Hair Hair Hair - Another question

toni30

Hi Ladies: I am so ready to ditch my wig, but my hair is still too short. I am 12 weeks PFC and it's not quite as long as Annie Lennox's - which is what I hoped it would be by Christmas.  I had curly hair my whole life and this is bone straight - wonder if it will go back to being curly?  Thanks everyone for sharing your experiences - it helps to know I have sisters dealing with this too.

hrf

I know a few of you have had permanent hair loss following chemo. Has anyone tried a transplant?

Sugar77

I had my hair blowdried straight yesterday for my company Christmas dinner/dance.  It's back to curly today because I couldn't stand the hairspray and sparkles. I'm 10 months post chemo and have had trims every 6 weeks since May. Sorry for the really large photo...I couldn't figure out how to make it smaller.

MBJ

Hrf:  Hello.  Haven't seen you post in awhile.  How are you?  Still struggling with the hair loss?  I have a friend who was bald on top of his head since he was 18 and he has had two transplants in the last 30 years and was very happy with them.  I hear they have come a long, long way since then. I wish I could be more help.

Sugar:  We have the same hair!  I am really enjoying just using Paul Mitchell Skinny Straightening Gel and then flat ironing it.  Yours is looking great and what a lovely picture!

Char2010

Sugar - Love your hair - inspiring.  I am six months post chemo and mine is quite a lot shorter, especially the front (bangs seem to be taking forever to grow).  And it has a lot of gray - but that can be fixed :-)  Still wearing a wig when I go outside.

hrf

mbj... thanks. I was wondering more about any women who might have had a transplant following chemo. I haven't heard of anyone doing that.

MelBell07

ECT- It's called Toppick. Works really well!

Sugar - You look great!!!

nikola

Sugar - You look great. Wow, 10 months post chemo, something to look forward. I will be 12 weeks this Thursday and somehow cannot see me with so much hair in only 7 months.

hrf, I am so sorry You are going through all this. I know You mentioned You had really nice and tick hair. It must be hard on You. My hair was always fine and I was never really happy with it. One that is growing now is very fine, too. I am starting with zoladex inj and AI so we'll see what is going to happen. I do not know any women that went through hair transplant but one guy. He is happy with the results.

Marion

sugar77: your hair looks great, full of body and healthy.

I cannot figure out either how to make the pictures smaller!

Carrol2

sugar 77 you look great. Have you been trimming your hair to keep it this length now or are you planning to grow it longer? What was your hair like before? So for the third degree. I am on day 14 of my last chemo and am already anxious to see my hair come back. I never  actually shaved it al lost all of it, well almost all, i have have these stringy strands all around my hairline. I keep the strands because they look good under a hat and if i pull wig wig behind my ears. My hair was always baby fine and flat and tough to style. Wonder what will happen when it grows back. I don't post here very often but i read it every day for hope so thanks for sharing.

poodleluvbug

Sugar-You look fantastic! You make me feel like there is a cute hairstyle in my future! Thank you for posting the picture. I am 3 months since my last chemo...I have very short brown hair now...not sure if it will be curly or not. I've always had really straight hair so I hope so!

Sugar77

Carrol2 - yes, I've been trimming it every 6 weeks to shape it.  I had long (straight) hair before, which went to where my bra closes at the back. I decided I'm going to keep it short. My hair is not cut around the ears but it looks like it is in the photo because the hairdresser tucked it behind my ears and put in a fancy sparkly clip on the side you can't see. When it's left curly, it looks "bigger."

Resting

Thx Melbell - that's it , remember now.

heathermcd

I hate hair commercials. I can't stand to watch women flip their long thick hair around anymore. I still have one chemo left but am so desperate for hair that I'm letting the stragglers grow. I swear there are 20 qaurter inch hairs on my head right now surrounding the bald patches. I can't wait to have my hair back.

Carrol2

me too i just finished me last chemo 2 weeks ago. I keep looking at my head like something is gonna pop out of there. Those hair commercials drive me crazy, even the hair products aisles in stores make me sad. I hope it grows back fast and nicer than my hair was before, like a present for dealing with this.

DiDel

Trust me ladies when it comes in it comes POURING in! You'll be there before you know it...now it maybe the curliest most unmanageable hair you've ever had but its hair!

Today my friend and her daughter hung out with me baking and my friend says Oh I love your hair so curly it looks so good, you should stop wearing the wig...you just need a headband ...and then her 10 year old daughter chimes in "with a bOW" and my friend says oh that would be so cute  THEN I SAID yeah the only problem with that is I AM NOT 5 years old! Really...Am I seriously supposed to wear a headband with a F&^*ing BOW?! UGH what is wrong with people...I know she was excited for me and she has always loved my curly hair. I just can't wait to blow dry is with a big round brush pulling out every bit of fuzz and curl!! One plus is it is definitely NOT as grey as it was pre-chemo..small victories!

Diane

Nodapearl

Diane - I think I have less grey too!!

ladym13

Diane...you crack me up

DiDel

sometimes you just gotta laugh...happy to oblige

Diane

kittycat

I have to get out the measuring tape again.  My hair keeps growing in... gray!  I really need to color it, but I can now see how long it's grown since chemo (I last colored it the weekend after finishing chemo). 

Sugar - how lucky you are to have so much hair!  It's really growing in! 

My sister came to visit last weekend.  She's about 18 months post chemo and her hair is almost to her shoulders (and she's had it cut a few times). 

Thanks for the compliments on the hair/wig.  I took my other brunette wig in to be steamed.  I'm now wearing my blonde hair again.  It looked pretty good after being steamed.

x-raygirl

Diane ~ my hairdresser wears headbands with bows and she's ultra stylish.  She's also older than you.  Personally, I could never pull it off - but maybe play around with some different looks.  The "new Diane" 

Re: hair, I can't even believe my facial hair!!!   I never had hair like this on my cheeks or chin or upper lip.  Last month I had it threaded and it hurt!  On the bright side, it's a sign of LIFE and growth.  I wish I could direct it to my receding hairline.  Oh well, it doesn't work that way.  

stlcardsfan

Chemo curl is not guarenteed. I for one did not get it. My hair came back thicker than before, and of course there is more gray. It is also darker than what I had before.

No curls here, but I did get the wave and cowlicks. Random pieces just stick up every which way. But hey, I am happy to have hair! 

Facial hair - I dealt with this too, ended up using an electric razor on it twice. It has finally stopped growing. 

Anonymous

I had naturally curly before chemo. Now it is straight and thin. I keep it short and spike it. I really do miss the curls.

MBJ

I m guilty of wearing a bow, but only for a night out or if I am really dressed up.  It can look too cutesy for some but think roaring 20's hairstyles.

So I have been using the Paul Mitchel skinny but then my hair just lies flat, I add some molding cream and then it's just frizzy so I went back to the Marc Anthony straight to piece out my hair, and, voila, it looks shiny, doesn't try and curl and it stays in place.  This hair is alot of work but I am grateful to have it.

Kittycat:  The grey lasted a looooong time and then all of a sudden it wasn't.  Give it time but go get yourself some dye!  glad it's growing.

toni30

Ladies - Like Xraygirl,  I am getting lots of facial hair - what the h--- is that about?!  How can I direct it to my head? LOL.

KatherineNaomi

Hi all, love this thread! I'm 7 1/2 weeks past chemo and am excited that my hair is starting to grow back. I started seeing stubble at 4 weeks so I have 3 weeks of hair growth. I can not wait for it to get longer!! So far I still have my eyebrows and most of my eyelashes. Oddly enough I've kept all but the lashes on the bottom of my right eye and I can see some new baby eyelashes poking through now. Here I am on my last day of chemo, at 5 weeks, then today at 7 1/2 weeks...

DiDel

To all that sport a bow...you're braver than me. I definitely could NOT pull it off.

The facial hair...or Monkey face as we refer to it on Bottle O Tamoxifen thread goes away...not to worry ladies!

I am afraid to trim my hair cause my docs all said to wait till it got to 3 inches before cutting it..I don't know why but I think I am almost at 2 inches. UGH it is frustrating. I think back to when I started Chemo and I so naively thought by Christmas I would have a short blond bob of some sort.

I don't think the chemo curl is a guarantee but don't think cause it's coming in straight it will stay that way. I was so happy thinking for the first time in my life I would have straight manageable hair...wrong..oh well again it's better than what it first looked like.

kittycat I could not stand the grey so I colored it 3 months PFC with a semi perm coloring and it worked wonderfully. I really haven't even had to touch it up since September cause it seems to be coming in dark now  YEAH!

Diane

Marion

Hello Katherinenaomi,

I love the way you take your picture! It looks like you have a very nice camera!

Marion

Getting full length bangs was a first milestone for me and it looks as if I now have reached another one: I can put my hair into a ponytail! Well, it is a mini ponytail but it still feels like a big milestone! Here it is, 56 weeks of hair regrowth and a mini ponytail:

IowaSue45

All this talk of hair makes me excited and worried. I am 2 1/2wks post chemo. I can;t wait for hair again but I hope its not way different than what I had.

Do any of you ladies use Nioxin shampoo? I have use it for a couple of yrs. and continued to use it on my scalp. Does anyone take vitamin to help support hair growth? I know that biotin is good for hair growth also scalp massage. I have a cosmetologist license, I remember a few things from school days lol.