Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Lmimp64

Hi. In case you have always had bangs like me......



I just received some real hair bangs from headcovers.com. They are wide enough to cover my forehead and wrap to my ears. I'm going to use the Velcro strip on them to attach them to a drug store cotton headband and wear under scarves and buffs sometimes.



I'm going to miss my hair.

LeeA

Lmimp64 - thanks for the tip.  I'm going to go that site and check it out right now.  I sort of feel like I could rent my forehead out as a billboard right now - which isn't a good look.

Editing to add:  Is this the one you ordered, Lmimp64?  

http://www.headcovers.com/11003/ultimate-fringe-bangs-add-a-bang/

kjiberty

Marianne: Lost both my brows and eyelashes about 6 weeks post chemo as well.  Just in time for my son's wedding.  I had my makeup professionally done and you would never know.  I felt like I looked normal.  BTW, that was the last time I wore my wig. Gave it away to someone I met while in Detroit for Thanksgiving.  Met her a J Jill and she told me she was starting chemo the following week and going on a shopping spree.  Got her address and sent her all my stuff.  It was wonderful for both of us.  

Victoria38

kjiberty - that was so very kind of you!  Wow!

LeeA - check out the hair halo too.  I really like mine.  it's hair all around on an elastic band.  Gives you a little something peaking out from hats.  I have a short one and a long one.  I got mine from:   tlcdirect.org  They are the American Cancer Society and have pretty fair prices.

kjiberty

PS--I only wore my chemobeanies or buff's when not wearing my wig.

Victoria38

Lmimp64 - I am taking the GNC Hair & Nails formula, since chemo destroyed my nails.  The Biotin in the tablets is 3,000 mcg.

I have a pic of my Abbey Cap, but I'm trying to find a place to upload it right now.  I don't really want to put it on my Flickr.

Carrol2

I thought the Brain Josephs only worked if you used it right when you started chemo.

IamNancy

Lmimp64 - the bangs are a great idea ... I am thinking it would make a great idea if the wig starts to feel too hot.. it looked like that site has 2 they offer - one fuller than the other ..which did you get?

for all you ladies:

I am not sure who first posted this link - or where the thread even is but I just received a lovely free scarf from www.goodwishesscarves.org  they will make and send you a free scarf or head wrap... The one I got is beautiful - with a sweet card filled with good wishes..

just thought I'd tell you about it.

LeeA

Victoria38 - thanks for the input on the hair halo.  I've been looking at those the last few days.  One of the women in the January 2013 chemo group ordered one and posted her photo and it looks great!  She ordered a longer one from another site but I'm not sure I want to go with a long one.  Did you go with a longer length or medium length?  

Also, did you use the Sally Hansen nail hardener on your nails?  You may have already addressed this and I missed it. 

I've been using it and am hoping my nails hold up.  I haven't taken very good care of them since I quit working several years ago but decided to follow SpecialK's protocol (dark nail polish day of and then follow up with the hardener) during chemo - just because the idea of an exposed nail bed sounded really painful to endure.  I currently have a little cut that I'm sure is from chemo extending up from the right side of my thumbnail.  I've been slathering it with Gold Bond Ultra Healing Lotion but it's still there.  Probably a keyboard injury - lol.

Victoria38

I have a short one and a long one.  I prefer the short one.  My thought is if you are going medium or longer, just wear your wig. 

On my last chemo session my finger tips starting intensely burning and I got water blisters under each of my nails, then that started lifting them.  Lovely no?  So it's not a matter of being Strong, but trying to keep them from falling off.  Which miraculously I did manage.  But they are slow to grow out.  Many of them are still half dead and I can't cut them any lower.  Oy.  But in time ... patience, patience. 

LeeA

Oh boy...that sounds awful, Victoria!  Did you have six TCH treatments (lol at the word "treatment" - it sounds so spa-like but it isn't).  I have six but I sure do wish it was four...

Re: patience - we sure do need a boatload of it from diagnosis on... 

I'll never forget my dad saying how impatient he was when he was in the hospital.  I think of that so often nowadays.

ETA: 

P.S. - kjiberty - that was such a nice thing to do!  I met a woman while I was having my wig fitted and I left that day feeling like I had known her for years.  I felt sad knowing I would probably never see her again.  She was a BC survivor as well. 

Victoria38

I had six treatments.  On number 5 I started having bad reactions and 6 killed my nails.

Oh and if you read my tag line, the chemo also destroyed my nodes.  It was very agressive on me, but hey, it also killed the cancer!  Thanks to God, I am cancer free, so I shouldn't complain.

Here is a pic of my Abbey Cap, excuse the poor pic, but you get the idea.  (Oh and usually I'm not wearing dangle earrings with it, lol!! I just had them on when I took the pic)

EmmaC

I had one fingernail do that water blister thing. They gave me an antibiotic as a precaution. 

Victoria38

Yes, I took the antibiotics too.  It started as just one, then one by one I had blisters under all. If I had known about icing them, it might have all been provented. 

LeeA

Victoria, you look great in that cap and I love what I can see of your necklace.  Re: nodes and chemo - I had no idea that taxotere could cause vascular damage/lymphedema until the lymphatic massage therapist passed along the info. 

But like you said, the important thing is - you're cancer-free.  

Thanks for posting the photo.  I may end up getting one of those types of caps. 

Victoria38

Thanks LeeA, I bought a bunch of turbans and hats and scarves, but end up wearing this one all of the time.  That necklace is adorable, it was my Valentine's gift from DH. It has little pave hearts on it. 

WaveWhisperer

Lee, I second the recommendation about the halo. I bought a short one from tlc and it really helped when I wore a ballcap or other hat. It's a great idea. I also bought a long one but never wore it. Go short!!!

Lmimp64

Victoria - you look great. Thanks.



Iamnancy, I got the wider bangs. . Here is a link.
http://www.headcovers.com/12097/detachable-fringe-bangs-in-human-hair/

Off to the Look Good class. Will let you know how it is.

KristinFro

I actually made my own hair halo with a wig cap and hair I bought at a beauty supply store. It was pretty easy to make and looked great under a hat. The hair is sewn on to the cap and stays put nicely because the mesh cap covers your whole head. In the spring and summer, it was way cooler than a full wig.

   

Lmimp64

Wow. I'm impressed. What a great idea. You are probably a better seamstress than I am. . Thanks for sharing.

KristinFro

It was a very simple stitch. Anyone could do it! )

Lmimp64

I think I will give it a try. I need a project. Thanks

herstrong

I like that way better than the halo wig I got from TLC! To me, the bangs were so unusually think that they seemed a little unnatural. I ended up shaving them off. It also didn't cover the space in the back of a ball cap either.

LeeA

omaz, I took your advice as well as victoria's (and anyone else who mentioned the halo) and bought one yesterday.  It's a little bit blonder than my pre-chemo hair but they only had one and I liked the feeling of having hair sticking out from my ski cap so much that I just went ahead and bought it. 

I might also try making one because I'm so impressed with KristinFro's work!  

p.s. Victoria, your husband has excellent taste!  I really love that necklace in your photo!  It looks beautiful on you!

LeeA

Herstrong, the halo I bought has detachable bangs which is kind of nice.  The brand is Rene of Paris.  I bought it at Wilshire Wigs in North Hollywood, CA.  They have a website as well.   

DiZZyMom

I love that halo LeeA. When I saw your picture change on the other thread, I thought you still had that much hair, it looks really cute.

It's so awesome to be able to come on here and learn from everybody's experience. I made it to 4p today with my wig on. It wasn't as itchy as I was afraid it would be. I think because I didn't shave my hair down completely, the mashing down of my little 1/4 inch hair against the growth pattern was really quite painful and annoying. I gave myself 5 extra minutes before my shower yesterday to shave my head and didn't realize it would take so much longer than than. My friend is coming into town tonight to got to chemo with me tomorrow and is going to finish shaving it properly.

Do you all still use regular shampoo/conditioner once the hair is as gone as it's going to be? I haven't been buying shampoo and have been using up all my travel size bottles thinking I won't need any for some time, but now I'm wondering if I should still use shampoo?

Lmimp64

I've been wondering that too. Anyone know?

Jinkala

I don't know about others but I kept using shampoo (no conditioner) throughout my chemo.  I just used the little hotel bottles I had stashed away as the small bottle kind of reminds me not to use much.  I don't think I "needed" to use shampoo on my few wisps of hair but it just felt more "normal" to go through the motions.  I also would wrap my head in a towel before getting out of the shower (and still do) as that is what I always have done when getting out of the shower.

LeeA

Jinkala, that's a good idea regarding using the smaller sized bottles as a reminder. 

I still have about an inch of wild looking hair covering a good portion of my head (still, I am 99% bald - if that makes sense) so I use shampoo and conditioner.  This past summer I started using sulfate-free shampoo because of my skin problems so I'm continuing to do the same now; however, I'm using the less expensive sulfate-free shampoo versus the more expensive bottle I still have leftover from hair days. 

DiZZyMom - thanks re: the halo.  When I tried it on yesterday and put my 99 Cent store ski cap on I had this moment of "oh wow, I sort of look like me for a change" - the color is probably a bit too light but that "I look like me - sort of" moment was the clincher.  I didn't want to wait for one to come in the mail and those little hair strips are so hard to determine actual color. 

The only glitch - it's lightweight enough that I thought it would be great for traveling but my husband reminded me that TSA requires the removal of hats!  Gack!  I don't want to be Friar Tuck for even a few moments!  That seems almost worse than just looking like my grandfather (and that's who I look like without a hat/wig). 

ETA:  DiZZYMom, re: those 1/4" stray hairs - it's unbelievable how sore the scalp can get!  

Victoria38

No shampoo for me, just the shower gel on a puff.  I am enjoying the freedom of it.  I have more hair than DH now, he shampoos and I don't.  LOL.  I was putting a little lotion on my head before, till I got more hair, sometimes still do.  It's good to massage the scalp.  I say enjoy your freedom from hair and styling products!!

I did still put the towel on my head as Jinkala said.

LOL @ LeeA:  Friar Tuck!!!  Hehehe!