Hair Hair Hair - Another question

ang7894

Thank you all ladies I will go buy some permanent hair color.

IamNancy

LeeA - my wig is  Estetica/Jordan - its almost styled the exact same as my hair was..

Victoria - thanks for the link .. they have such cute things - loved the video too.

melody46

LeeA  I bought that wig yesterday at a local wig shop.  It looks as close to my hair style as I can get and in my sisters words "doesn't make her cry" to see me in it.

IamNancy

Ok - so yesterday I wore my wig to work for the first time.. it kept riding up and after a few hours it was dissheveled like crazy - I kept feeling like it was gonna pop off my head.. I was getting frustrative because I couldn't get it on right after that.. and couldn't wait to get home and get it off.. I am sure as the day went on I looked ridiculous.. I can't figure why it didn't stay in place and what I am doing wrong.. maybe I need a different type wig? Has anyone else had this problem or did you just pop the wig on and it stayed put? I need help

Carrol2

iamnancy I never really felt comfy in a wig. I always felt like I had on a hairy hat so I usually just wore a hat. But when I did wear it I found this little band really helped it stay ion place.

http://www.wig.com/product/deluxe+soft+touch+grip.do?sortby=ourPicks&length=all&style=all&color=all&page=3

lago

iamnancy I never liked my wig either. It was too big for me. I wore scarves.

Wigs are designed for people with some hair. That's why they feel like they will fall off. Have you tried a wig liner? Also the do sell these  rings that you can wear underneath the wig that should help it stay on: http://www.tlcdirect.org/Wig-Hugger.html?did=83

islandmom

IamNancy the wig should not be that loose.  My wig has couple places where you could adjust the edge, they are very small so look carefully to see if it you can adjust.  I wore a wig everytime I went out.  I did not have any hair at all but my wig stayed in place.  In the beginning I would check frequently to see if it had not moved but then I got used to it.  After a long day yes it felt good to take it off. 

Yesterday someone I had not seen in while asked me if I was wearing a wig, which I thought was funny.  Would you call it the 'chemo curl' model?

IamNancy

wow - the gel ring looks interesting.. the wig lady said i have to stop trying to pull it down in the back - I keep trying to stop it from riding up - she said its just trying to set in the right place..she also said I have a wide neck and people with a wide neck might feel like its riding up.. <sigh> If I didn't work in an office, I might not feel so compelled to wear a wig.

And islandmom -again I want to say your hair is beautiful! 

Milo

IamNancy - prior to losing my hair I visited the "wig lady" near my chemo center.  As we tried on different wigs she used a wig grip to keep the wigs from sliding around on my head.  When I purchased the wig, I also bought the wig grip.  It was a piece of velour with an adjustable closure made of velcro.  I wore my wig from March to the end of December.  The wig grip stretched out a bit and I had to sew it a bit to shorten it.  In July, I ordered another wig grip online.  I thought it was a bit expensive for just being a piece of velcro, but it worked an my wig never felt uncomfortable.  When I donated my wig, I added the wig grip to the box of wig related items, so I can't see the model tag on it for you - I am sorry.  I may be able to go back through my cc records and see the name of the company that I ordered it from..... 

March 15th will be my 1 year anniversary of losing my hair.   Best wishes to you.

IamNancy

Thanks Milo.. I am going to look for a wig grip at the beauty supply store near me - it sounds like somethingI really need..... I need it quickly

summergirl1

Hi ladies , Im 1yr 2mths PFC and finally have around 5 inches of thick hair again thankfully but my question is my Onc just switched me from tamoxifen to letrozole/Femera but after googling the SEs I hear a lot saying their hair thinned out and even had bald patches Im panicking now and couldnt bear losing my hair again. Does anyone have any experience on this drug and have you had hair loss? Any advice welcome Thxs

lago

summergirl I'm on Anastrozole, also an aromatase inhibitor. While my hair line has receded a little I had that problem before treatment. Not bad though and my mom has the same issue. Otherwise I have a really thick head of hair as you can see from my avatar. My stylist actually thins it out a bit. Granted my neighbor who had the exact same treatment as me (although she had to do rads too. We have the same onc and cancer biology) has terrible thinning. She always had thin hair to begin with. I fell guilty every time I see her because I know she is looking at my hair. I've always had thick, straight shiny hair. She is at least 10 years older than me.

Not everyone experiences hair loss. Yesterday would make 2 years on this drug. That photo is from August.

Carrol2

Last month was 2 years on tamoxifen my hair is now getting back to the way it was pre chemo. I still have some loose curls on the ends I can see the difference since I cut my bangs and those ends are straighter. I thought I would never want to wear hats again after wearing them 24/7 but, I just started to wear them again. The ones I got for chemo still look cute and are very comfy. I will donate the ones I slept in and the baseball and knit caps. But I really love the ones i have with the brims on them. At the time I felt like I bought too many and that it was a waste but at least now I am suing them again. So when your buying hats consider the idea that you might still wear them when your hair grows back. The wigs I am having trouble getting myself to donate them. I feel like as long as I have them I wont need them, I ahve a friend who says like garlic for vampires.

lago

carrol2 I too still have my 1 wig stored away for the same reason. The odd thing is I only wore it twice and my I don't wear my hair that long anymore. I just don't want to jinx anything. Maybe after I hit 5 years I will donate it. It's in a shoe box. Every so often I open it not remembering what's in there… scares the shit out of me. It  looks like a dead animal.

kjiberty

Hi Ladies:  Haven't been on in a while.  Just got back from a much-needed vacation to Key West.  It was great.  I was PFC 6/28 and stopped wearing my wig permanently on 9/15.  I didn't wear it except out and about and to work.  I started coloring my hair about 6 weeks PFC.  I used a permanent color, but without ammonia.  I get my hair colored every haircut--about every 5 weeks.  My hair is about 4 1/2" long not, but the sides are shorter.  I have decided, like Lago, to keep it short.  I have lots of chemo curl, but use a 1/2" flattening iron on the front and sides.  I get a ton of compliments on my new "haircut".  I always hated my wig.  It was really cute, but I have always had a very sensitive scalp, but just hated the irritation.  I received a ton of compliments on it when I wore it, and no one every suspected it was a wig...just a new hairstyle.  My hair is super thick...I think thicker than it was before chemo.  I am also taking anastrozole.  

onvacation

Hey Karen - glad you had a fun vacation - Key West is so fun!  

I wore my wig april - november. I liked it ok and it was pretty comfortable, but I couldn't wait to get it off after I got home from work.  I lent my wigs to a friend going through chemo, I guess she will give them back, but really don't care if she does or not.  I will never wear them again!

Hope everyone had a great weekend!

TNNurse

I stopped wearing my wig a little past 5 months final chemo.  I had stopped wearing it everywhere but work for awhile.  I did wear scarves or hats but mostly for warmth.  The first day at work (a hospital) some asked why I cut my hair but they were mostly newer employees who had only seen the wig and not my hair.  I was cold all day but the wig was beginning to slip around on my hair and I did not want that look.

Most of my coworkers think I should keep it very short, but I doubt that I will ever cut it this short again.  We shall see. I have kept my wig so far but plan on letting it go soon.  There is one scarf like hat that was apparently a security cover that is still here.  The rest of the caps and scarves have been donated.  The wig will go to the same place.

I am grateful for my wig, it got me through a lot.  The guy who ordered it for me saw my hair before any came out and his mother and aunt both had breast cancer and he is dedicated to making patient's happy with their wigs.

This is a hard journey, I hope it is better for each of you soon.

Ulightup

I am 9 months PFC. I am grateful for having hair , but I'm at a stage where my curly frizzy short hair is hard to manage. Trying everything to try and straighten it but it is not working. I don't want to use harsh chemicals. Anyone have any tips on shampoos, conditioners, hair products. Styling tips? I will take any advise. Thanks!

melmcbee

Hi ladies. Thaks for all of the wonderful tips. I am glad to know that I can color my hair soon. I am 11 weeks pfc and my hair is thin but getting thicker. It is real short less than an inch in some places and maybe an inch in others. Hope everyone is doing good. Hugs

IamNancy

wondering where you all buy your scarfs.. or caps.. or hats.. I bought a few abbey caps from amazon I like but when you buy a few at @25. each it starts to add up... regular scarfs seem to slip around.. I can't wear the same ones everyday.. but they are sure more comfy than the wig!

DivineMrsM

After wearing my wig from Feb. to August, when I started going topless, the wig went in the trash.  It wasn't that I 'hated' it; in fact, most people thought it was my own hair.  It had just gone through so much abuse!  Within the first month, tiny bits of the front of it got singed when I opened a hot oven door and looked in at the food.  Sadly (lol) I didn't learn from that mistake, and repeated it several more times over the course of wearing the wig.  I also tried using a curling iron on it, even tho I KNEW you shouldn't do that with synthetics.  But I managed to mess it up a tiny bit more.  And the bangs got their own style of crimping when I used the (unplugged) clothes iron as a wig stand one afternoon and unbeknownst to me, DH had just used it to iron a shirt and it was still warm!  Ha, ha, I was so upset at the time but we laugh about it now.

I feel I had really gotten my use out of the wig. 

Dianarose

http://www.nancysnotions.com/text/content/pages/GailsCKBeret.html

IamNancy- the link above is for a beret style hat. If you sew or know someone who sews it is really easy and cheap to make. I did make the circle part about 3/4 of an inch smaller after I made the first one. It just seemed to big. I have made them out of knit and felt that has a little stretch to it. I found some fabric for 1.00 a yard so I could get a least 2-3 hats for under a dollar and took no time to make. I used a cake pan to make the large circle part and I use a small dessert plate for the smaller circle.

Hugs.... Diana

shore1

I'm going to get a salon treatment this week that is like a keratin treatment, but not really becasue it doesn't have the formaldahyde and other chemicals in a true keratin treatment. It's expendive, but I am so desperate to get rid of some of the puffiness. Has anyone tried a keratin/keratin-like salon treatment, and what were your results?

lago

IamNancy I loved the scarves from http://www.anokhiusa.com/. They are all cotton and can be washed & dried in the machine and they don't seem to fade. They are worth the money. Also the woman is great to work with. I got a scarf that didn't look good on my and she let me exchange it no problem. I preferred the 36" x 36" long scarf because it allowed the scarf to hang long on my back but I also had some small tiny bandanna ones at 30" X 30" that also cover. They are 100% cotton so the are soft, don't itch and don't slide.

Jinkala

IamNancy - I bought a lot of headscarves at http://www.sparklingearth.com/products.asp?category=100044 .  They are presewn to fit easily on your head and you just tie the ends to make it snug.  I will probably continue to wear them off and on even after my hair grows in more.  They are pretty comfortable and lightweight and less than $10 each.

Back when I first found out I was going to have to do chemo, I did a lot of Google searches on terms like "chemo scarf", "skullcap", "chemo hat" and just checked out all the various sites and what they had to offer.

kelly279

Hi Ladies, I am sure this has been asked a ton of times on here (and I don't ave the time to go through the 616 pages to find it lol) ...how long did you have to wait to dye your hair PFC? I'm abput 2 months out now. Nowhere even close to long enough to dye or cut but I would like to at least start thinking about it! Thanks!

GuyGirl

I dyed my hair at 3 1/2 months out.  My regular beautician did it and I was thrilled with the results and have not looked back.

LeeA

That's great, GuyGirl! 

I really do love this thread.  

Anonymous

Ulightup, do you have a Dominican hair salon in your area? They can work wonders with curly hair. That said short hair is less in their bag of tricks but you can direct the stylist as to your preferences. Google round brush hair salon or Dominican hair salon for details. You want the Dominican blowout.

LeeA

Interesting.  I've heard of a Brazilian blowout but haven't heard of a Dominican blowout.  

Several years ago I had a Japanese hair treatment that really left my hair straight and healthier.  I can't remember the name of it.