Cold Caps Users Past and Present, to Save Hair
Comments
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All ladies: I must ask has anyone found a good deodorant that works!??! I think we're not suppose to use aluminum but mine doesn't stop the wetness. Help !
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meow. I felt my lump. Actually, having implants helped me to feel it. The lump was between my skin and implant so was easy to feel while it was still very small
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Thankyou for responding. Just so happy that you found it!! I'm still confused as to why we don't get screening other than if we hve implants b MRI every 3 yrs.please correct me if I'm mistaken.( I like your hair cut by the way. )
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Ok, so what I thought was the big shed this weekend was just the beginning. I washed today and wow! Even more shed than over the weekend. It was probably already there, but the washing loosened it. My next T/C is on Wednesday. Have those of you ahead of me on T/C had a big shed every round? This is kind of freaking me out. Also, my hair is losing it's luster. I'm using the ACURE shampoo and conditioner. Is there anything else I could use on the ends to moisturize more?
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Catgirl, for many of us the first big shed is the big one. Of the hair i lost, about half of it came out around day 19 of chemo round one.
In my opinion, whatever we want to put on the ends of our hair is fair game. I used a bit of hemp hair serum from whole foods occasionally, and still do.
Your hair will probably turn out just fine by the end. It is like a cold-capping rite of passage, that first big shed! The first BS as someone here called it
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Thanks so much, Tunegrrl! I have thick hair, so I hope this is my main BS.
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hi all,
i live in san diego,ca. who can i call of i am interested in cold caps?i check dignicaps and they dont have a supplier in san diego.ty.
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Was tending to my root coverup, and noticed that the WOW powder that I have always used, and many here use, has an ingredient "aluminum starch". It seems that PCC says to avoid deodorant with aluminum in it, so seems like this might not be so good since it is right at the roots? Not a chemist, so appreciate anyone's thoughts. Thanks
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Hi Kae_md99, I'm using Penguin Cold Caps, but there are some others you can also have sent to you. Check out the Rapunzelproject.org and they have a list of all of the cold cap options. I didn't have anything available here, so I just researched the companies they listed. You can order from several.
Fastgirl, I've been using the WOW on the recommendations of others on this thread. Madison Reed is also a brand that some gals use. I just figured that any of the brush on cover ups are better than the spray type. I'm not a chemist either, so I'm not sure about the aluminum starch.
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kai i bought my elasto-gel caps on amazon and ebay. bought the laser thermometer on amazon. i bought a rolling cooler at walmart and the dry ice at my local chain grocery store.
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janetsam,
how many elasto gel caps did you need? i assume you used the dry ice for cooling and thermometer for checking the temp? i apologize if this has been asked before
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hi kae, I would advise u to get 5caps and see if there are any headbands too if you don't end up going with penguin. The head bands work for the hear line and I suggest 80 lbs of dry ice purchased the day before. Good luck.
Cat girl. , sorry about your big shed but I think this will be the only big shed. As for mebany many of us it was after 3bs treatment. Since then it's been normal shed.
Hugs.
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kae i only had 4 caps, would have been better to have 5 or 6 but i still got a lot of hair, no bald places. i think my husband only got 40 pounds of dry ice. we crushed up some of it and put into baggies to place inside the caps. i stored the caps in our home freezer until morning of chemo. bought dry ice early in morning. i bought used caps which were fine. the thermometer is for making sure caps are -34 but my thermometer didn't register that cold. didn't matter, we got them as cold as we could given we only had 4 caps
just want to want to point out my situation was different than most of you here, 3 infusions of taxol carbo every three weeks, only real shed was after first infusion. if i changed caps every 20 min and really wet my scalp that first one i might have done better.
Edit: the more i think about it, the more i believe that manually pushing down on caps in order to keep then in scalp contact was very helpful. especially when first applied each change. i could feel with my hands where the cap wasn't intotal contact. if i had to do it again i would bring gloves.
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Janet is right. A lot of the hair you think you are losing in the shower and combing had already parted ways. Ladies, this does get better. It sucks but it gets better. I can't believe it was 11 months ago when I was starting the cold cap journey. I was constantly worried if I would have any hair left. I did. But if you are using elastogels, make sure the top really has good coverage on your head. I let mie get too cold and at my last 2 infusions I was impatient and chose not to wait until they warmed up. So they weren't very pliable. The pics below are right before my 4th infusion in mid May and the other is now. I'm not real happy with the texture. It's very coarse and requires a lot of smoothing serum and straightening to get it to blend with the rest. My hair lady did it great and you couldn't tell the hairs were shorter. I don't have the same luck. I cried last week the first time I tried to fix it. It looks like a rat chewed on it in person but in the pic it isn't so bad.
I look back at that pic from 9 months ago and I'm horrified. It got a little worse after my last chemo. I hid it well by pulling my front hair back in a clip. I also think I felt so shitty I got to the point I didn't care anymore. I was just trying to get through it. I do like the redder color that's growing in. I'm really wondering if I have extra hair growing because that coarse hair is just everywhere and I don't remember losing that much. It's about 5 inches long now and I have a lot more volume to my hair even though the new growth isn't very long. It's crazy. It seems like yesterday.
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it's exciting when the baby hairs start coming in. Mine were kinda gray at first which was a bit disturbing since the rest of my hair isn't, but they changed to red after a few weeks
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Runner, love the kitty photo bomb. :-
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i love the kitty photo bomb, too!
Since we're sharing bald spots, here's how thin i got up top. Pics taken before third chemo infusion, but i didn't ever see it getting worse than that. Toppik was my BFF. But even without it, it was not noticeable from most people's viewing angles. I did consider buying tall boots!
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Yes Toppik's it my best friend too and I only stand next to people shorter then me which isn't easy to do since I'm only 5'4"!
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Hi all,
about products..
I bought Clarins night cream and Toppik..
I thought the Clarins was smelly? Anyhow I decided to google the ingredients and I found a data base that grades ingredients for toxins. Clarins wasn't horrible but it did not score high. Toppik did not score well either. The site is good for checking products and divides the ingredients out and tells you what the score is for each ingredient and why. I think Acure did score very well.
http://www.ewg.org/skindeep/search.php?query=Clari...
I was recently using Olay regeneratst products before diagnosis.I quit, found out the parabens were bad. I'm really missing the oil of Olay products..Clarins are better than Olay, but I'm now looking for something that scores higher, meanwhile my skin is ageing by the day!
I also avoid dryer sheets and air fresheners. I'm a no smells person now except for my own body odor LOL.....if interestedGoogle dryer sheets fragrances and find out about the unregulated toxins in fragrances.
Hugs e
BTW I mostly avoid antiperspirant and deodorant. I all but quit 15 years ago when my buddy lost her battle with BC. Going natural it's not that bad, my body adjusted long ago. ..Anyhow for anyone thinking about quitting deodorant products..give your armpit some time to adjust and try wearing all cotton. synthetic clothes do bring on the stink in my pits. I do give in and use Toms brand when I need to wear my fancy synthetic clothes. You can swab your pits with warm water or coconut oil when things get out of hand. I did get this damn cancer in my armpit anyway! I can't believe it!
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To all ladies that are sleeping on Satin Pillow cases, when did you stop using them. I'm asking because were going on a cruise March 24th and I really don't want to lug my pillow on the ship and I'm afraid the pillow cases won't fit the ones in the state room. By then I'll be 13 weeks PFC, do you think it will make a big difference if I don't use it for 10 days?
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I like evidence-based things, and am skeptical about the Environmental Working Group. (Google "Environmental Working Group Skeptic" or "Environmental Working Group credibility" for critiques and discussion.)
Did you get the Clarins extra-firming night cream? That is the one i recommended a few pages back. I only wish i could bring myself to spend that much as a lifestyle choice. I just use it when i want to look my very best. (I use it as a daytime moisturizer, but probably wouldn't in summer months.)
As for pillow cases, you know what's really nice? Two bamboo sateen pillow cases together. Breathable, silky natural fibres, and with two against each other there is less friction. Kshorten, how about taking the pillow case you like and just hoping it fits? Seems likely to, and no biggie if it doesn't. So nice you get to go on a cruise!
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Thanks Tunegrrl I'm going to take them and see what happens, and thanks for the idea on the Bamboo pillow cases. Looking forward to the cruise, we had a trip planned to Mexico in Dec 2016 with 36 friends but we had to cancel because of my Chemo, our friends went without us imagine that. LOL Trip is 13 days after Radiation ends so hopefully my skin will hold up. Really looking forward to getting away. And thanks for all of your great advice on this board!
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I like the Clarins texture but I can't do fragrance. I get serious migraines from lots of fragrances. They make me sick so I always wonder if they are toxic.i don't just trust that all products are safe.
I love all the advice on products...I got Clarins multi active night. My skin definitely needs help.
I'm also very interested in finding a reputable website that can check ingredients. Mine may not be grading right but at least it explains each ingredient. If you love a product you could look up the individual ingredients with that site as start point.
I'm going to us the toppiks for sure. I think it will help more than hurt. Plus I need it.
I do think we all should be avoiding parabens...they are in my Olay products.
There is some evidence that parabens are showing up in breast tumors.
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i am looking for elasto gel cold caps. not available in amazon not at the website!where else could i possibly buy?
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I totally agree about the parabens. I was mildly aghast they gave that crap out at the look good feel better workshop i attended.
Kshorten, i'm delighted you've enjoyed my suggestions. I love giving unsolicited advice, so i really enjoy when it turns out to be useful to people
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kae md99
I bought elastogels (in person) we did not have time for shopping at icewraps.com they are located in so cal..
You will need straps too..I'm using a tight wide pink headband I bought at Kmart. My brother made Velcro straps for me. Lizjo has the same Kmart headband I think
Contact is important! my three straps and headband are very strong! Note ....two straps not showing here. My hubby puts a ski cap on to insulate the cap so they are hidden. Straps are so tight it makes my jaw hurt into the next day.
My guys have to pound out the wrinkles in the caps. it is hard to get them to freeze smooth...bumps in material can cause loss of contact. I got the elastogel hands and feet too...I can't tolerate the hands feet last time I ditched them..I'm going on taxol next so I'm going to try to be tougher, I can't do them so cold either..just looking at this photo makes me want to barf! That's an elect blanket...
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elastogelgirl..it seems a lot of work.. dont you get colds from wearing the caps? i get colds easily..and i dont wanna get sick during chemo.that is one of my concerns.thanks
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Hello!
Has anyone heard of BoostBlend? It's like Toppik but plant based. They say it doesn't clump. I love the Clarins, for me the smell is nice but I know fragrance can be bad if your sensitive. The other organic recommendation Tunegrrl made was the Eminence Coconut Age Corrector Cream. I will buy that next.
So.... hair is not holding up. I think after physical therapy today I will go to the wig shop. I am 7 days PFC. My concern is what do I do with my hair under the wig while waiting for regrowth. Shave it, cut it short, leave it be. Any guidance would be helpful for those who resorted to this. You know wigs and cutting is against Penguin protocol. I asked my rep and he said leave it be ... no wig or cutting or my results would be catastrophic or some bullshit word I don't remember. So, so lost..... I did this to be discreet for my young children but mommy looks a mess. Hardly any hair, barely there eyebrows and no eyelashes. Probably watching me go through this appearance transformation is more scary for them than the truth. This morning I told my oldest that my hair was too messy and I wanted to wear a wig until it got better. He sat and thought and thought then slowly started crying and said he didn't want me to wear a wig, it scared him. I am going to wash it today and see how it goes. I can let it go and just wait for regrowth but I am paralyzed about going out. Hard not to go out, especially with kids. I am at a point where a hat or scarf won't cut it. It's just very thin frizzy strands.. I need to get to a point that I can go out and not expect to look great, just not look so sick. Just feel comfortable.
Willa - hope all went well yesterday..
Thanks ladies for helping me through this bump.0 -
OMG it sounds like so much work using caps that get changed. For anyone reading this who has access to a Paxman or Dignicap machine, let me tell you the cooling machine method is a walk in the park. Super cold for ten minutes, like you just jumped in a lake, then meh.
I easily snoozed through and did whatever in a leisurely way. The Paxman machine is silent, no idea about the Dignicap ones. Contact with the top of the head is important. So many people have shedding there, it makes me think the vascular structure of the scalp is such that that part gets the warmest from the way the blood flows.
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