Hair Hair Hair - Another question

MBJ

Kittycat:  So glad to see you here and to know you are doing well and your hair is growing. 

marjie

If I wanted to "dress up" my scarves, I would pick up elastic beaded bracelets and used them like scrunchies to tie my scarves.  Very bling bling

Carrol2

well honestly if i was going really dressy i would wear my wig but  . . .

I saw lots of really pretty dressy things you can put in your hair at target. They have these very thin double strands of pearls on a headband, and thin black one that had an embroidered leaf.

As far as scarves go silk looks very dressy.I like when the scarf is really long that you can hang it in the front over your shoulder. Also you can wear a big pin on the scarf.  It all depends on how you coordinate it with what you are wearing. I go for the more casual thing myself, don't have any occaision to dress up more than put on some big earrings really. 

Also I recall some really cute retro looks that can be sort of dressy, like from Gidget's time.  I was thinking if you did the whole matchy thing with a bandana that matched the collar on a dress and matching shoes and bag and cat eye sunglasses, convertible optional.

Hope I got your creative juices flowing. 

lago

Silk scarves tend to slip, slide and not stay in place. Take it from someone who's been wearing scarves since October.

heartnsoul76

DMD - my mother, who is very blonde, used to go to the hair salon and I think they would dye her brows. I would never try that on my own, but I would like a more permanent solution than filling mine in with a pencil or brush. I have put brown mascara on mine, but in the sunlight that looked kind of weird. I've done some crazy things - perhaps I should turn it over to the professionals...

lago - my son and his friends would play with my scarves - they were pirates, of course. And they're college students! 

Fighter_34

Christine47 I nearly fell out of my chair reading your post. "so people will know it's a baby girl" I guess am in that group!

Lago: GO TOPLESS YOU HAVE ENDURED ENOUGH! Looks great!

supersally

Lago - the red is a beautiful color on  you, very warm.  Did you find silk scarves to work under hats?  I'm halfway through chemo, so just trying to "get my scarf on".  I wear either of my wigs a lot, I don't like people looking and staring at me so much.  I live in Dallas, so it's going to be too hot for them soon.  I have baseball caps, big brimmed hats for outside, funky hats, all of the above.  I've always been a hat girl, so this has given me an excuse to get even more.

Also, my hair hasn't fallen out all the way.  Will it?  Is it possible that it is growing on chemo?  I shaved it to an 1/8 of an inch 3 weeks after my first chemo.  Eyebrows and lashes (and hair down there) still hanging in there, will it go too?

LMAO over the "so people will know it's a baby girl"!  My mom got me a headband like that, haven't decided to keep it but maybe I will for the regrowth phase.

marjie

11 Weeks out....fluffy and grey!

christine47

marjie,

Looking good, growth looks nice and even, you look so healthy!  Looks like you have kept your brows too.  Please keep posting

marjie

Christine - Thanks!  I lost my brows and lashes completely...seriously, to me, that was the worst part.  My brows came back in really fast - lashes are struggling, but I have a few.  I think I will colour my hair like Lago did....just not ready for all grey yet.

christine47

for sure you look to young to be grey, in a few weeks you look like you will have enough hair. My brows and lashes are still hanging on, thinner but ok.  I have my last chemo next week, I guess we will see.  I can not wait until I get my hair back, you all keep me smiling with your new hair. 

lago

Margie you look like you're on the same schedule as I am. I think I had about the same at 11 weeks. You will be surprised how fast it fills in. I'm 13 weeks. You look much better without scare. Much younger. 2 more weeks and you can be Sinead O'conner too.

Yes all the new gray s*cks but we can take care of that. If only they had something in a bottle that took 45 minutes to get rid of all those new wrinkles and age spots too

cc4npg

margie:  I agree it looks really good!  I am like many others... not ready to go white (in my case, it will be white) yet.  I did have to think about it though, because I actually didn't look too bad with the natural white hair that was coming back in.  And I am blessed in that when I do let it go, it will be that pretty white everyone wants.  My dye took at 9 weeks, and I've gone topless ever since. 

What's with the increased wrinkles?  I've noticed, and it's not just me aparently, that the chemo definitely leaves it's mark ... maybe some of it goes away with time, but I have more wrinkles around the eyes now.  Haven't noticed too many new age spots yet, but I had a couple before all of this even started.

3jaysmom

as long as ive had to color my hair, ive done the eyebrows as well. same box, less time...    3jays

marjie

Before cancer, I looked much younger than my age (48) now, with the extra wrinkles and grey hair, not so much

Carrol2

Marjie looks like it's coming in nicely. You will have full coverage soon.

Dominika

cc4npg : You look adorable. Your  hair r coming in very even.

Lago : OMG ! You look great!! that colour really suits You ! it looks like You had cut Your hair on purpose, really really nice  x

3teacher

marjie: You look fabulous! We are almost exactly the same date wise; I am 11 weeks out, too.  Your hair is much longer than mine. Mine is still that short, close to the head thing. You can actually measure yours, it looks like. My natural color was a light blonde. Totally salt and pepper, now. Will have to figure out how to color it. Never did coloring before, was always very happy with my natural color. I think that's going to be the shock for people to see....this yucko color. They will all probably think I always colored my hair and that blonde wasn't my natural color. ha  Anyway, you look really great! BTW I think we all look much older with no/little hair. Very few people look younger when bald, etc. So grow, baby grow!

Does anyone wish they had done the Cold Cap thing during chemo to prevent this hair loss? I sometimes do.....

3jaysmom: I live up the road from you in the next county!!!

TifJ

Yeah, what's with the extra wrinkles? I always thought I looked younger than my age too (45), but now my eyes just look baggy and wrinkly! Any suggestions on eye moisturizers and de-wrinkler?

Dominika

marje : You look fantastic, and very young as well. I know taht the cancer, treatments, no hair etc makes us look older or maybe just more tired but You look really great. I thin i will look much much older than You  when i turn  just 30 lol  x

cc4npg

Thanks Dominika!

TifJ:  I've been using Arbonne RE9 products and it's helping some, but I think chemo just kills us and it's gonna take a while to get our skin back in shape.  I look at my fingernails and realize the Taxotere is still working its way out.  Part of my nail looks weird.  So I'm hoping the layers of skin need the same time frame in order to bounce back too.  It kinda makes sense in theory...

lago

I think part of the issue with wrinkles is chemopause and dry skin. Also some of us did this through winter so that had it's effect too. There is a thread called "Physical aging appearance" where others are sharing their tricks and tips for skin.

I hope some of my wrinkles around my eyes relax but I'm not hopeful. My nails are still a mess from taxotere. I had a really bad reaction. Every toe/finger nail effected. Fingernails are growing out but some still, even after 13 weeks are lifted. I don't want to even discuss my toenails. I'm expecting them to be better by next spring.

But my hair is good so at least that something. eyelashes are slow growing but are growing too.

BTW no regrets about not doing cold caps. I don't think it would have been worth the $$, hassle or discomfort in my case.

christine47

No regrets on the cold caps, cost is one issue, but the hassle and only washing once a week in cold water, no products, etc.  I was a short hair girl pre--chemo, and sometimes washed 2 times a day if I exercised and had to go back out, etc. 

I also notice the increased wrinkles and different skin texture, at least I know a good PS!

Lago, are you using anything on your nails?  antifungal?

dawn31337

Husker, I waited 2 or 3 weeks after chemo to start the biotin.  I hadn't taken it before and I felt better letting my body detox from the chemo first.  My hair started growing back with the clear fuzz during Taxol.  I should also mention i'm triple negative, so no other meds for me.  I am not sure if Tamoxifen or the HER2+ stuff inhibits hair growth or not.  I also use head & shoulders shampoo because i read somewhere dandruff shampoo helps with the scalp.  LOL, i just bought a trial size and I have only used about half of it!!

Char2010

I am on Arimidex and my hair is growing very, very slowly :-(

lago

Christine I'm not using an anti-fungal because there is no fungus in my nails.

Dawn I'm doing both Herceptin and Anastrozole (generic Arimidex). I don't think my hair is growing slowly. A few people might be faster but if anything I think there are more folks with hair growing slower than mine.

Massaging does encourage hair growth so I've heard.

dawn31337

Lago, I rub my head all the time, it just feels good to have *some* hair!  

Carrol2

I found out about cold caps a few days before my first chemo. The salesman was very pushy trying to come up with a payment plan. He told me there was a 15% chance my hair would not grow back, I could not find anything or anyone who supported that. I think it was really mean to prey on me like that. I cried all night, and I worried like crazy my hair would not grow back.

But it is so he was wrong. I would like to choke him with a big hairball!!

dawn31337

Also, I don't think I have any more wrinkles, but I think the "severe" hair style we're stuck with for now accentuates our shortfalls.  I think I look fabulous in my wigs!  I have been using night cream after my LGFB class.  I did some research and saw Avon Anew was rated pretty high.  I think it is doing the trick, but it is really thick, kinda greasy, and very strong smelling.  The fragrance is nice enough, but really overwhelming.  All in all, I think the product seems to do what it says. I got a whole full size set with day and night cream, cleanser, and eye cream on eBay for about $50 to try it out.  When it's gone I'll probably switch to Lancome.  I got some small sizes as a bonus when buying other stuff, and I like the fragrance better.  Of course it is probably 3x the price.  I got spoiled with the LGFB cosmetics.

I think the worst part is the eyebrows.  I've gotten good at drawing them on, and thanks to Biotin (i think!) mine are now growing back, but the pigment in them is taking time.  My lashes definitely grew better, and they're definitely longer than 1/4" now.  Oddly enough the last of my arm hair was gone about 2 weeks ago.

dawn31337

Carrol, that's horrible!!  I found out about the cold caps before I started chemo, but I thought the price was ridiculous, and I just couldn't justify it, plus it sounded like a total PITA.  Also my oncologist thought constricting the blood flow in the scalp wasn't a good thing, but I expected that answer.  If they had been affordable or if my cancer center had the freezers I probably would have done it.

So the wigs were fun for a while, and now I have no split ends.  I can get showered and dressed to go out in < 15 minutes.  There is always a silver lining!