Dealing with Hair Loss During Chemo

The thought of losing my hair during chemo really freaked me out. I always loved my hair. I enjoyed styling it, going for haircuts, throwing it up in a messy bun on Sundays. Definitely a hair girl. Turns out losing my hair wasn’t half as bad as I thought it would be.

Believe it or not – there is a bright side!

Initially, it was a shock. But as it grew back, I discovered that I had the opportunity to try so many different hairstyles that I never would have tried before. So here’s my hair timeline. As you can see, the pixie cut evolved into different looks as it grew out. The texture of my hair also changed a bit, so that took some getting used to. When it first started to grow back, it was thicker and curlier than my natural hair. But I worked with it and actually began to enjoy the volume and thicker locks that I didn’t have before.

A couple of my favorite tips and tricks for dealing with hair loss during chemo:

The Pillowcase

I never knew how important a satin pillowcase was when your hair is falling out! Turns out, a satin pillowcase is the most comfortable surface to sleep on for people experiencing hair loss from chemotherapy treatments.

The tight weave and high sheen of satin slows the hair loss and is gentle on scalps tender from treatments and hair follicle regrowth. Who knew? I love this satin pillowcase 2-piece set in the leopard print from Morning Glamour.

Wigs

 Wigs are great. Don’t get me wrong. But a good one can be very, very expensive. Did you know that you can contact your health insurance carrier, and ask them if you have coverage for a hair prosthetic? You can and you should! Best way to save money, and get yourself a wig made with natural hair.

I got mine from Design by Flora. As soon as I lost my hair, I went in for measurements and made my selection. Once every couple of weeks she shampooed and styled it for me. The frequency of shampoos depends on how often you wear your wig as well as the time of year. You definitely need more maintenance in the summer months.

Wigs can be uncomfortable, especially when you’re not feeling great from chemo. I just loved my baseball hat with hair from Headcovers Unlimited.

Designed for comfort, beautifully blended hair is permanently attached to a 100% cotton baseball cap creating a ready-to-wear hair fashion alternative with no styling needed. It looks great, is super comfy and keeps your head nice and warm.  Need to run to the store for some milk? No problem. Throw this baby on and you’re good to go.

A Nightcap

I never knew how cold you can get when you have no hair! Especially when you sleep, you need a beanie or sleep cap of some kind. Believe it or not, the most stylish one I could find is actually from Amazon.

The slouchy ones are called snoods. I love that word lol! All kidding aside, this is super cute and cozy. Can’t go wrong in black. And get two, so you have one when the other is the wash.