Hair Loss (& Return) Journeys: Liz’s Story

I would like to share my hair loss and its recovery following chemo treatment as I know that for many people this causes huge distress and worry. 
I first lost my hair in huge handfuls in February 2025 and this film shows me now with a lovely thick head of hair. So it is a story with a happy outcome.

My consultant did say that I would lose my hair and that the ‘Cold Cap’ treatment was available but was unlikely to be effective in my case. Although many people have found the Cold Cap Therapy very effective, I wasn’t tempted. For one reason I hate being cold and to be honest I was also looking forward to having some fun with wigs. I do realise I am unusual and also extremely lucky to have access to expert advice in our salons about the process of losing hair following chemo.

Before my hair started to shed:

I had a session trying on wigs. As I usually wear my hair short it would be difficult to get a wig like my own style so I was completely open minded and tried on different styles length and colours. I didn’t make a definite choice at this stage but was really surprised that I suited a few different colours.

The long blonde wig was just for fun and I didn’t go for that one. The point is it costs nothing to try on wigs and it could surprise you. I was really surprised that I could get away with the short copper wig.

Short copper wig

Andrew also cut my already short style into a pixie crop. I loved it! I hadn’t been confident enough to go this short in the past but at this stage there was no reason not to. Of course there is a psychological reason to do this as well - it is less shocking to lose short hair than long hair and easier to disguise the hair loss too.

Pixie crop, Liz's real hair

After hair loss:

My hair loss started really quickly two weeks after my first chemo. I had noticed some shedding of hair and my scalp was sensitive. We were going to a birthday party and Andrew offered to blow dry my hair. I replied that I didn’t think that my hair would survive washing or drying so I just left it well alone. At the party someone did say they liked my new hair cut and ruffled my hair - that was a tense moment - there must have been a pile of hair somewhere.

Sure enough, the next day handfuls of hair came out in the shower. Even though I was expecting it - it was still shocking and the result was a mostly bald head with a few patches of sparse hair. I wore a hat the next day and made an appointment to go into the salon and have the remaining hair shaved off. Carla, one of our most experienced hairstylists working with wigs, was very kind and professional - I completely trusted her. I feel it was a bold but a good thing to do. There was no point in hanging on to a few patchy hairs.

I now revisited the wigs I had tried on and added a few more. Wigs look much better with no hair underneath and once the scalp sensitivity calmed down I found them very comfortable. This time around I tried on even more styles with surprising results. Carla helped me through this process and guided me through colours and styles expertly.

There are some advantages to looking completely different. You can try something that’s new to you and adopt a whole different style.

The wigs shown are all acrylic. They are easy to maintain and very realistic.

I do have a couple of tips though.

• Choose colours that compliment your skin tone and eye colour. For warm colourings - honey blonde, copper, chestnut and for cool tones;- white blondes, dark blonde and ash tones. The depth of colour looks best if its close to your natural colour in depth.
• You can cheat a bit by brightening up your makeup; I also darkened my eyebrows with shadow to help balance the dark wig.
• The second and really important tip is to treat your wig as if it's your own hair i.e. have it cut to suit your head and face shape. You choose a style that suits you, but then its the small changes that make the hair look natural.

One of the wigs I wore frequently turned out to be a pink one. I had asked my Granddaughters what colour wig I should go for and unsurprisingly the answer was pink! It was so different for me - but great fun. I do think the way you look can affect your mood and your mood affects the way you feel. I felt carefree when I wore this. Perhaps it did make my friends smile, but in a positive way.

My funny story about this wig, is that I was at first refused entry to my golf club - I obviously was unrecognisable. I had a lot of compliments when wearing this wig. No one said I love your wig - always I love your hair. That’s the thing, if a wig suits your colouring and is cut a little to suit your face shape, no one guesses it’s a wig.

Wig from Topknots Wig Shop

As time went on I did lose my eyebrows and eyelashes too. I’m very fond of my eyebrows so I created them with make up every day. I’ve always favoured a smokey eye look too, so I still looked ok. Being handy with a make up brush came in handy. I didn’t bother with false eyelashes as I felt the definition I created with eyeshadow was enough.

I was happy with no wig at home but wore a wig when I went out. I had the copper wig cut very short and it looked good under a baseball cap or seen here under a helmet for an abseil.

Abseil in aid of Maggie's, Wirral

Growing back:

I was advised to wash my scalp every day. I think it’s also important to give your head a light fingertip massage to keep the follicles healthy. The shape of the follicles can change when the hair falls out which results in the hair growing back curlier. My first hair growth was very curly and very grey. My advice would be to use products that are kind to the hair at this stage. I used a gentle shampoo and conditioner to begin with as my hair was very fine like baby hair. The Collinge & Co Gentle Shampoo is ideal as it is free of parabens and sulphates and is also lightweight and moisturising. It contains natural ingredients that nourish and strengthen the hair. I also kept going with the scalp massage to “wake-up’ the follicles.

Buy online

Collinge & Co Gentle Shampoo 1000ml: £45.00

 

Buy in salons

Collinge & Co Reusable 100ml/200ml bottles: £1.00

Collinge & Co Gentle Shampoo Refill 100ml: £7.00

Collinge & Co Gentle Shampoo Refill 200ml: £14.00

Collinge & Co Gentle Shampoo 1000ml: £45.00

The hair growth was rapid but quite uneven in places. Again I know I am lucky to be able to have a little trim here and there. Rather than hang on to all the growth it looks better if you keep the style quite neat.

Hair colour is a problem as the advice is not to have chemical treatments for a few months. I did find the Wella Colour Fresh Mask ideal at this stage. The colours are quite subtle but I did manage to achieve quite a bright orange colour for an 80’s look for a celebration at our Heswall salon.

Buy in salons

Wella Color Fresh Masks 150ml: £16.70

My hair is still a bit curly particularly at the back. It has taken a while to get used to curls - the products that work best and the styling routine are completely different to straight hair. 

I find Argan oil perfect to use. I rub a few drops in the palms of my hands and work it through my hair after washing. It also works on dry hair to revive it. The best way to think of Argan oil is like a leave-in conditioner. It doesn’t have any hold but keeps curls moisturised, healthy, supple and shiny. 

Buy in salons

Collinge & Co Argan Oil 115ml: £21.50

 

That’s really the end of my story. My hair is growing well now and it's interesting to see how it's changing as time goes on. 

I'm immensely grateful to all the professionals who've advised and helped me along the way. Thank you ❤️