Ways to Cope with Losing Your Hair during Chemo

As the saying goes, cancer sucks. It can be painful and scary and terribly inconvenient. Chemotherapy sucks too, what with losing your hair and all. Even though you know you’re probably going to lose your hair (not everyone does; it depends on the mix of drugs and duration of treatment), it doesn’t make it any easier when it happens. I know that from personal experience. I didn’t think it would be a big deal, but when I started pulling out big chunks in the shower, it was quite traumatic.

However, I also know from experience that there are ways to make hair loss a little easier to handle. So, if you or a loved one are going through chemo, here are some ways to cope with a tough situation.

1. Before your hair falls out, do something wild with it—something you would never dream of doing under “normal” circumstances.

My husband (at the time, my fiancé) suggested that I dye mine green, but I was too chicken. Now I wish I would have. So, go ahead, dye your hair pink and spike it. Cut it into a Mohawk. Clip it into a reverse Mohawk. Give yourself a mullet. Have someone shave your initials onto your scalp. Or, you could just have it cut into a style you’ve always wanted to try. You might find a ’do you’ll try once your hair grows back—and it will grow back! Before chemo, I had really long hair. Ever since it’s grown back, I’ve kept it short.

2. Take lots of pictures.

A fellow cancer patient gave me this advice before I started chemo, stating that she hadn’t taken many pictures and regretted it. I’m so glad I followed her suggestion.

You might be thinking, “Why would I ever want to photo document this horrible experience?” These pictures can be a reminder of how your family and friends gathered around you and provided support. Whenever I look at the picture of my husband—with his head buzzed to match mine—kissing my spiky head, I am reminded of how much he loves me. Photos from this time can also remind you of what you have conquered.

Here are some ideas: Take before and after pictures during your final head shaving. Snap a photo of you holding a bald baby. Capture a shot of your significant other kissing your bare crown. If you have a bald or nearly bald friend, stick your heads together for a photo—you know, like your spiky heads are Velcroed together. Ladies, get a picture of you all dressed up and sporting a bald head—the incongruity makes for a priceless photo op.

3. Get a wig in a style you’ve always wanted to try.

This suggestion is more for the ladies. Here’s your opportunity to try out a new ’do. If you’ve always wondered what you’d look like with a pixie cut, get a wig in that style. If you’ve always had long, straight hair, pick a wig with layers or curls. Or try a new color. You will most likely lose your eyebrows (and eyelashes and arm hair and, well, hair everywhere!), so you can draw in eyebrows to match your new hair color.

4. Buy fun hats.

Again, this might be more for the ladies. When I lost my hair, I didn’t get a wig. I was convinced it would cause constant itching and slide off my head at inopportune times. Instead I got a variety of hats and scarves. I had never been much of a hat person, but I had fun looking for head gear to go with a variety of outfits. I had a brown corduroy derby; a jean “bucket” hat; a black, wide-brimmed straw hat; and a trusty baseball cap. Family and friends will probably want to help in your quest for head coverings. Let them! My mom made me several brightly colored bandanas, and my sister joined me on hat-shopping excursions. My sister also helped me attach tulle and white satin roses to one hat, which I wore on my wedding day (I got married about three months after finishing chemo, so my hair was really short).

5. Look for the positives wherever you can.

It’s very easy to find the negative aspects of losing your hair: people stare at you, it’s cold on your neck, you look like a freak without eyebrows and eyelashes, and so on. But I had fun looking for the positive spin. For example, showering took no time at all after I was bald, and I didn’t have to buy shampoo or conditioner. I also didn’t have to shave, which was awesome! No need for blow drying or styling your hair, so you save time there, too. Just put on a hat and you’re done.

It’s now been ten years for me, but I still vividly remember the hair on my pillow and on my shoulders and in the tub. However, I remember just as vividly laughing with my husband when we bought matching camouflage hats and when we Velcroed our heads together for a photo. Though losing your hair is hard, there are ways to make it a little bit easier to handle.