Hair loss can occur when chemotherapy drugs travel throughout the body to kill cancer cells and some of these drugs damage hair follicles, causing the hair to fall out.
Losing one’s hair is a common side effect of chemotherapy treatment. Many patients will not go through this, yet many will lose their hair, eyebrows and even eyelashes.
This can be a traumatic experience, especially for women.
Synthetic and Natural Human Hair Wigs
Most CANSA Care Centres have wig-banks that stock synthetic and human hair wigs for cancer patients.
The availability, styles and colours may vary at each CANSA Care Centre.
- purchase of synthetic wig: R350
- donation towards natural hair wig: R350* – this does not include courier fees to clients
*when human hair donations are received, CANSA sends the hair to our dedicated wigmakers who make wigs and return them to CANSA. Your donation enables CANSA to make this possible.
*patient’s income is taken into consideration
| Province | Region | Contact Person | Email Address | |
| Eastern Cape | |||
| East London | Dorothy du Plooy | dduplooy@cansa.org.za | |
| Gqeberha (PE) | Nadine Wagner | nwagner@cansa.org.za | |
| Free State | |||
| Bloemfontein (services Free State | Dorothy du Plooy | dduplooy@cansa.org.za | |
| Gauteng | |||
| Bedfordview | Athena Neate | aneate@cansa.org.za | |
| Pretoria | Cisca Loggenberg | cloggenberg@cansa.org.za | |
| Roodepoort (services Vaal Triangle) | Isabel Gomes | igomes@cansa.org.za | |
| KZN | |||
| Durban (services KZN) | Nonku Nene |
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| Limpopo | |||
| Waterberg | Cisca Loggenberg | cloggenberg@cansa.org.za | |
| Mpumalanga | |||
| Lowveld | Thembi Ngwenya | adminnelspruit@cansa.org.za | |
| North West | |||
| Rustenburg | Goitsemang Babedi | gbabedi@cansa.org.za | |
| Northern Cape | |||
| Kimberley | Dorothy du Plooy | dduplooy@cansa.org.za | |
| Springbok | Geraldine Farmer | gfarmer@cansa.org.za | |
| Upington | Geraldine Farmer | gfarmer@cansa.org.za | |
| Southern Cape | |||
| George (services Klein Karoo) | Sharon Venter | sventer@cansa.org.za | |
| Western Cape | |||
| Cape Metro | Dorothy du Plooy | dduplooy@cansa.org.za | |
| Overberg | Gretchen Minnaar | gminnaar@cansa.org.za | |
| Paarl (services Boland) | Gretchen Minnaar | gminnaar@cansa.org.za | |
| West Coast | Tanya Johnson | tjohnson@cansa.org.za |
Upon request wigs made from human hair may be ordered from CANSA’s Head Office if there is no regional stock available at the time.
Requests for human hair wigs from Head Office, including special requests, may be directed to Athena Neate aneate@cansa.org.za
Patients who no longer need their wigs are requested to donate their wigs to wig banks at CANSA Care Centres, as wigs are in high demand, and take a long time to make…
How Can I Donate My Ponytail to CANSA?
Headwear
CompassionHat
Compassionhat provides quality headwear for people suffering hair loss or who have sensitive scalps due to side effects of cancer treatment and products have received the CANSA Seal of Recognition in the Patient Care category.
The hats are designed to uniquely fit a head with little to no hair, and are designed to cover the entire natural hairline to make hair loss less obvious. They also trap hair inside for easy collection of hair that has fallen out.
Many different colours and designs are available and products are available for women, men and children.
*Find more information on hats that provide protection from the sun and have been approved as CANSA Seal of Recognition partners in the Protection category, as Compassionhat will not meet these requirements.
Orders and Queries
Order Compassionhat products from your local CANSA Care Centre.
Should your Care Centre be out of stock, or if you require a different style Compassionhat, please email Sandra Blignaut sblignaut@cansa.org.za
Related CANSA Fact Sheets
Scalp Cooling
Find out more about scalp cooling which is said to minimise hair loss during cancer treatment…
Henna Tattoos
CANSA encourages cancer patients to be cautious of tattoos and cannot recommend tattoos in any form, because of possible serious side effects and health risks associated with tattoos – inclusive of serious allergic reactions, and toxicity.
Certain tattoo inks contain known carcinogens (cancer-causing agents).
CANSA encourages cancer patients to discuss this with their treating physician or oncologist: CANSA Fact Sheet Henna Tattoos.
Hair Dye or Perm
Women often want to know how soon they can dye their hair after cancer treatment. CANSA advises not using dyes or perms for around 6 months after completion of chemotherapy.
Using strong chemicals on your hair and scalp may damage them, as chemotherapy may have resulted in a drier, more sensitive scalp and hair damage.
Women are advised to use a henna or natural vegetable based dye, as they are gentler on the hair and scalp.
However, it is still a good idea to test the dye on a small portion of your scalp and hair to see if there is an unwanted reaction.
Support Resources for cancer Survivors & Loved Ones
Find additional online resources for cancer Survivors (anyone who has heard the words ‘you have cancer’), caregivers or loved ones, and about coping with cancer.
