For many cancer patients who undergo chemotherapy, hair loss is one of the most distressing side effects. For that reason, it can be a joyful moment when your hair starts growing back. But some people are surprised to find that their hair texture or color is different when it returns.
One such change involves new hair growth that comes in curly, even if your hair used to be straight. “More than half of our patients who lose hair come back with curly hair and don’t know what to do with it,” says Maiya Spinks, senior cosmetology oncology specialist in the Department of Supportive Care Medicine at City of Hope® Cancer Center Duarte.
In this article, Spinks shares some tips about managing chemo curls, including:
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and would like a first appointment or second opinion, call us 24/7 at (877) 524-4673.
What Are Chemo Curls?
Chemotherapy curls develop when patients with straight hair are treated with chemotherapy and lose their hair, then find that their new hair growth comes in curly or wavy.
To understand why chemo curls happen, it’s important to know why some people have curls or waves and others have straight hair. Your hair’s texture is determined by the shape of your hair follicle — the pores in your skin that hair grows out of. When you lose your hair, that follicle can collapse slightly, changing its shape. This may make your hair regrow curlier after chemotherapy.
Do Chemo Curls Go Away?
“Sometimes, the curly hair is permanent, but sometimes, it’s temporary,” Spinks says. “When the hair is really short and it's starting to come back, it’s extremely curly for most people who experience this. But as the hair gets longer and heavier, the curls may straighten out and the hair can lose that curl.”
In some cases, people will find that their curls straighten out after six months or so, but others may go longer. “Some patients can go years and, all of a sudden, their hair straightens out,” she adds.
How to Style Chemo Curls
If you’ve never had curly hair before, you may be unsure of the best way to style it. “You might need to experiment with different products that are specifically designed for curly hair,” says Spinks, who offers classes where she shows cancer patients how to care for their chemotherapy curls.
Spinks suggests the following curly-hair product options, depending on the look you’re trying to achieve:
- Patients who want to have a really defined curl should consider a mousse. “The curl is going to look dry and may feel hard to the touch, but it's going to keep that definition,” Spinks says.
- Those aiming for a softer-looking curl should use a curl pudding or curl cream. “That way, when your curls are dry, they’re still soft and touchable,” she advises.
- People seeking a natural, afro-like curl should use a leave-in conditioner. “Keep in mind that these products may cause the hair to shrink up, so it may look shorter after using the product,” Spinks notes.
When it comes time to style your hair, you may need to use your fingers to define each curl, Spinks says. If you want to define your natural curl and tame frizz, you might consider using a diffuser, which is a hair dryer attachment, to enhance the curls.
And if you’re someone who isn’t a fan of your newly curly hair, you may need to use a blow dryer, flat iron or chemical treatment to straighten it back out, Spinks says. But she cautions people with new hair growth to wait at least six months after the hair comes back to use any harsh chemicals such as straighteners or dyes.
Always use a low heat on your diffuser or hair dryer if you have new hair growth, “because your scalp can be more sensitive and you don't want to burn it,” she adds.
Caring for Chemotherapy Curls
In addition to finding new ways to style your hair, you may discover that you need to change up your shampoo and conditioner routine, Spinks notes.
“Curly hair tends to be drier because the natural oils from the scalp have a hard time traveling through the curls,” she says. “I like to tell the curly-haired patients that they don’t need to wash their hair every day, because that causes you to remove all the natural oils that your hair strands need.”
Instead, she advises people with new hair growth to wait three days between shampooing. "Another option is to do what we call a ‘co-wash,’” Spinks says. “This is what people with curly hair use to keep the moisture in their hair. It involves washing with conditioner only so you’re not stripping all of the oils out of your hair.”
To co-wash, you’ll wash your hair once, then wait three days. On the third day, wash with just conditioner. Then, wait three more days and actually use shampoo. Three days after that, go back to conditioner only, and so on.
“This can help you maintain a curl and keep moisture in it,” Spinks says.
If you or a loved one has been diagnosed with cancer and would like a first appointment or second opinion, call us 24/7 at (877) 524-4673.