Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Marion

I just went to see my former roommate who is a photographer and she insisted to take pics of my hair regrowth before I get it colored. The pics turned out great, I kind of saw the old me in those pictures even with that chemo fuzz!  It was a great way to boost my depleted ego! I totally recommend you have a professional photographer immortalize that chemo hair regrowth!

Has anyone done that too?

Sugar77

Marion - perhaps you would consider sharing one of these photos, if you feel comfortable.  Having a professional would make for a great photo.  I've had my DH take snapshots of my hair growth every Wednesday night starting three weeks after chemo ended.  Mind you, I'm only six weeks out and have therefore had only three "Wednesday night" photos done.  I can see a bit of a difference from week to week but not a lot yet.  I just wanted to somehow document the process as I hope and pray I never have to go through chemo again.

I started rads this week and met with my rads onc this morning.  I asked him about me taking Biotin for hair growth and he had no issue with it.  I had been taking it after chemo ended but wasn't sure if it was okay during rads. I was glad to hear him say it was okay. I can't wait until I have enough to colour.  I just have to wait for the crown to fill in more.

Sherri 

TreadSoftly

Sheri - I hear you and echo your wishes of 'I hope and pray I never have to go through chemo again'...... thanks for asking your rad onc about biotin, it was a question that I forgot to ask mine! I feel it is making a difference.  Im 12 1/2 weeks post chemo, I found the first 7-8 weeks really slow in terms of hair growth, but thankfully its really taken off in the past 4 weeks

Marion - we actually are very similar! Congrats on the nice professional photo and 'seeing a bit of your old self again'!  

one-L

I finally got the courage to go out today with out the wig.  I have a full head of hair it is just short.  I made sure I had my makeup and ear rings and looked like a girl, so no one would mistake me for a guy.  It was not bad at all, it was my dry run to see if I could do it and what reaction I would get from other people.  I think  I can say I am officially done with the wigs.  It felt good not having to deal with the head covering.

I am 13 weeks PFC and my hair is now between 3/4 in and 1 inch all over my head.  I had to take by grandson to get his hair cut and the same lady use to cut mine, she said my hair looked great and was much softer than before.   We will see if it stays that way. 

Sherri and TreadSoftly, I am with you on never having to deal with chemo again.  I hope that all I have done will keep me safe, but that is one of those things that only time can tell.

God bless and I hope everyone has a great weekend.

Juannelle

Sherri_V

Hair, Hair...EVERYWHERE!!!

Today is 16 days since my last chemo treatment. As predicted, my newly grown hair (about 1" long since the chemo break for surgery) has started dropping off like crazy!!! I can't keep myself from tugging and rubbing it. I can hardly believe anything is left at this point. I expect to be without it again sometime next week, just in time for my next treatment. I'm not planning on wearing a wig this time around...too itchy. Plus, I have several really nice head scarves and caps.

I have had a SUPER week! I've been working every day - trying to get everything I can done before I get sick again. I'm off this weekend so I hope you all have a great couple of days. I'll check back in soon!

NavyMom

One-L,  Nice to hear you did it. I am 16 weeks PFC and even though I have full coverage on my scalp my hair is only about 3/4 inch long.  And I am just not ready. We went out for a casual fish dinner tonight and I still wore a baseball cap.  And a strange but sad thing happened tonight too......As I was sitting with my parents, 2 cousins from separate families (they were not together for dinner) came to our table to say hello.  And neither one even said hello to me.  Now these are the kind of cousins that I would see at weddings and funerals.(they know me) My mom even caught on and "introduced me"  Now how weird is that?  I really think that neither one recognized me.  I guess this experience along with being called "Sir" a few days ago just is sitting kinda funny with me.

Sherri, so sorry that you are having to deal with the hair loss AGAIN!  But, you sound like you have a wonderful attitude.  Stay strong.  You'll get through this.

Have a nice weekend everyone

Navy

enjoylife

NavyMom so sorry but people can be so rude its like your contagious or something I know I never knew they could be so mean and I dont think they do it on purpose they dont know what to say I think hey you look great and how are you feeling would be a start but maybe I was like that its woke me up big time never to ignore anyone or ask too many questions like, what stage are you and what is your prognosis I almost said to one women I should be here at least 3 more weeks just to pay back ha ... Does anyone know how to handle this hair ok I think my hair has filled in since I finished chemo a year and 7 months ago I still have to wear a hat but i think my scalp is filling in sure isn't much in the crown area but how do you make it look thicker is there a trick I have never in my life had FLAT THIN hair and its straight so its not good at all and I don't think my hair dresser can do much more so far he hasn't we just clean it up another words shape it HELP its HELL my boob was nothing next to this its taken what self esteem I had away for sure....I also talked with a lady who had Taxotere who has 3 heads full of hair and she took and takes GNC norishment for hair yep I am going to try it too... I have tried Biotin, prenatal, Rogaine, vitiams B and D water pills that begin with a S they actually help allot and if you have lymphedema it helps with that too so it is doing 2 things at once.. just trying to help ..

Have a good weekend I love WEEKENDS I want to spring clean and fixx up the yard and the house all I need is money and energy for it ha 

Maura

enjoylife

SherriV you must be a amazing lady for sure to have to go through this again god bless you and I hope this time you dont get sick remember there are allot of drugs to help with the sickness and hopefully you will get more hair back then even last time ...

Maura

weety

I'm finally going topless, too. All in the same weekend, I've been told that I look like a cute, trendy teenager (I'm 39, but do look younger), a boy (by my son) and a French woman (by my oncologist) so I decided I'm just a 16 yr old french boy!  LOL

hrf

Maura, what is the GNC nourishment? I've been taking Biotin, now trying Minoxidil and have been taking lots of vitamin supplements too. But same as you .... very, very thin hair with scalp showing through over most. Growth for what I have is also painfully slow. I'm going to see if extensions can give me some thickness because I don't want to spend another summer keeping my head covered.

one-L

Navymom, I hope that your cousins didn't acknowledge you because they didn't recognize you. How rude and inconsiderate if they did recognize and didn't acknowledge you.  I would have to say that most  people don't know what to say or do in these situations.  So far I have been very lucky, I guess you would say, I haven't come across anyone that has been rude or didn't acknowledge me.  But there is still time.

weety911, I am still a little self conscious about going topless, but I think that I will feel more confident each day.

enjoyful, I think you must be doing everything necessary to get your hair to grow.  I can't offer you any advice.  I can't even say I know how you feel, being without hair for 5 months and then have it start growing, is not like going as long as you have been without hair.  Keep the faith and maybe time will heal this also.  Sending a hug your way.

hrf, sorry your hair is growing in slowing also. Good luck  with the hair extensions, it is at least an alternative.

Have a good weekend everyone.

Juannelle

Lilah

Juanelle -- woo hoo on going topless!  You are brave   It sounds like you and I have hair the same length.  I actually feel like I need a trim (it is sticking out over my ears and looks scruffy) BUT I am still wigging it.  Not yet ready to go without.  I had long hair all my life...

cary1

I am 6 months post final chemo and my hair is barely 2 1/2 inches long and salt and pepper with an emphasis on the salt unfortunately. I knew it would grow back slowly (since it never grew fast in my pre-chemo life), but I didn't think it would be *this* slow. It feels so strange when I don't wear my scarf. I feel so naked. I went more than 40 years with shoulder-length hair. It doesn't help that I appear to fulfill all the no's you read about who should or shouldn't have short hair. Ie. Don't have short hair if you have a roundish face (check), have a short neck (check), have curly hair (ultra check), have broad shoulders (check), etc. etc. However I was going to be brave and go topless until a threat of recurrence just raised its head. Funny to be posting on a hair topic when I really should be posting on how terrified I am at the moment awaiting the results of a biopsy I got last week after I had my first post-treatment m'gram-leading to ultrasound-leading to MRI. I don't want to take the scarves off only to have to put them back on in a couple of months if the worst is true. I am afraid I am not optimistic and since it is on the same side as the original cancer, it will mean a mastectomy now I guess, no more lumpectomies since I would not be able to have radiation there again.

If by some miracle I dodge this bullet, I swear I will debut my scarfless head no matter how much I think I look ridiculous.

hrf

Hi there, Cary. Sorry to hear that you are going through a scare. We all feel the same as you and many of us will have or have had scares after our first dx. Wishing you well and hoping you get good news.

lovetosail

Cary - best wishes for a B-9 result from your biopsy!

cary1

Thank you hrf and lovetosail. My apologies if I posted on this thread inappropriately. Maybe I should delete. I really started just about hair, but it overlapped with the other business, which is, understandably, on my mind.

Anyway, back to hair. I called the closest Aveda salon today trying to think ahead and be optimistic. They said they didn't sell their non-toxic color for home use, but I could have sworn I read someone here who said she bought it. The guy (very nice and sympathetic) said color alone would probably run me $80. That's a lot! I have never colored my hair in a salon before, just used Rainbow-brand sable color/dark brown henna at home. But henna is iffy on mostly gray hair. All the gray could come out orange. Pre-chemo, when my hair was just 10-20% gray, the strands had a coppery highlight with the henna, but with now 70-80% gray, I don't know if I can risk it.Anyone else try henna on post-chemo gray?

JudyNaomi

Juanelle, so pleased for you! Do you feel liberated?

Hope everyone is doing ok!

Hugs, Judy x

one-L

Judy, I do feel liberated.  As you can see I have a full head of hair, it is just short.  As long as the scalp is mostly covered I think  I will be fine.  I have gone around every where this weekend with out head cover and I have not sent any children running to their mothers in fear, so I guess I will be OK. 

Cary, even though this thread is named HAIR, HAIR..., we still want to know what is going on with you.  Sorry you are having to go through this a second time.  I am praying for everything to be fine and B9.

Lilah, I feel  that I need a trim also, especially around the bottom and around my ears.  But I am so reluctant to get it trimmed.  I just want it to be a little longer.

Hope everyone had a good weekend.

Juannelle

Sugar77

Juannelle - your hair looks great! Wow, when my hair looks like that, I'll go topless.  I'm waiting for my crown to fill in.  Does the crown take longer than the sides to come back in?

Sherri 

MaryNY

I'm now eight weeks post-chemo and not ready to go topless yet. I have about half an inch of hair all over, but it's mostly white with a few stray dark hairs in there. I've been coloring my hair for years so had no idea how grey I was.

As the weather warms up, I'd like to transition from wearing a wig to scarves. I have a couple of nice silk scarves but when I wear them, my head looks so small and flat. Is there some trick to making them look more bulky so that there will be the illusion of hair underneath?

cary1

Mary, I do something that resembles the style called "Crown" on this how-to-tie page. I just improvised it, didn't follow their directions, but it is close to what I do.

 http://www.tznius.com/cgi-bin/tying.pl

That gives some height. I also sometimes use two scarves. The bottom one is always this really huge but very light solid silk scarf, then I put another smaller one over it, the back looks like a bun and the difference between the two fabrics makes things less flat, but that may be too much trouble or too hot for you. I actually liked it best when I was truly bald because two scarves made me feel more secure. I think there are also cotton caps you can buy to put under to build height, but I would be worried it would carry the whole thing off. You can see a "scarf pad" on this site:

 http://www.headcovers.com/scarves/head-scarves/ 

If it's any comfort, it may be the chemo that made you gray. I was not coloring my hair regularly before my chemo so I know I was only about 20% gray before. I am about 80% gray now. I just wonder if it ever changes back. Good luck.

PS: One more URL. These people have beautiful print scarves, in cotton so it's cool. I wish they were bigger but maybe you would find the size a fit.

http://www.anokhiusa.com/all_scarves/index.html 

TreadSoftly

Congrats Juanelle on going topless - your hair looks great, very similar length to my own length, I will post a pic on Wed, after my trip to the hairdresser for a colour!  Think I need a trim around the ears too....!

Sherri - my hair grew in MUCH quicker around the back and sides, the crown was so much slower.... I was worried that it would be much thinner on my crown than everywhere else, but thankfully it has really filled in over the past 3 weeks...

Good luck with your biopsy results cary...praying you will receive good news. I didnt use scarves during chemo at all,  I had 2 wigs that I wore most places....

TreadSoftly

OK, Im bored so will post some pics now outlining my hair story and post my new colour look on Wed...!

Here I am pre-chemo,everyone said my hair was my best feature....

This was me 2 weeks post last cycle of TC (had 4 in total, last one Dec 30th) -  I didnt lose any of my eyelashes and my eyebrows just thinned..... I shaved off all the 'bum-fluff' a few days later..

This is my 'good wig', Im here having a vodka & coke in Dublin airport approx 6 weeks post chemo, waiting to board plane for a (well-needed) trip to Morocco!

This is me a few days ago (i.e 12 weeks post chemo) - its mainly brown, with some grey by the sides (esp the other side that you cannot see!)....

JudyNaomi

Thanks Treadsoftly - you are looking good!

Take care and hugs to all, Judy x

gillyone

looking good treadsoftly. I am almost 5 months PFC and still only have about one inch of hair. (Took ages to get started) It is sticking straight up on top and I went topless three weeks ago. It has some wave to it - which is weird as it was dead straight pre chemo. Getting lots of compliments - very modern, hip etc and I am enjoying it!!

Marion

looking good treadsoftly!

I would like to share pics of my regrowth too but how do I upload pictures on a thread???? I am more technology challenged than I thought ...

weety

Yeah, someone walk us through posting pics!  I'm game, if I can figure it out as well!

Lilah

Great pics Treadsoftly!  And I have to say your smile is your best feature

Juanelle - exactly!  Scruffy at the ears and at the neck... but hell if I am going to cut any of it yet!  Your hair looks great!

Lilah

renee1008

Hello Ladies,

I don't post often but keep up with you (or try to...) and take in all the unspoken advise.  I was a natural blonde with fairly straight hair (a little wave).  It came back dark brown and very, very curly.  My hair has always grown very slowly.  I didn't start taking Biotin until after going topless (wore a wig for 7 months) I just recently had my first hair cut (I cut all the kinky curls off) and am really liking the short cut.  I always wore it shoulder length before.  Since I like the short style I'm thinking about not taking biotin any longer.  Does it just grow length or does it make it thicker?  If it will thicken up I want to continue taking it, but if it just grows the existing hair longer, I don't know.  I can't believe after all the waiting for hair, that I'm even concerned about it growing longer...

MaryNY

Cary: I hope everything goes well with the biopsy. I can't imagine how anxious you are waiting for the results. Thank you for taking time to post the scarf links. I am going to try some of the scarf tying directions now. I only have large silk squares. I think some of the ties might be easier with rectangular scarves instead. I'll see if I can find any of those in the recesses of my closets.

TreadSoftly: your hair looks great, both pre-chemo and now. You really have the face to carry off the short hair.