The present invention relates to a method for protecting a human patient or a mammalian animal to be subjected to chemotherapy treatment of a tumor not residing in the scalp of the patient or the skin of the animal against chemotherapy-induced alopecia, comprising administering to the scalp of the patient or the skin of the animal an effective amount of a composition comprising a chemical inducer of the stress protein response sufficiently prior to the administration of a chemotherapeutic drug. It also relates to pharmaceutical compositions for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced alopecia. It further relates to a method for protecting a human patient or a mammalian animal to be subjected to chemotherapy treatment of a tumor not residing in the scalp of the patient or the skin of the animal against chemotherapy-induced alopecia, comprising administering to the scalp of the patient or the skin of the animal an effective heat dose sufficiently prior to the administration of a chemotherapeutic drug.