To cut my hair or not before chemo

Hi, 

Sounds like fun!  I too had long hair and had 4 AC treatments.  I did not cut my hair until it really started to fall out, which was exactly 2 1/2 weeks from my first treatment.  However, I waited 3 days after it started to fall out before I shaved my head.  I think that caused me more grief walking around with my hair falling out, right after I shaved my head, the weight was lifted and I felt so much better about myself.  Sounds like you will have fun with a short cut, sometimes I wish I would have got the short cut before it started to fall out.  Remember, "I am not my hair".  Our hair does not make us the person we are inside.  Being bald is not a big deal to me.  Get some hats and scarves, maybe even a wig. I do not wear wigs - they are too hot and too expensive for me.   

Remember to stay positive.  Hugs, thoughts and prayers to you.

Brenda

Losing my hair was one of the worst parts of treatment for me. I just did not want everyone to know I was sick, but I did shave as soon as it started coming out and you would not believe how many compliments I got on the short hair..cuz it took a while to go completely bald. Even men were complimenting me. Shaving it off helped me cope with it better.

I have always had long hair and have decided to wait and see, I know it's only a 25% chance I can keep it and even then it is likely to get thin but neither my sister or mother lost their hair during chemo, of course they were on different meds.  It it goes, it goes and I'll start playing with hats, I don't like the thought of a scratchy wig but I may pick one up just in case.

I waited until it started falling out and I am glad.  I just finished chemo and trust me you want to keep your hair as long as you can.  Cutting a new short do would be fun, but I wouldn't shave it until you have to.  I am really sick of being bald and wearing my wig so I am glad I had every day I could with my real hair.

I am to start chemo on Friday and am thankful I've found this posting as I am not alone in this.  I have long, red curly hair & am dreading it being gone.  Worse than that, is just the thought of having to deal w/chemo in general.  Anyone else out there that's gone/going through this w/children?  I have 5 & 3 being under 5 years.  I think I'll go short & sassy b4 shaving though.  Thought a short cut w/died black ends would look very cool.  For anyone interested, I finally found a website with hats I like:  www.softhats.com.  Thanks for the postings!

hi my name is Susan,i have just joined the forum.i was diagnosed with invasive and ductal BC on 2nd june,had SNB 22nd june and am due to start chemo 14th july the FEC-T treatment.feel sad about it.its all happening so fast.i am sad to be told i will lose my lovely long black hair.i know hair is not the important thing but it means something to a lot of people.does hair always fall out during FEC-T treatment or should i wait to cut my hait after first treatment.dont know what to do.and for anyone thats had this treatment do you get very sick and fatiqued,i have 4 children and want to prepare myself.thank you all x

I know this is a very old thread, but it is apparently timeless. I have donated to Locks of Love before. A few years ago, I went to the Paul Mitchell Beauty School and asked them to let a student cut off a dozen inches on a whim. They made it quite a party! I recommend considering offering the opportunity to a student/class demonstration. Now, I have about 36" of thick virgin hair (2 small shorter spots from surgeries not noticeable). I have wrestled with impending hair doom and gone back and forth. I had first AC chemo yesterday. I now decide to get braids this week or early next, and to get them cut next week, to keep and make my own extensions or to affix to a wig. Looking forward to this helps me assuage my current attachment to the comfort of my hair at my elbows and on my back.

I have had chemo three times so far and have tried 3 methods: 1. Do nothing - just wait for hair to fall out. 2. Shave head just before chemo starts so hair does not fall out everywhere. 3. Cut hair very short with clippers so less hair falls into bed/clothes etc.

Of the three, I strongly suggest # 3 - have your hair clipped short.. My reasons are as follows. When I tried #1 - just letting my long hair fall out.... I found it to be very traumatic. Hair was everywhere - all over my clothes, my sheets, etc and it looked terrible with patches of baldness. The next time I went through chemo (I have had 4 cancers), I thought I would play it smart and shave it all off to avoid hair trauma. I went to a salon and had it all removed to the scalp. I did not consider that my hair is always growing, however, so - I had short little hairs always falling onto my pillows and clothes - like the short hairs you have after a haircut that you must shower off before getting into bed. I itched terribly and had tiny little hair everywhere and would never do that again. With #3, my hair came out easily with no trauma or mess - no itching or big patches of baldness. I strongly suggest the 3rd method to make the hair loss an easier issue to deal with. Good luck! Be Well!

Thanks for the info. I start chemo 7/28/2017. Have hair to mid back. Hard for me. I have spent years growing it out. Struggling with decision to cut it short now.

while I think I may be in the minority on this, I chose not to cut my hair or shave my head, even after it started to fall out. At one point I had made an appointment with my regular hairdresser to shave it, but I cancelled the appointment. My hair was very thick and wavy (though just shoulder length) and losing it honestly was the hardest part of chemo for me. ...but anyway, I just couldn't bring myself to shave it; I kept thinking that if I did I would always wonder what would have happened if I hadn't shaved it. Would it all have fallen out? I kept thinking I would shave it if it felt right to do so, but for me it never did feel right...I did use lint rollers actually on my head (which seemed weird but felt really good for the itching).....and yes, eventually it did all come out. leaving me totally bald.

And I was sure my hair would never come back, but while it took its sweet time, in fact it has, much curlier and softer than before chemo. It took me a long time to embrace the new curls (even though objectively I knew they looked good) but now, about a year after it came fully back, I've finally gotten to the point where I can admit to myself that my hair is nicer than before chemo. At first it was awkward and even hurtful when I get started to get compliments from people who don't see me often and who didn't know I'd lost it ("Oh, I love your new hair style! you look great! did you get a perm?" ) Now, I just smile and say 'thank you', and can admit to myself that I like the new hair.

Would I want to go through that again for the same result? Hell no. I still miss my old hair and my old self.

Octogirl

Thank you, Scarlett. I was not planning to cut my chin-length curly hair. Your post makes a lot of sense. Now I think I will get my hair cut very short. Although the short haircut won't last long (I start chemo next week), it will help me imagine how my hair might look when it starts to grow back.