Hi again Julia00   Forgot to answer the last part of your question, sorry. I had no irritation when I had my head shaved using clippers. After shaving my head, I continue to 'wash' my hair. This is because your head still produces oils, so washing your head is good for that as well as stimulating new hair growth.   All the best, Shelley ... View more

Hi Julia00   As a female with really long hair that I regularly colored and curled, hair loss was something that really worried me when I was first diagnosed with stage 3b Hodgkin's leukemia/ lymphoma. I'd always had lovely long hair and it was something that people commented on.  Not everyone with my chemo loses their hair and I'd hoped to be one of the lucky ones. In preparation for possible hair loss, I got my hair cut to shoulder length.   Unfortunately,  I started losing my hair within a couple of weeks of starting chemo. It was incredibly distressing seeing huge chucks of hair falling out. I dreaded washing my hair and waking up to see how much hair I'd lost overnight on my pillow. After 3 or 4 days I took matters into my own hands and found a lovely lady in Canberra that previously had cancer and currently sells chemo caps and hats, and offers a free shaving/cutting service for cancer patients. Sue made the experience of shaving my hair off the best it could be and I felt great that I had taken control of something that was distressing me. At the time I wondered if I had shaved my head too prematurely, but over time the little 'spikes' fell out too - so I definitely made the right decision.   I can't tell you if you should or shouldn't shave your head. At the end of the day cancer takes so much from us and you should feel in control and comfortable with the decision you make. I can say that your hair doesn't define you and you will still be the same you without it. I have a wig but never really wear it, I just wear a chemo cap out in public. At home I don't really care and have sent a photo of me bald to friends and family. I'm too sick to work and not sure what I'll do when I return to work - but probably will continue to wear my chemo caps. There's lots of designs out there and you can make them a fashion accessory if you want too - at the moment I don't really but may care more when I return to work.   Anyway, I hope my experience may have helped you.   All the best, Shelley   ... View more