# Regrowth after chemotherapy (chemo curls)

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/hair-regrowth-after-chemotherapy/  
OnCo record `hair-regrowth-after-chemotherapy` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

Hair usually starts to come back two to three months after the last dose of chemotherapy, and it often comes back a different texture or colour: straight hair curly, dark hair grey or white. Most of that settles over the following year or two.

## Summary

The National Cancer Institute's guidance says hair often grows back two to three months after chemotherapy ends, that it is very fine at first, and that it can be curlier or straighter, or even a different colour, before returning in time to how it was. The curl that gives the change its popular name comes from the follicle regenerating with a different shaft shape; the colour change comes from pigment cells in the follicle recovering more slowly than the keratin-producing cells, so the first growth can be grey or white before pigment returns. Order matters: scalp hair usually returns first, then eyebrows and eyelashes, then body hair, over roughly six to twelve months. Colouring and perming are usually deferred until the new hair is a few centimetres long and the scalp is no longer tender, with a patch test first, because new hair is finer and the scalp is more easily irritated. If density has not recovered a year after the last dose, that is the point at which a dermatology referral is worth asking for, because persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia is a recognised diagnosis with treatment options and because easily corrected causes such as iron deficiency and thyroid disease should be excluded.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-10-02
- Also known as: chemo curls; chemo curl; hair regrowth after chemotherapy

## Sources

- National Cancer Institute: hair loss (alopecia) and cancer treatment: https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/side-effects/hair-loss
- American Cancer Society: hair loss: https://www.cancer.org/cancer/managing-cancer/side-effects/hair-skin-nails/hair-loss.html
- Macmillan Cancer Support: hair loss: https://www.macmillan.org.uk/cancer-information-and-support/impacts-of-cancer/hair-loss

## Connected records

- terms: [Anagen effluvium (chemotherapy hair loss)](https://onco.cc/terms/hair-anagen-effluvium/), [Eyebrow and eyelash loss (madarosis)](https://onco.cc/terms/hair-brows-and-lashes/), [Persistent chemotherapy-induced alopecia](https://onco.cc/terms/alopecia-persistent-chemotherapy/)
- fronts: [Chemotherapy](https://onco.cc/fronts/chemotherapy/), [Recovery & Rejuvenation](https://onco.cc/fronts/rejuvenation/), [Supportive Care & Survivorship](https://onco.cc/fronts/supportive-care/)
- technologies: [Minoxidil for persistent chemotherapy- and endocrine-therapy hair loss](https://onco.cc/technologies/minoxidil-chemotherapy-alopecia/), [Scalp care during and after cancer treatment](https://onco.cc/technologies/scalp-care-cancer-treatment/), [Wigs, cranial prostheses and head coverings](https://onco.cc/technologies/wigs-cranial-prosthesis/)

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