Hair regrowth after chemo is a significant psychological milestone. Unfortunately, just as every individual’s reaction to chemotherapy is different, hair regrowth rates are highly individual. The Mayo clinic tells patients to expect their hair to regrow three to 10 months after chemotherapy is completed – a rather wide spectrum! - and many people find themselves on the outskirts even of those figures, growing hair back very quickly, very slowly or in patches. Hair may continue to fall out for a while even after chemotherapy is completed.
Fortunately, permanent hair loss after chemotherapy is extremely rare. Some people like to use Rogaine to “kick-start” the regrowth process, but usually hair will simply grow back in its own time.
Half an inch a month is a typical rate of growth for hair; however, this varies wildly from person to person. Diet and genetics are both important factors in the speed of hair growth.
Why is Hair Regrowth After Chemo So Thin?
It’s common for hair to initially appear “baby-fine” when it first reappears. In some cases this is simply an optical illusion. The tip of every hair is finer than the rest of the shaft; because we’re used to seeing ends that are blunted by repeated haircuts, we only notice this on babies (whose hair is all brand-new) and chemo patients. So it doesn’t necessarily indicate that the hair is going to be permanently thinner or finer; and just as with babies, once the hair is trimmed and all the fine ends are lopped off, the hair can immediately look a lot thicker.
On the other hand, hair often does change texture after chemo – so there’s no way to know for sure except time! Hair can become thicker, finer, curlier, straighter, change colour, unexpectedly “cowlicky”, and even go temporarily grey. Usually these changes will eventually disappear, and the hair will return to its pre-cancer state. But just to complicate matters further, hair can naturally change its colour and texture quite dramatically over the course of a lifetime – many people find their hair inexplicably going from straight to wavy, blonde to brown, thin to thick and back again over the course of a few decades. If this occurs after chemotherapy, the change may well be permanent or at least last for several years.
There is also anecdotal evidence that some chemo drugs can cause permanently thinned hair. Taxotere, a drug which rarely causes permanent hair loss, may sometimes result in thinner regrowth.
Vitamins and Supplements That Help Hair Regrowth
Hair growth supplements usually help hair grow stronger as well as faster. Perhaps the most commonly-known is biotin, otherwise known as Vitamin H or B7. Silica, iron and nettle supplements can also improve hair growth and quality, as can eating plenty of protein and good fats.
Trimming New Hair
An initial trim can help make hair look thicker by getting rid of the fine ends. If hair grows back patchy, trimming or even shaving the head completely can make the hair thicker and tidier-looking.
After that, however, the best way to help hair grow fast is not to cut it! Hairdressers like to insist that a trim every 6-8 weeks is necessary to prevent split ends, but this is simply not true. Very short hair is unlikely to split in any case; and now is a good opportunity to start preventing future split ends with proper hair care.
Minimising Damage to Hair with Natural Hair Care Techniques
The upside to growing your hair from scratch is that the new hair is completely virgin – free of damage from straighteners, curling irons, sun exposure, harsh cleansing products, silicones, jagged combs, too-vigorous brushing, bleach, dye or metal hair elastics. Especially during the initial stages of regrowth, when hair can be thin and patchy, every hair counts – so it is important to prevent unnecessary breakage and damage.
Additionally, many cancer survivors are understandably wary of products laden with chemicals, and wish to try a more natural form of hair care. This can be a good time to experiment with alternative hair care methods such as water-only washing, Indian herbal hair care, conditioner-only washing or baking soda and apple cider vinegar washing. Some of these methods typically have rather greasy transition periods, during which the scalp trains itself to produce less sebum in response to gentler cleansing. However, those with complete hair loss may not have used shampoo for a long time in any case, and the scalp is often quite dry after chemo. In these cases, starting alternative hair care routines can be pretty painless!
For those who prefer to stick to a regular shampoo-and-conditioner routine, there are still plenty of ways to be gentle with new hair:
- Sleep on a satin pillowcase to reduce friction and mechanical damage at night
- Make sure any wigs, bandanas, scarves etc are soft and gentle, with no beading or dangly accessories that might catch on hair and tear it
- Change up your hair style. Once hair is an inch or two long, it’s fun to style it with mini-pigtails or partings and gel; but wearing the same style every day can cause traction alopecia, or localised hair loss due to excess tension at the roots.
Sarah Tennant - Sarah Tennant is a onetime English major who lives in New Zealand with her husband and two small children. Her interests range from ...
