Headwear Options for Cancer Patients During Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy and Its Effects on Hair

Hair loss is often a side effect of chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Chemotherapy and radiation usually cause hair loss or at least thinning. It’s the most common side effect of cancer treatment because it kills fast-growing cancer cells and affects normal and healthy cells that grow fast. Hair follicle cells also are growing fast so that’s why patients usually lose their hair during treatment. Hair loss might begin about two weeks after treatment starts.

While treatment can cause emotional and physical burdens, stress, and anxiety, due to the side effects such as weakness, nausea, diarrhoea, vomiting, and hair loss, patients should keep in mind that this condition is temporary. With such an attitude, one may get the strength to survive this intense time more smoothly.

So how to help yourself in this stage of life and feel more comfortable and self-confident when talking about appearance and self-image?

In this article, you can find an overview of headwear options for cancer patients during chemotherapy. Nowadays the market can offer various headwear for different purposes and occasions, so during cancer treatment, one can also find an option that suits best for him or her. Naturally, people prefer to wear different things that make them feel comfortable at a particular time.

Best Chemo Hats With Hair

In the market, there are many sources to explore and find the most suitable variant: wigs, scarves and headwraps with hair attached, and hats with built-in hair.

Wigs

They may help you look like your appearance hadn’t changed or almost didn’t change while having hair loss.

Wigs can be made from real or synthetic hair or mixed. Synthetic hair wigs are cheaper so this may be important having in mind that the period without hair is temporary. The wigs can be custom-made, customized ready-made, ready-made, or stock.

If you choose to wear a wig, try to select one before your treatment so you can easily find the best fit and match your colour and style. When you already have thinning hair or hair loss, the photo of your hairstyle might be helpful to find the wig which could make you look like before treatment.

Remember the wig should fit you well, be comfortable, and be easy to care for. Be ready to adjust it later if needed. In this link, you can find useful tips on how to wear your wig.

Hairpiece

Buying a hairpiece might be a solution if you lose your hair only in one area. For example, women tend to wear a hairpiece under a hat or scarf so they can get the look of hair without having to wear a full wig.

Best Chemo Hats Without Hair

Beanies and Skull Caps

are brimless types of headwear, that anyone can wear at any time of day and for multiple occasions. Typically, beanies cover the entire skull, sometimes down to the ears while skull caps are tight and may not cover the entire head.

Scarves and Headwraps

can be worn in many different ways to create a variety of looks, they comfortably hide hair loss, keep warm and protect from the sun. Protection from the sun is even more important if your skin becomes extra sensitive because of cancer treatment. You can just choose different colours, patterns, and textures of scarves and headwraps to express your mood and match your outfit. Here you can find some useful tips on how to tie a headscarf.

Baseball Caps and Sun Hats

might be a solution for the warm season. This kind of often-worn headwear can make you look comfy and youthful. Besides, they provide you with sun protection. For being even more stylish, you can consider choosing a baseball cap with hair attached. When choosing a sun hat, make sure it has soft cotton linings – this might be important if you have itchy and sensitive head skin due to the treatment. 

We presume the main benefits of chemo hats without hair for cancer patients are that they are cheaper if compared with wigs or hair systems and can give more space for self-expression and are easier to care. 

Where to Find Chemo Hats for Cancer Patients

The places where you can find chemo hats may be found at online retailers and speciality stores, local cancer support groups and organizations, hospitals and cancer centres, custom hat makers and tailors. We kindly encourage you to contact our friendly and open community of young cancer survivors at the Beatcancer.eu  or Beat Cancer Discord platform and ask for sharing the experience where you can get the answers you are looking for, bond with your peers, and forge collaborations while having fun. 

On the whole, when having in mind that every person is different and chooses different things for a better daily life during cancer treatment, always be sure you prioritize comfort and personal style during chemotherapy and do not necessarily try to catch the newest trends in headwear if you don’t want to.