Tagrisso and hair dye

Following a week of usual activity, swimming, golf and tennis I was taken to A&E on a Friday evening in April with a suspected stroke causing weakness on my left side. I was shocked but not as much as the next morning when I was told I had two brain tumours and these must be a secondary cancer. I had further scans on the Tuesday revealing primary cancer in my lung. I had absolutely no symptoms so was in a total state of shock. Turns out I had multiple brain metastasis and chemotherapy and tagrisso were started very quickly. Life has been a bit of a blur since then and I try not to think about what the future holds for me. I’m feeling better in myself now chemotherapy has stopped and I’m just on Tagrisso. I may be 60 but I I’ve always liked to take care of myself and my appearance as it makes me feel better about myself. I’ve always had my hair dyed using a peroxide dye but I can’t seem to get an answer as to whether this is a good idea or not. Just wondering if anyone else has done this?

  • Hello, and thanks for posting.

    I'm sorry to hear about your diagnosis. It must have been a real shock, especially as you hadn't been experiencing any symptoms.

    It's good to hear that you're starting to feel better now that chemotherapy has finished. I can completely understand why you're looking forward to getting back to things like taking care of your appearance and feeling more like yourself again.

    I'm not sure how long it's been since your treatment ended, but hair is often more fragile for several months after chemotherapy. Because of this, it's usually recommended to avoid permanent or semi-permanent hair dyes and bleaching for around six months after finishing treatment, as these can sometimes damage new hair growth. We have some information about hair care and treatments after chemotherapy that you may find helpful.

    I haven't been able to find any information that suggests you can't dye your hair while taking Tagrisso (osimertinib). However, Tagrisso can sometimes cause skin changes, including a dry, itchy, or sore scalp. If you've experienced any of these side effects, it may be worth being extra cautious with hair dye products.

    If you have a specialist nurse involved in your care, they may be able to give you more personalised advice. It might also be a good idea to speak with your hairdresser and ask about doing a patch test before colouring your hair.

    Hopefully some other members of the forum will share their own experiences too.

    I hope this helps. Please feel free to post again if you have any other questions. You can also speak to one of our nurses on the freephone helpline on 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm, if you'd like to talk things through.

    Best wishes,

    Jemma

  • Thank you very much for your reply, very helpful. My last chemotherapy was on the 20th July and I’m now currently waiting for the first of my 3 monthly scans which I’m a bit anxious about. My scalp has been fine so far but I’ll take some advice from my oncology team on Wednesday and perhaps stick to a plant based colour for now. 
    Thank you again for taking the time to reply.