One unavoidable effect of cancer treatment during chemotherapy is hair loss. It’s temporary but can still devastate a person’s self-esteem and confidence. So are there natural ways to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy?
What causes hair loss during chemo?
Chemotherapy is a cancer treatment that uses a class of drugs that attack cancer cells. The cells these drugs attack rapidly divide, a common characteristic of cancer cells. However, other normal cells rapidly divide, too, such as hair cells. This is why hair loss is one side effect of chemotherapy.
Hair cells reproduce quickly, so they are vulnerable to chemotherapy drugs. The hair loss will manifest after a few weeks of treatment and could worsen as the treatment continues.
Sometimes the hair loss is not limited to head hair. Patients undergoing chemo may also lose hair in other body parts, including eyebrows and lashes. So it’s not surprising that many people undergoing treatment find chemotherapy-induced alopecia severely demoralizing.
Researchers are looking for other ways to prevent chemotherapy-induced hair loss. Though some are very promising, more research is needed to make these treatments generally available.
Natural Ways to Manage Hair Loss
Hair loss may be unavoidable when receiving cancer treatments, but there are natural ways to prevent hair loss during chemotherapy. You can manage it and ensure that your hair will have the appearance of being thicker and stronger once your treatment is done.
Here are some things you can do during and after your chemotherapy treatments to manage hair loss.
Stick to a Healthy Diet During Chemotherapy
It’s ideal that you follow a healthy diet even before treatment. This includes eating food rich in protein, biotin, omega-3 fatty acids, and other vitamins and minerals that can strengthen hair.
Consuming more vegetables and whole foods also gives the body more vitamins C and A. This enables you to produce more natural sebum, encouraging healthier hair growth.
Eating more proteins through salmon, eggs, beans, and legumes can also promote hair growth throughout the treatment. Some people often feel nauseous and unable to eat after a session, which makes it more important to start a healthy and balanced diet before undergoing chemo.
Use a Mild Shampoo and Conditioner
Continue to wash your hair and scalp during chemo. Some shampoos and conditioners help to keep hair healthy and strong, so continue to wash your hair even when undergoing chemo.
Shampoos that target baldness and hair loss can help encourage them during and after treatment. Zenagen Revolve Thickening Shampoo and Conditioner naturally targets hair loss, creating a healthy scalp to help with the appearance of thicker, fuller hair. It uses nutraceutical ingredients without harsh chemicals to encourage hair growth.
Even if you lose a significant amount of hair, continue to massage your scalp and the remaining hair using a shampoo like Revolve. Celebrities like Alicia Witt have seen its effects and how it can help you manage the loss and encourage healthy hair growth after your chemo treatment.
Avoid Undergoing Hair Treatments
When you are going to undergo chemotherapy, it’s best to avoid chemical hair treatments such as bleaching, perms, relaxers, hair dyeing, and other similar treatments.
These all weaken the structure of the hair, which can speed up hair loss if you do chemotherapy. It’s also best to avoid hair dryers, hair curlers, and heating irons. These put the hair under unnecessary stress, and your body is already undergoing stressful treatment.
Another side effect of chemotherapy is experiencing more dryness and itchiness of the skin, including the scalp. Using shampoo and conditioner to massage the scalp will soothe it and encourage future hair growth.
Do Not Use Hairstyles That Can Damage Hair
Avoid using hairstyles that strain and stress the hair, such as braids, tight ponytails, or any style that pulls on hair. Even if you don’t lose your hair during chemo, it can make newer growth weak and brittle. This makes it prone to breaking and makes you lose more hair than you need to.
If you want to keep your hair long during treatment, you can put it in a turban or use a scarf to tie it up or cover it. Using a hair cap when you sleep will also prevent your movements from stressing your hair follicles.
Explore Using Cold Caps
Another way to manage hair loss is to use cold caps. These are manual cooling head systems that can tightly fit into the scalp. These are often filled with gel or liquid coolant when a person undergoes chemotherapy.
Some people have experienced that such cooling systems prevent a significant amount of hair loss during chemo.
Get a Shorter Haircut
You can get a shorter haircut to make it easier to manage your hair. Having longer hair would require hairstyle management, and since you don’t want to stress your hair follicles, a shorter haircut is a much better option.
A shorter haircut will also make wearing headscarves, turbans, hats, and even wigs easier. These can make hair care easier for anyone undergoing cancer treatments.
Encourage Healthier Hair Growth the Natural Way
Cancer is not a death sentence, but cancer treatments have side effects, such as hair loss, that can blow the morale and self-esteem of a person undergoing chemotherapy.
But you can manage these side effects using natural treatments and lifestyle changes that can improve not only hair regrowth but also your overall health. Even if you lose your hair, these strategies can encourage future hair growth that is healthier and fuller.
Start a hair care routine that treats hair loss without harsh chemicals, even as you undergo cancer treatments. Use Revolve Shampoo Treatment for Women from Zenagen Hair Care and properly manage hair loss.