Meet Cheryl, a cancer patient who discovered scalp cooling after carrying out her own online research. Despite having some initial questions about whether scalp cooling would work for her, Cheryl says that her experience was exactly as she had expected. This was apart from a “slight glitch” prior to her second treatment where she used too much shampoo, resulting in her hair tangling. 

Often, when patients are going through chemotherapy treatment, many can feel the need to wear a head covering to maintain their identity. However, due to her hair retention, Cheryl didn’t feel the need to do this. She did have to cut the tangled hair mentioned above, which resulted in her having to wear a hairband to cover what she had cut, but she is pleased to report that she had no bald spots. 

When asked whether she has any scalp cooling haircare tips, Cheryl says that it is important not to panic when you see any minor hair loss. She says, “DO NOT panic when you see your hair coming out, it will.”  Cheryl goes on to say that it is important to remember what the alternatives to scalp cooling are and be “good with anything less than it all coming out.” 

When we asked Cheryl how she feels about her scalp cooling experience, she says that wearing a cold cap helped her go about her normal life whilst undergoing treatment. She explains, “I wanted to be able to go to the grocery store without everyone knowing I had cancer.” Cheryl wanted to keep her below shoulder length hair, or as much as possible of it, but she understood “everyone is different, and no promises could be made”. Despite the financial aspects, Cheryl says that scalp cooling was worth it, as keeping over half her hair “greatly impacted” her treatment. According to Cheryl, her positive approach to treatment came from “being able to look in the mirror and still see me.” While she thinks that this “may sound silly”, it just goes to show the positive psychological impact that hair retention can have on patients. 

When asked if she would recommend scalp cooling to others, Cheryl simply replies with a resounding “YES!!!!”