The research is mixed on how effective cold capping is for Black women and how much hair it might save.

Chemo works by targeting the fastest growing cells in the body. Cancer cells are some of the fastest dividing cells in a body, but hair, eyelash, and eyebrow cells grow rapidly too. Chemo can’t tell the difference between a cancer cell and a hair follicle cell, so it attacks both of them.

Cold capping works by using cold temperature to make your blood vessels smaller and reduce blood flow to your scalp. With less blood going to your scalp, it means that there is less chemo going to your hair follicles. Cold temperatures also slow down how quickly your hair follicles divide, which makes them less of a target for chemo.

Cold capping involves wearing a tightly fitting silicone cap over your head that keeps your scalp cold during your chemo treatment. The cap lowers the temperature of your scalp to between roughly 64 and 72 degrees—cold enough that some people find it uncomfortable. People who choose to cold cap also spend roughly 1.5 to 2 hours longer at their chemo appointments because of the extra cold capping steps.

Ask your doctor about whether cold capping might be a good fit for you and check with your insurance to see if they cover cold capping.