topic Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please. in Treatments and side effects

Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Milo01 — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 06:33:53 GMT

Dear All,

I recently got a diagnosis for ovarian cancer and it was a very quick diagnosis. I had major abdominal surgery and after my diagnosis, was informed I would be going for chemotherapy. And very soon.

My recent Medical Oncologist appointment gave me my chemotherapy cycle information.

BEP - 21 day cycle x3.
I was advised that there will be hair loss. Most likely full hair loss and total body.

It probably won’t be a surprise that I am spiralling. No matter how many fact sheets I read, I still can’t fully understand what is going to happen to my body. Or what may be the best path forward for myself.

I fully understand any replies are individual opinions/responses and I need to make my own choices. I am not asking to be told what to do, but other people’s experiences to gain a bigger picture.

Mostly I would like to ask how people prepared for their own hair loss due to chemotherapy, before you began chemotherapy?

Did you cut your own hair before you began chemotherapy? What length did you feel was best for you?

If you didn’t cut your hair, before you started chemotherapy, how did you address this when your hair started to fall out?

Is it safe to go to a hairdresser whilst you are on a chemotherapy regiment? I have been told body fluids are not safe for others due to the cytotoxic properties of the drugs. So is it safe for a hairdresser to cut your hair or shave it off, once you start your chemotherapy?

Is wearing a cap/ beanie better to catch hair falling out, rather than not wearing one?

Should I put a hair drainer catcher down, when I have a shower? (The covers that stop hair going down the drain.)

My hair is long and always has been. So it is confronting to know how to deal with this side effect. And I would like to prepare myself before my first appointment happens. I am aware that there will be 2-3 weeks before hair loss starts and that it may be in clumps or thinning, not full hairlessness in one go. I just want to know if I choose to go to the hairdresser, will I plan for now. So all information is good information.

Thank you very much for any and all replies.

Milo01

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

LindaG — Sun, 23 Nov 2025 09:36:22 GMT

Hi Milo 01, sorry about your diagnosis. I understand your feelings about your hair loss and I wish I had asked the same questions you are before my hair started falling out very quickly when I started having chemo. I would definitely cut it as short as you can feel comfortable with. My hair was a reasonable length and it just started falling out everywhere and really upset me. My daughter ended up cutting most of it off which was ok but maybe a hairdresser would have been better. Once it was all gone I found I preferred beanies and turbans to a wig. That’s a personal choice. I hope you go okay with the chemo and that you have lots of support around you. Love and prayers to you 🙏♥️Linda G

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Milo01 — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 05:23:28 GMT

Dear LindaG,

Thank you for sharing your thoughts and experiences with me.

I have a fortnight now, until my first chemotherapy starts. And I am really leaning towards at least getting a bob cut for manageability. All I don’t think I will cry as much if I have a hairstyle I really hate, rather then watch my long hair fall out. Or that is at least what I am telling myself.

I really hate hats. They make my head hot. But I think a wig would make it hotter, so I will look into investing in a few beanie/soft caps I have been researching.

It was really great to get such a quick response,so thanks again and for your kindness.

Milo01

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Milo01 — Thu, 11 Dec 2025 08:39:12 GMT

Hi All,

Just wanted to update on my hair loss journey and some answers I have found out too.

So I did cut my hair about a week before I started chemotherapy. It was mid rib length and I cut it to a chin length bob. It was the highest I could go, mentally.

However after a chat with the accredited Cancer Support Worker I engaged in, she advised me it is safe to go to the hairdresser whilst having chemotherapy and being “Cytotoxic”, as long as you don’t vomit or excessively sweat. As the chemotherapy exits your porous surfaces and bodily fluids. If that happens, the hairdresser will have to wear gloves and dispose of the bodily fluid safely. That is for the other people’s safety to your chemotherapy drugs. You may want to explain to the hairdresser that you are doing chemotherapy and need your haircut when booking the appointment.

As for my pre-chemotherapy hair appointment, I made sure I brought pictures of the haircut I wanted. There are so many different types of bobs, short haircut or pixie cuts. I showed the hairdresser what I wanted and what I didn’t,so I didn’t walk out with a shock and have the experience be more upsetting. I did have tears in my voice when I explained why I needed to cut my hair and the hairdresser couldn’t have been more lovely.

Then I asked if I could keep any of my ponytail if possible. I fully expected to be looked at as if I was crazy. But the answer was “Of course.” Apparently it is not a strange request from people,even not having cancer treatment, to ask for their hair. That surprised me.

My hair was sectioned into two plaits, tied off, cut off at an appropriate level to create the bob and then handed to me. The haircut went well and I walked out thanking the hairdresser profusely. Having my hair in a little sandwich bag gave me control and comfort. At home I joined the two smaller pigtails together to make my regular plait. But be aware, the thin plastic ties the hairdresser used started to snap as I combined the plaits, so I secured the ends with real hair ties. And now my ponytail won’t come apart. To me, if I have it and can touch it and see it. When the hair loss occurs, I can see and know that this hair I can see and touch, will come back. Rather then have no hair to see at all or only bits or pieces of it. That is comforting and there was control in having done this step before commencing chemotherapy.

I guess hairdressers get alot of requests all the time from all walks of life. It may not be as unusual for a hairdresser to not have come across a cancer patient before. And that was a blockage mentally for me. Thinking I would be different or unique for them. Don’t be afraid to ask. For your hair, for what cut is good for you and if they will shave your hair for you if the time comes. They are all just answers.

I am at the end of a pretty full on chemotherapy week, my first and there is no noticeable changes to the amount of hair that is shedding from my head. I was scared it would happen quicker, but it isn’t. In the CDU I have seen people wearing a cold cap(I believe you have to source them yourself), people wearing head coverings, people not wearing any head coverings and someone who wore a head covering but ducked into the toilet to change into a wig before they left. I am getting used to seeing alot and it is helping my mind pop things into place for myself.

I have also been advised to put a drain catcher down (from the $2 shops) to catch hair as it does start to fall out more as the following weeks come. Makes sense. Easily cleaned up then.

Wearing a cap at night is supposed to help catch any shedding hair whilst you sleep, but it is optional and a personal preference.

Anyway, I am on my way through this journey and I will post again as more hair loss happens to let you know how I have been navigating it.

I would be more then happy for others to keep replying with their own perspectives. And I hope all who read this post are finding their own ways forward.

Milo01

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Felicity_CCNSW — Sun, 14 Dec 2025 22:18:58 GMT

Dear @Milo01

Thank you for sharing your experience with us. It is deeply moving to hear how you kept your hair and how it gives you hope and strength for the future.

It is an incredibly personal experience to go through hair loss from cancer and it takes a lot of courage to speak openly about it. I'm sure others will greatly benefit from reading your experience and coming to understand their own experience.

Here is a Cancer Council NSW resource on hair loss that you may find helpful to read.

Thank you,

Felicity

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Milo01 — Tue, 06 Jan 2026 10:10:02 GMT

Dear All,

It is January already and I am on my 2nd week of my 2nd cycle.

I can now answer more of the questions I first asked and give some more insight. This covers head hair, but also body hair too. I think the focus is on head hair, but other hair loss can be overlooked at the beginning, but more information is wanted when you realise the other hair loss involved.

I believe it is important to know you may notice other body hair loss before your head hair. By the start of my 3rd week of chemotherapy I started to lose my hair. However I lost it from my pubic area first. That shocked me. It was just there in my underwear. It came out easily in the shower, no resistance or pain. Over 3 days it pretty much went .But not all of it has gone as of yet. There is still a sprinkling of hair in areas. But I may still lose that in my next two cycles. I thought this was most shocking, as I thought it was hardy hair and would be the last to go. But I never asked this question to begin with.

On to my head hair:

On the Monday of the third week of my chemotherapy , I ran my hand through my hair in the shower and more strands came out then normal. I did it gently a second time and a clump came out. I came out of the shower and cried. I think that is a pretty normal response.

Tuesday it amped up and multiple strands appeared on my collar of my shirt by themselves. I’d clean it up and it would be back pretty quickly. The shower that night, hair didn’t stop coming off my head in my hands. Wednesday I had a Medical Oncologist appointment and asked them when I should shave my head. Because I just didn’t know that answer and it was causing me anxiety. Their answer was within a week. Thursday my hair was all over me. My clothes during the day and my shower that night, the drain cover was full of hair. My showers that week had now taken 3 times longer than usual. The shower and cleaning it up after, trying to get the hair to stop shedding after the shower and drying myself , and then vacuuming the floor to get all the various body hair off the floor. I walked out of the bathroom on Thursday night and asked my relative to shave my head the next day. Thursday night I gently rubbed my underarm hair and it came out cleanly, without pain or resistance. I had noticed it had stopped growing. I hadn’t needed to shave for days now.

Friday morning I had my relative shave my head with a professional electric shaver. There are pretty much two rules.1#Don’t shave it to the skin with a razor to avoid cutting yourself, getting an infection or ingrown hairs. 2# Use a guard on an electric shaver for these reasons too. I got a #2 in the end. And the hair still feel out in the volumes it was,but now in 1cm lengths. I shaved it outside,so there were no mirrors I had to look into whilst it was happening. In my showers, the head hair now just washes down the plug hole. It was so much better.

It was a massive difference. Hair to a shaved head. But by Friday morning, I was just so over constantly cleaning up my hair, having to roll it up or ball it up and put it in the bin. It was more stressful to have to constantly confront this, then shave it. And wearing a soft cap/beanie overnight did nothing for me,to catch falling hair.

I haven’t finished chemotherapy yet and I doubt I have finished my hair loss journey either. My head hair is still there,but incredibly thinned out. I do expect when week 3 of this cycle comes around,to notice more hair loss and again in my next cycle. I have been informed my regime will mean hair loss throughout the entirety.

My leg hair is still there,so are my eyebrows and eyelashes (though I have learnt those two near the eyes do take more time to depart). But like I said, I do expect more hair loss through my chemotherapy.

However I’d like to say, not feeling well and being hot and summer, I have quickly shaken off the worries I have about societal norms. I don’t wear a beanie if it makes me feel physically better, just so it doesn’t make anyone else uncomfortable. If I am hot, I don’t cover up my head. I simply don’t care anymore. It is not my problem to be treated for cancer and have these things happening to my body. I need to focus on looking after myself rather than being embarrassed by something I shouldn’t be.

I am also coping with the hair loss a lot better than I believed I was going too. This type of strength comes with time and experience. And I believe you will be a lot stronger than you believe you are now.

Here are a few last tips I have learned: (But please do your own research or follow your health professionals advice)

1#Do protect your head in the direct sunlight. Sunhat. Cotton is comfy.

2#You can use a baby shampoo on your head and scalp whilst your hair is departing. QV doesn’t sting for me. Have not tried any others.

3#Cold caps are an option for hair loss, but due to not having scientific backing, your public health system may not provide them for your treatment. You may need to track one down yourself.

4# Don’t pick at any lumps or ingrowns. Infections can happen. And that is full body. It is not a good idea to intentionally pull out hair, no matter how you are feeling about it. Body shaving should be taken into consideration with hair loss. This is because some hair follicles can still grow as others are being killed off, even in the same area. If you shave, the still growing hairs can get trapped under the skin as they eventually stop growing aswell. This causes ingrowns because they never break the surface of the skin. So a delicate balancing act.

5# Bamboo material has been the softest material for me. Breathable too.

6# Seamless caps/beanies/wraps don’t hurt against my sensitive or sore scalp as hair falls out. The first soft cap I wore had seams and it was agony against my scalp.

7# It may take you a few days for your head to get used to having a shaved head and the folds of your scalp doing it’s thing when you lay down. It can hurt. You are not used to it.

I hope this is helpful for those reading and trying to figure out their own way.

Thanks,

Milo01

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Milo01 — Sat, 07 Mar 2026 03:58:02 GMT

Hi Everyone. Milo01 here.

Post Chemotherapy Update on my hair:

I am 6 weeks post chemotherapy. During week 3-4 post chemotherapy my eyebrows and eyelashes fall out. That surprised me as they had held on throughout chemotherapy. But apparently this isn’t uncommon.

However this week , 6 weeks after chemotherapy ended, I looked in the mirror and my eyebrows and eyelashes had grown back and very quickly too. Just 2 days earlier, they weren’t there. But here they are, about half their length, but the coverage is full. They are growing very quickly too. The clue for me may have been that where my eyebrows are in their shape, turned a blue black color. (I have brown hair and my eyebrows have always been darker than my hair color.) This may very well have been the hair regrowing under the skin, but hadn’t broken the surface yet. And I am now noticing the same color happening on my scalp that has been pale since I lost my hair. So hopefully that is a indication that my hair follicles have re-engaged and will start appearing and breaking the surface again soon.

But I didn’t just notice my eyebrows and eyelashes. My upper lip has grown back hair. AND my underarms have started regrowing too. And also downstairs. They are all growing quite quickly and are quite soft to the touch. I literally blinked and I missed it. My head hair fells really soft too and my scalp was a little tender for a few days, sort of like when it started to fall out. My leg hair never fall out but I maintained it and there is noticeable length of that hair too.

But I have been given good news by the Oncologist and am now under surveillance. So I wanted to write a reply and update to let others know, that the hair does indeed come back. There is hope and there is an end to the hair loss after treatment stops. I have been advised Scalp hair may take 6-12 months to be a chin length cut and that it won’t all be even as it first grows, as patches will grow at different rates. And that sometimes eyebrows and eyelashes can fall out again after they grow back. But that is a bodily process with the eye hairs and it eventually stops. I will have to wait and see what happens with my eyebrows and eyelashes, but I will take the hair growth that is happening.

I still don’t wear any headwear because it is still too hot for me. I go out in public all the time without it. Just a sunhat for the sun and I carry a beanie in my bag incase I do get cold. Sunglasses to protect the eyes from dust and wind. I really don’t feel self conscious. Don’t get me wrong, it is linked to my self esteem, not having hair. But I didn’t choose for cancer and chemotherapy to happen to me. So I don’t need to be self conscious or ashamed of my hair loss. I don’t need to over heat or be uncomfortable for the sake of others thoughts,feelings or opinions I am not asking for. It is about me. If I don’t want to cover my head or draw on eyebrows, I’m not going too. And I think after all I have been through, I definitely deserve to make that decision for myself.

But as the weather eventually cools down and my hair won’t be long for winter, I will use the beanies and fabric headbands to keep my head and ears warm.

It has been a hard experience to loss my hair and it is still a experience as it grows back. But I have been able to navigate it. And you will too.

Milo01

Re: Advice on chemotherapy hair loss please.

Miranda_ccnsw — Sun, 08 Mar 2026 22:51:15 GMT

Hi @Milo01

I wanted to say a big thank you for your courage and vulnerability sharing your hair loss journey. Sharing the realness of your ongoing experience with the community will give others hope and help them to feel less alone. It's wonderful news also that your hair is beginning to grow back.

For those of you who have also experienced hair loss after treatment, what helped you?

Take care

Miranda

CCNSW