have it. When I'm done with chemo, I'll post the before and after.
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BB,
Your hair looks great!!!! I'm a southern gal and used to teasing and hairspray and lots of blonde highlights in my shoulder length hair, so the lack of styling (trying to just comb hair once a day) drives me a little crazy. Any styling tips from anyone on this board very welcome! I'm trying to convince myself that I now have the trendy ombre beachy waves look. Haha. BUT I am thrilled to be cold capping and to have my own hair!! It does so much for me mentally!!!
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Wow BB - your hair looks amazing!!! I'm so jealous of your naturally straight hair. Pre chemo, my flat iron was my best friend.
Congrats Suladog! So happy for you & your beautiful red hair :-)
Kimberly, only 1 more to go - yay! You get to ring the bell at MN Oncology in 3 weeks!!
Have a great weekend ladies!!
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BB,
Your hair is stunning!!! I have curly hair and I need a few more products ( which I can't use right now) to contain it. I wish my big bushy mop looked as well groomed as yours! You are a walking ad for the benefit of cold caps!!
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gatomal,
Thanks, yes I have been a numbskull for 12 weeks! Ha ha! I am thinking since I just did taxol and haven't had any appreciable hair loss, I may have my stylist use a vegetable color on me after a month or so this gray hair is making me cuckoo. I can't go 6 mo without coloring as I haven't had anything colored since mid November!!
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Thank you, Ladies, but the photo is a little deceiving. My hair has a texture of straw in parts, and other parts get stringy and greasy quickly. I am happy to have it, though.
I always wanted to have curly hair, by the way.
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Kimberly, it looks from your pic that your hair is a lot like mine...blond, straight and quite fine. I'm about a week out from last TC and I would say I've lost about 20%, maybe 25%, of my hair (most of it lost during day 18-25 after the first infusion). But it can look pretty, especially on the third day before hair washing. Because it is fine and straight it can get really greasy and flat by then. I think, though, once we can start washing it more often it will look fluffier and fuller again. So don't dispair!! BTW, I already have about a half inch of new growth on my crown where a bunch of hair must of broke off either from frostbite or because it was super fragile on top where it gets a lot of sun bleaching/damage. Can't wait to start washing every other day instead of every third. You ladies who are well past PFC, how long did you wait before you started washing your hair more often? Thanks, Bethany
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Hi ladies. Glad to see everyone's hair is hanging in there.
BB, your hair looks great. I wish mine looked so good without normal styling.
Suladog, so happy that you finished with hair. Having lost it once before, it must be that much sweeter to have cold cap success. A lot of us used gentle color before six months with no problem although I would definitely wait another month before trying. Welcome to PFC
It's been two years since I started chemo and cold cap adventures. I remember being so scared - how sick would I be, would I be able to work, would the cold caps work? Luckily, I made it through chemo relatively unscathed and I was able to continue to work full time throughout. I kept at least 70% of my hair and there are many people to this day who have no idea about my diagnosis. To those considering cold caps, although losing 30% of your hair sounds like a lot, you'd be surprised how normal you can still look (and feel). I am so happy I found out about cold caps in time and found this thread with the wonderful women who coached me through the process.
Remember, a bad hair day is better than a no hair day! Have a great weekend everyone
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Suladog - Congrats!!! What a great feeling knowing you'll soon be done. I hear ya about the gray hair .... I'm 5 weeks PFC and I'm ready to scream. I can't take it much longer .... need to find a good product that I can use just to get by until I can use permanent color. I'm using Toppik which is great but I would love to get my hair dyed asap!! Hey, I'm not complaing, am I? I still have hair, right! Lol. Again, congrats, good luck tomorrow. ... you did it
♡ Kim
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Good shooting Suladog! So happy for you!
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HOW OFTEN BEFORE AND AFTER DO YOU LADIES WASH? WHAT ABOUT ON NON CHEMO WEEKS?
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Alibeths,
I had taxol every week for 12 wks what I did was wash my hair gently and let it air dry on Thursday, the day before my Friday chemo, then I would wash it again on Monday. I had just taxol and herceptin and this schedule worked very well for me. I washed. My hair the day before chemo just do it would be clean when I used the cold caps. I know this is contrary to PCC rules but it worked well for me and the protocol I was o
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Since there has been a lot of hair share lately, I thought I get in on some of the love and also show what results look like on someone with fine, straight hair. I didn't start out with the thickest hair to begin with, but here I am this morning 9 days PFC of TC. As you'll see I did have some thinning on top which the grey roots don't help. But it must have broken off instead of fallen out because I already have about a half an inch of hair coming in at the crown. I'm calculating I lost about 20% of my hair. Washing days look the best because the hair fluffs up a bit, which we girls with fine, straight hair need. So, when I can get back to daily washing and I can get those roots covered, I think it will look pretty good. Overall, I'm over the moon with the results! Oh, and I'm one of those that used the Elastogels caps, so if you are wondering if they work...they do!
Have a great weekend everyone! --Bethany
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starting Friday woth pcc!
Can anyone post shopping list? I have panntiliners, thermometer and will grab an electric blanket. Thanks ladies
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Alibeth, Some additions to your shopping list--cloth tape to hold the pantiliners in place, moleskin for forehead and sides of face, silk pillowcase to sleep on (you can get them cheap at Walmart). I also bought a Bubbakeg to keep my drinking water in. They suggest drinking warm water and the Bubbakeg kept it at a good temperature. You can also use it later for keeping drinks cold at the beach!
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You'll need mole skin to protect your hair line, scotch tape to secure the moleskin & panty-liner pieces together. Also a timer - your phone may have one. Hand towels to wipe of excess moisture from the caps, cotton gardening gloves especially if handling dry ice, rubbing alcohol & cotton balls to clean the caps after each use...
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If you decide to ice hands/feet, ziplock baggies for ice, knit gloves.0 -
a neck pillow - definitely helps with comfort in the chair.
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Alibeths, make sure whoever is capping for you wipes the interior of the caps really well each time and that you change your part. Got frostbite for the first time on Friday between the moleskin and the hairline, just edging into the hair. Doesn't take much to happen. So another thing to keep on top of.
For anyone else this has happened to, I've been using a hydrocortisone ointment on the burn, which seems to be helping. Mine is an RX (clobetasol) in case it happens to you. Fifth time in. You'd think … oh well. Still have hair. Happy Sunday everyone!
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So you change your part everytime?!?
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yes, Alibeths, change your part with every cap change. I just did it with my hands, and sometimes pulled the hair straight back.
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I used a hair pick to change my part every time.0 -
You don't need to change your part at every cap change. Too much tousling of the hair, and the time it might take to change the part is time your scalp is warming up-you want your scalp to stay cold! It wouldn't hurt to change it for each treatment. If the part gets very red then take a piece of gauze and unfold it, refold it lengthwise and cover the part.
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yes change your part each time. Gently, use wide tooth comb. I used puffy moleskin for forehead and temples, and thin for ears. The panty liners didn't work for me. Also, we used a rolling pin to smoosh the frozen gel in the caps and break it up a bit.
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pic of how I cut my moleskin
I have a widows peak, hence the v out of the top. This was just for my forehead and temples.
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Yes, I think you should definitely change your part after each cap change. I would just take my finger and run it through a different area and make a new part. If you don't, I'm afraid you may get frostbite. I did four treatments and changed my part after each cap change and never got frostbite. Maybe I just got lucky. During the day of your treatment, you can go back to a part you already used. Also, make sure you get a timer and some extra batteries. If you're using dry ice, you will need an infrared thermometer. Make sure you get the correct one. I bought mine on Amazon. I did not use a neck pillow. It was just too much. I also decided not to ice my nails. My oncologist said I did not need to do it. After my four treatments, I still have my normal fingernails and I do not have any other issues. I guess she was right. Good luck
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