Hair Preparation
Hair preparation is a really important part of scalp cooling as it lays the foundations for a close and consistent cap fit, which in turn will give you the best possible outcome and hair retention. The best thing you can do to help prepare for scalp cooling is to get as familiar as you can with our hair prep and cap fit guidance.
With hair preparation we are aiming to achieve 3 key things:
Smoothing down your hair across your scalp to reduce the volume, getting rid of any air pockets.
Using water to help increase conductivity, ensures that it is as easy as possible for heat to transfer away from your scalp.
Using conditioner to ensure that the cap is easy to remove.
Achieving these three key points changes a little based on your hair type and thickness, and can be done in a number of ways, but it is important to remember that as long as you are achieving these three points, then there is no wrong way of doing hair prep.
We have a series of tutorial videos filmed on people with different hair types to provide you with some guidance on how to best achieve these three points based on your hair.
Identifying your hair type
The way you prep your hair is dependent on the type of hair you have.
The graphic below will help you identify your hair type.
If you have straight or wavy hair, type 1 or 2 hair, you can watch Mai, Jacqui, Priya, Lily, Carol, or Joe’s videos as a starting point by clicking on their image below.
The processes here are about dampening the hair, slicking it back, and smoothing over conditioner.
Mai
Lily
Jacqui
Carol
Priya
Joe
If you have curly or coily hair, type 3 or 4 hair, you can watch Ashleigh, Grace, or Cleo’s videos by clicking on their image below.
The process for type 3 and 4 hair is a little more complicated and we would always advise if at all possible, to practice hair prep on your type 3 or 4 hair before you have your first treatment. This way you can experiment to find the best way to introduce conditioner and water to your hair, as well as ways to part or section your hair to ensure good contact with the cap at your crown.
Ashleigh
Grace
Cleo
We know that getting ready for scalp cooling can be a really anxious time with so many things to think about. Hopefully, the guidance we have outlined above will make you feel more in control and prepared for the next steps. If at all possible, watch the videos through several times so you are confident with what you are aiming to achieve, and do try to practice the hair prep, that way you will feel comfortable once you arrive for your chemotherapy.
Download our
Hair Preparation Guide
Hair Type 1-2
Download our
Hair Preparation Guide
Hair Type 3-4
If you hair is poker straight, really long, super curly, very thick and anything in between we have help and advice for you…
Haircare Blog
Haircare FAQ
Facebook Group
Haircare Shop
As part of our commitment to scalp cooling, we have developed a range of products that will help to achieve the best possible results during treatment and provide great hair care during your chemo.
Haircare Shop
As part of our commitment to scalp cooling, we have developed a range of products that will help to achieve the best possible results during treatment and provide great hair care during your chemo.
There are lots of hair preparation questions that come up frequently, but we want to make sure that we are providing answers to even the most unusual of questions.
Have you got an unanswered question?