Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Lilah

About Nioxin (FYI):

Nioxin is a shampoo and conditioning hair treatment that primarily THICKENS HAIR SHAFTs... it does not make hair grow as far as I can tell, rather it thickens the individual shafts of the hair you are already growing.  I actually have some (a starter kit, there are three parts to it) that was sold to me by a hairdresser like two years ago because my hair is fine and he thought it would thicken it up.  I never did use it though and still can't bring myself to use it... my concerns are: once you stop using it, do the hair shifts get thin again?  If so, do I want to have to use it all the time?  Also: on the box it says that women have varying degrees of success with the product, as follows:

22% see a 76 - 100% increase in thickness

10% see 51 - 75% increase

36% see a 26 - 50% increase

20% see a 10 - 25% increase

6% see a less than 10% difference

6% see no diffference

(I'd love to know how they measure that, since it's a perception)

Although they say the product moisturizes and "activates" the scalp as well.. I'm mostly seeing info about hair thickening all over the package.  So I'm not so sure it does anything other than thickening.

ruthbru

I used Nioxin before, during and after chemo until my hair starting coming in nicely, then I quit. My hairdresser said that people who have thinning hair have to keep using it forever. But for me, once all the chemo chemicals were out of my system, there wasn't a reason to keep using it. For me, I really think it helped.

suzieq60

I bought some and am using it, as I can't see what harm there is in creating a healthy environment for the hair coming back. I certanily do not expect it to make my hair grow - just make my scalp healthy.

ruthbru

Healthy scalps make healthy hair !

suzieq60

I wish I'd known about it during chemo.

ruthbru

If we put everything we know now and wrote a book and entitled it, "I Wish I Had Known About It During Chemo" (or radiation or diagnosis or......any part of this experience), I'm afraid that it would be a long, long book.

Lilah

lol Ruth!  Great title.

just4ann

Hi everyone.  I am 12 weeks PFC and just wanted to chime in.  I was hopeful that I would see a lot more hair at 12 weeks than I do.  The top of my head is covered with white, kinky fuzz about 1 1/2 inches long.  Okay, covered is not accurate.  I mean the top of my head has hair growing but it is thin and sparse.  Lots of scalp still visible.  The sides and back are just now beginning to pass the stubble stage.  My surgeon, who happened to have gone through chemo herself last year, recommended using a baby hair brush.  She said being bald for so long allows the hair follicles to become clogged.  Using the baby brush will not only help with the clogged follicles but also will stimulate my scalp.  My granddaughter thinks it is great fun to brush my "baby hair" with a baby brush.  She's 3 years old.  She does get a bit frustrated though because its so kinky she can't get it to lay down on top.  The other day she was brushing it and next thing I know she has spit in her hand and rubbed it on the top of my head! I told her to please not do that again.  She said, "Don't worry, I won't.  It doesn't work."        

lovetosail

just4ann - awesome story about your granddaugher!

MAGOB

Hi Ladies - 

Haircut #2 was today, and did I ever need it.  I REALLY had kinky hair - as curly as a poodle's coat. We decided my look was afro-licious. But this cut took away a lot of that, and it is starting to look like my normal hair again.  Oh, happy day!

Biotin really helps - ask your onc if it's OK.  Good luck with your locks, ladies.

XO, Mary 

Kiki1965

Your hair looks fantastic!  I am soooo looking forward to having hair back.

brunettesrule

Hi Ladies, I have a bit of a problem.

I am 9 wks post chemo and my hair has now covered my head (very thickly I might add) but is very short and very very grey.  I had brown hair before all this but needed to cover greys once a month.  Seeing "I now have hair" but grey I put a brown  temporary (8 wash) dye on my hair.  It turned the hair purple after the brown started to fade.  I thought even though I only have a bit of hair - brown might look better than grey.  Couldn't handle the purple anymore so put a permanent colour in (light brown), now my hair has turned a auburn/brown, very reddish.  I am very temped to shave the whole lot off and start again.  I look like an idiot.  I still wear scarves when I go out.  Hair not long enough yet, but will be soon if I let it grow.  Question, is the weird colours due to chemo still in my hair or the new regrowth is that grey that it is not taking the colour.  Should I "buzz" cut it down and start again or wait for it to grow and cut it out bit by bit.  I have reconstructive surgery in August and was hoping to be able to go coverless by then and a nice shade of brown.

Nodapearl

brunettesrule - Check out Joseph Mullen.  He has done some work with color and chemo hair.  I can't remember his website, but I think it's josephmullen.com or josephmullencolor.com

charmainejensenvoisine

Here is Joseph Mullen site, I found it thru Facebook - http://www.josephmullencolorist.com/ 

But it is not up yet... hmmm

But here is his facebook page - http://www.facebook.com/pages/New-York-NY/Joseph-Mullen-Colorist

charmainejensenvoisine

Here is a color tip I got off of Joseph Mullen's FB page..

charmainejensenvoisine

I got this hair color tip off of Joseph Mullen's Face Book page and thought some of you ladies might be interested in it....

http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2F15minutefashion.about.com%2Fod%2Fquickbeautytips%2Fa%2Fmaintain_color.htm&h=0191a

Sugar77

Charmaine - the link to his Facebook page didn't work.  Maybe I'll try searching when I'm on my FB page sometime today. Thanks for the lead. How's your hair now after the shave two weeks ago?

Sherri 

MaryNY

I think Charmaine's link was to this -- Make Hair Color Last Longer. I'm afraid I'm a long way yet from using those tips. I don't think my mouse hair would take color well at this stage.

Sugar77

I was wondering if Fanciful Mousse would work as a temporary stop gap.  Has anybody tried it? I used it for my roots when I was pregnant and it worked fine but that was on normal hair.  You have to put it on every time you wash because it rinses out.  

MarieK

I don' t know anything about colouring this chemo gray hair - sorry can't help you there.  But the more I read about the purple or brassy hair trouble the more I want to leave mine alone!

So I'm embracing my white/gray hair.

Besides big sunglasses I have another tip for you on disguising your gray hair look!

Wear bright colours!

I just bought myself 2 new hoodies - turquise and hot pink!  I'm getting so many compliments on how great I look!  Not just from family - who owe it to me - but from random strangers!

Also was in Old Navy the other day and loaded up on tank tops - I got salmon, turquoise, white (to wear with colour) and hot pink.

Today I popped in to see my hairdresser (actually I was going to shop next door to her).  She said my hair looked really cute and that for sure she could "clean" it up a bit around the neck and ears.  I'm going to book an appt with her just before the May long weekend (that's when I'm going back East for my niece's graduation).

I'll try and get my daughter to snap a pic to post later!

Happy hair growing to you all!

Marie

MarieK

Look at this hair!!! I just can't do a thing with it LOL!

MarieK

I was just kidding in that previous photo!  That is actually the fun fur collar from my daughter's jacket.  She took it off as we were gonig out the door and told me that I could wear it if I wanted to. 

I popped it on my head and we had such a laugh!  I almost peed myself!

We had to stop and take some photos!!!  I look like Phyllis Diller!

Here is my real hair photo at almost 14 weeks PFC:

MaryNY

Marie: Your hair is lovely. It seems to have really grown since you posted the last photo with the sunglasses.

I just noticed something kind of exciting. Prior to chemo, some of my pubic hair was gray. Then it all fell out. My leg hair, underarm arm and pubic hair are now back. And the pubic hair is all black, not a hint of white or gray. I hope this is a good omen for my head hair and that I will see more dark hair growing in. 

NavyMom

MarieK, your crazy, furry post made me laugh!  You look great in that Aqua color!  Good idea to stock up on the bright colors.  Thanks

Navy

brunettesrule

Photos of my hair 10 weeks post chemo.  Still very short, but yesterday was the first time I went out in public coverless...was a bit nervous, but thought "what the hell - its all the hair I have".  Forget what people think.  My daughter (12) was with me for support.

     

Jayne

MaryNY

Jayne: congrats on going topless. Is your hair still a reddish color following the second coloring?

I sometimes go wigless when I'm just going to the supermarket or something like that, but most times I still wear a hat or wig. I think it's a big step to go without for the first time. For me, I took the plunge one night at the cinema. I went with a hat, but cinema was warm and I took it off during the movie. Since then when I go without, nobody seems to give me a second glance. Everyone is so absorbed in their own lives, they really don't notice.

MaryNY

I just came across this great blog post on going gray. The author is a breast cancer survivor who writes about her decision to color or not to color after her hair grew back.

Could Gray Hair Be My Silver Lining? 

Anonymous

Hi, ladies.  Well, the 23rd was offically my 1 year pfc.  Hard to believe a year ago I was trying to get through the chemo hell and looking at an almost shiny scalp - except that with all of the great growth I've had, I think the latest post-cancer treatment I've been on for a month has considerably thinned my hair.  I was allergic to tamoxifen (as it's been proven I've been allergic to most treatments - chemo included), and my doc put me on fareston.  Only 1 month and I noticed the other day that I can all of a sudden REALLY see my scalp through the hair, especially in the front and on top.  Crap!  After a year's hard work and this stuff thins the hair that bad?  Well, it was that plus a host of other unusual se's I'm having after only a month on the stuff to stop it and wait to see what else my doc wants to try - I'm considering going the natural route - I can take all the supplements in the world and I'm fine, but introduce a medicine, and nope!  

On the hair color front, I think our hair is way more porous now than before, even after a year.  I've had haircolor, professionally, since September, and it seems to always take really dark, even when we're not going for really dark.  I found a great hairstylist who has thick (well, when I first saw her, my hair was incredibly thick - now it had better thicken up again!) hair like mine, and she cut the curly frizz off and shaped it so it is growing in well and cute, but we did color 2 weeks ago - supposed to be a rich brown, and it is almost black.  I hate it, it is too harsh for my coloring, so I am getting highlights this weekend, because you can't put lighter haircolor in, not for a while, it will only be muddy.  Sheesh!!  I have been doing a lot of moisturizing masks - phytology makes a great one that I leave in while I am showering and rinse it out and it feels very soft and pliable.  You'd think the "fresh, new hair" would be in better condition, but it is very dry.

Marion

I just read a few posts about coloring post-chemo hair and it seems a lot of women have issues with the color not turning out the way they wanted it to be.

I guess I'm lucky because I colored my hair 18 weeks PFC and the color turned out great. The color did not turn brassy, it was the blond I wanted to have.

I am now 21 weeks PFC and still haven't had a haircut!

I admire women who embrace the grey hair. I just could not do it. I could not stand having grey hair at 33 and wanted to have the color I used to have pre-chemo.

TreadSoftly

Hi ladies,

MarieK - I love your photos, the first one made me laugh!

Jayne -  I wasnt able to see yours, they didnt come up on my screen...

chelev - sorry to hear about your scalp thinning, Im on tamoxifen and havnt had any problems so far....

Funny story, I was out last night with my B/F for a celebratory finishing rads dinner.  We were sitting at a bar, having a vodka/diet coke or two, when a guy came over to me and told me how lovely my hair was!  (just 16 wks PFC!).  I looked at my B/F to see if this was a set-up and did he know this guy but, no, it was a complete stranger!  He told me how much short hair suited me and how lovely the colour/curls were! He would like his wife to get a similar cut!  I just smiled and said Thanks! If only he knew I was 4 months post chemo but it was great to finally start feeling good about myself again!

Happy hair growing everyone!