How do I care for my newly bald head?

cmbernardi
cmbernardi Member Posts: 1
in Breast Cancer #1

Hello All,

 

I am a newbie and between Chemo treatments 1 and 2.  I am on the T/C regimen and yesterday, 75% of my hair fell out while washing it and taking a shower.  Once all of my hair is gone, which i am sure will be within just a few days, how do I wash and care for my bald head?  What products, moisturizers, etc.  Thanks in advance.

 

Carolyn

Flower Mound, TX.

Comments

  • TraciInLA
    TraciInLA Member Posts: 1,994 Member
    #2
    No sun, baby shampoo, watch for red bumps

    Hi, Carolyn -

    I also did T/C, back in 2009, and my hair started to fall out about 16 days after Chemo #1.

    The most important thing is to keep the sun off your head -- that skin hasn't seen sunshine since you were a baby, and it's very sensitive!  I did not cover my head with wigs or scarves during chemo -- I was an Out and Proud Bald Woman! :-) -- but I ALWAYS carried a hat with me to put on anytime I was outside for more than a minute or 2.

    My oncology nurse recommended using baby shampoo -- nothing fancy, just plain ol' Johnson's from the drugstore, which was very soothing.  And keep your eye out for little red bumps and bad itching, which can be signs of folliculitis.  Ask your oncologist or oncology nurse to take a quick look at your scalp each time you go in -- if it looks like you're starting to develop folliculitis, they can prescribe a cream that will treat it very quickly.

    Traci

  • dthompson
    dthompson Member Posts: 149
    #3
    My wife is just beginning to

    My wife is just beginning to grow her hair back after 4 A/C and 4 taxol treatments. She used Johnson baby shampoo and then put a dry skin lotion on her head. One thing is to buy plenty of hats as you loose a lot of body heat through our head which used to have hair to help keep it warm. My wife slept in a knit hat and wore it around the house. She also got a wig for when she went to work or out in public. Just remember , it  WILL grow back. God bless you, you will be in my prayers

     

    Dennis

  • GMcD
    GMcD Member Posts: 134
    #4
    dthompson said:

    My wife is just beginning to

    My wife is just beginning to grow her hair back after 4 A/C and 4 taxol treatments. She used Johnson baby shampoo and then put a dry skin lotion on her head. One thing is to buy plenty of hats as you loose a lot of body heat through our head which used to have hair to help keep it warm. My wife slept in a knit hat and wore it around the house. She also got a wig for when she went to work or out in public. Just remember , it  WILL grow back. God bless you, you will be in my prayers

     

    Dennis

    I lost my hair while in

    I lost my hair while in treatment with the same cocktail as you, three yrs. ago.  Baby shampoo is a definite.  I also had itchies as the stubbly hair gew back...for that the Neutrogena T-Gel was perfect as it has a touch of menthol in it and is very soothing.  It will grow back!!!  Good luck with your journey.

  • SK12
    SK12 Member Posts: 13
    #5
    Baby wash & sunscreen

    Baby wash - I used Johnson's baby head-to-toe wash - also used as facial cleanser and body wash.  Approved by my MD's to wash wound post-surgery and during radiation. 

    moisturizer - I stuck to Johnson's

    Sunscreen - baby Blanket Scalp Spray, purchased at babies r us

    assorted head coverings - baseball caps (the ones w/o holes in the back, where my ponytails used to go), hats, scarves

    Shave it - eliminated my itchy scalp, anxiety, and stress related to hair loss.  Didn't want to change my sheets twice a day anymore.  Used an electric razor. Was told not to use a male's razor (higher chance of nicks & cuts)

    Wigs & wig care products - I have a few.  If you can't afford them (some of them could be very $$$), ACS has a great program for free wigs. Contact your local chapter. I prefer to go bald and bare As much as possible.  Having hot flashes sometimes makes having a head covering of any sort unbearable.  This is a totally your own comfort level. Sometimes people stare and I think to myself,"I know that they have someone directly or indirectly affected by cancer, so it's ok." if they can't be emphatetic, SHAME ON THEM. I'm comfortable. I  didn't get ready and drag myself out of the house to look good for anyone, but me.  But usually, what happens is...They stare.  I stare back.  i gesture "WHAT???"  They turn away. I laugh and when my partner is with me, he laughs too.  

    Sorry, off on tangent. Blamed partially on chemo-brain. We have a strange sense of humor. Good luckHope this helps. 

    SN: approximately one month out of chemo, have hair growth. Shaved twice already. Waiting for fuller growth to start growing in hair. Regrow of body hair as Well. We are delighted about this. 

  • Ren1221
    Ren1221 Member Posts: 1
    #6
    SK12 said:

    Baby wash & sunscreen

    Baby wash - I used Johnson's baby head-to-toe wash - also used as facial cleanser and body wash.  Approved by my MD's to wash wound post-surgery and during radiation. 

    moisturizer - I stuck to Johnson's

    Sunscreen - baby Blanket Scalp Spray, purchased at babies r us

    assorted head coverings - baseball caps (the ones w/o holes in the back, where my ponytails used to go), hats, scarves

    Shave it - eliminated my itchy scalp, anxiety, and stress related to hair loss.  Didn't want to change my sheets twice a day anymore.  Used an electric razor. Was told not to use a male's razor (higher chance of nicks & cuts)

    Wigs & wig care products - I have a few.  If you can't afford them (some of them could be very $$$), ACS has a great program for free wigs. Contact your local chapter. I prefer to go bald and bare As much as possible.  Having hot flashes sometimes makes having a head covering of any sort unbearable.  This is a totally your own comfort level. Sometimes people stare and I think to myself,"I know that they have someone directly or indirectly affected by cancer, so it's ok." if they can't be emphatetic, SHAME ON THEM. I'm comfortable. I  didn't get ready and drag myself out of the house to look good for anyone, but me.  But usually, what happens is...They stare.  I stare back.  i gesture "WHAT???"  They turn away. I laugh and when my partner is with me, he laughs too.  

    Sorry, off on tangent. Blamed partially on chemo-brain. We have a strange sense of humor. Good luckHope this helps. 

    SN: approximately one month out of chemo, have hair growth. Shaved twice already. Waiting for fuller growth to start growing in hair. Regrow of body hair as Well. We are delighted about this. 

    Best advice given to me was,

    Best advice given to me was, "Wear sunscreen and ACCESSORIZE!!" LOL!! 

  • LauraKo
    LauraKo Member Posts: 13 Member
    #7
    I too am a newbie and I went

    I too am a newbie and I went through the same rollercoaster.  I started losing my hair two weeks after my first chemo (just had my fourth round).  I too had prepared for it by cutting my hair really short.  But I was not prepared for the emotional feelings that came up.  I would show anyone (in my family, not that crazy yet to show strangers) the clumps of hair coming out.  After a while I decided hair loss was affecting how I felt about me (I thought I looked like Yoda with wispy hairs everywhere).  Well, I stopped that indulgence by just shaving it off.  It's been two months and I'm so glad I did it.  Now I just have a little stuble and I go bald most of the time.  I wear scarves when going outside but no wigs. I live in the desert and the idea of wearing a wig in this heat is no bueno.  Taking care of it is easy; baby shampoo, sunscreen if I'm in the yard (even for just a few minutes without a scarf) and baby lotion if it feels dry. 

    Laura

  • pamcb3
    pamcb3 Member Posts: 44
    #8
    Morrocan oil
    Hi Carolyn,
    This is coming late but morrocan oil is a fabulous product for the hair and scalp. I am a hairdresser and a survivor, two years out. The year before I got it, my best friend had it. I shaved her head for her before her second treatment and gave her a bottle of this "liquid gold"! Her scalp was super sensitive. I had her rub some on twice a day and also use nioxin shampoo and conditioner. Her head felt much better and her hair grew in beautifully....she didn't even get the funky "chemo curl"!
    I had been using it for quite a while when I was diagnosed. I never experienced the scalp sensitivity when I lost my hair. My hair grew back nicely also but I did get the initial crazy curly hair but it has calmed down and is nicer than when I was first diagnosed. Hope all is well!!!

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