Hair Hair Hair - Another question

MinusTwo

DiZZyMom: As I understand it, the "chemo cap" or "hair loss" cap is to use during the treatments & may prevent hair loss.  Sounds like you're past that.  I'm in Texas too and I'm just using ball caps since the rubber/latex swim caps are HOT in the direct sun.

jancie

I have been on this thread since page 350.  Wow - the progression of this thread is unbelievable.

I finished chemo June of 2009.  Since then I have gotten "baby trims" - I did have my hair layered about 8 months ago but am working to have it all one length.  My hair in this picture doesn't look very "thick" since I flat ironed it.  

But I want to give ya'll some encouragement by posting this picture.  Hair does grow back although very slowly in our minds.

IamNancy

wow-jancie - beautiful hair!

encyclias

Deen, my hair started growing back a couple weeks after my last A/C cycle, right about the middle of January.  It's been five months now since then and I have a full head of soft curls about 3-4" in length.  Having always had very long straight hair, it has been interesting having these curls -- just wash and wear.  Unappreciated is the gray -- my natural black hair did have about 25% silver in it but it still looked black.  Now, saying I am a brunette would be a stretch of imagination.  But in looking closely, some of the gray does have black roots.  My mother had naturally curly hair that looked just like this, while mine was always straight.

What surprised me the most are the compliments I have gotten with my mop of chemo curls, even being told I look much younger (I'll take that with a grain of salt).

Hoping you start to see real growth soon, Deen.

jojo2373

Hang in there gals,6 mos PFC and just had my 3rd trim today. I really believe biotin has helped. Still a long way from the hair I want, but amazed with the growth.

adagio

My hair is coming in snow white - what a shock!! Will this change? Who knows. And yes there are lots of curls, but I did have curly/wavy hair before so not such a surprize.

Myleftboob

http://www.flickr.com/photos/82762094@N07/

Jojo

I love the cut, totally suits you.

Adiago

Above's a link to my hair journey.  Not alot of pics for six months because I was not cutting it hoping for growth.  Herceptin slowed me down for sure.  I was pretty white at first, then lots of gray so I coloured it.

macyhen111

I am still having chemo and never completely lost my hair on my head. But the new growth is totally white, and the hair on my arms, legs, face and chin are white. My hubby and kids love my short cut white hair but I hate it. I wonder can I dye my arm hairs?

Starynights

I am 10 weeks out from last chemo and wondering. My hair is coming in nice and curly just like before, but sooo white. Id like to put a temp color rinse on it to make it appear thicker.  Im going to ditch the hat in another month cause its hot as blazes here in Florida and cant do the scarf and hats any longer. Has anyone colored there hair at 12 weeks out?

lago

I colored my hair at 13 weeks. My onc told me I could color it when ever I wanted. I had my hair dresser do it. He used the same product he used on me before chemo. It came out a bit too red so we had to adjust it and he did it again before I left. You will feel so much better once you do it.

WaveWhisperer

Just an amusing observation... Yesterday a woman came to the house with a friend; the woman had never met me. We talked about my BC and I got out my computer and showed her pix of me a year ago with inch-long gray hair. Today it's almost shoulder length and back to blonde with highlights. She said she couldn't believe it was the same person, that the blonde hair took at least 20 years off me. I know dyeing isn't for everyone, and it's so easy to stay gray after your hair comes back. But, for me, being blonde is part of who I want to be. Coloring my hair was the biggest step towards normalcy for me...

lago

Hair dye is the best gift given to older women. If you want to do one thing to look younger color your hair. Even the plastic surgeon can get such dramatic results with a face lift

Spookiesmom

Sometime during the year of he$! I read chemo destroys the pigment in your hair. And that's why it comes back white. But if you had colored hair, it would eventually come back as normal. My hair was white anyway, still is, so I don't know if that's true.

Pattysmiles

I will be happy of my hair comes back.

Dealing with the color will be "icing on the cake".



Pat

Starynights

I think Im actually going to color it darker (my natural color). It has been highlighted with blonde for years with some of my darker color mixed in. I think going darker will make it show up better while its only 1/2 inch long ! Thanks for your input ladies !

adagio

I am 4 months post final chemo, and just saw my MO who said that putting colour in my hair would be just fine. My hair has come in snow white and it is still a shock every time I look in the mirror. I most likely will colour it but will wait for it to grow a bit more. Everyone tells me how nice it is, but I think they are just trying to make me feel better!!

On a similar note - my friend who was quite white/grey (had been since she was 35 years old) - after chemo her hair came in dark and straight. So go figure!!

slv58

I have a question, I am 9 weeks pfc, my hair has been growing in but not very well on top. It really resembles male pattern baldness with it much thicker around the sides. I'm nervous I'm always going to look bald on top, has anyone had this but ended up filling in with time?

lago

Slv58 mine grew in that way. but at 9 weeks I did have some hair on topo. Granted I have noticed with some chemos some people grow back hair slower. Give it another month. There can be an issue with Taxotere but it might be a little too early to assume you are having this problem… especially since it sounds like you are  having some growth on top.

crazyride43

slv58, my hair grew twice as fast on the sides and back as it did on top.  I have had 3 haircuts in 14 months since chemo, and have yet to even touch the front.  Now after 14 months, I finally have bangs that reach my eyebrows, but it took a really long time.  Don't despair!

slv58

Thanks Crazyride and Lago that makes me feel better. When I was waiting for rads yesterday, there was a woman there who finished chemo a few weeks before me and she had such great hair-very uniform all around not this fuzzy stuff I have-ok I was jealous of her, but in a nice way! I just wish the top would fill in so I don't have to wear scarfs. I should be thankful there is some hair on top

Jinkala

My last chemo was in Nov 2012 and I still am lacking bangs though the back of my hair is probably over an inch now.  I'm still on herceptin for two more treatments.  The top and front seem to grow a lot more slowly than the back and sides, much like other people have said.   Unlike many of the other people here though, my hair has come in the same blonde color as it's always been and is just as straight as always as well.

herstrong

Dare I ask, does anyone know what happened to Deen?

IamNancy

Looks like Deen started this thread in 2008 - and hasn't been here since 2012 - I am hoping she is doing well and has moved on with her life.

Eileenohio

Has anyone tried the Keranique?  It is expensive so before I try it I thought I would see if anyone of you wonderful gals have tired it.. My hair is coming back but very thin on top and my bangs do not seem to grow ..

Myleftboob

slv

Same here on the slow to grow top of my head.  15 months PFC now and while I have a full head of hair I have had it trimmed twice to even up the sides and back so it didn't look so mulletish.  I had wavey hair before DX and its back to the same but totally kinks up in this humidity.  For this reason I cannot wait for shoulder length hair so it gets a little weighted down.

Skigirl72

How soon did everyones eyebrows grow in? I got nuthin.... lol.

kjiberty

Melody:  The brows/lashes grow back in quickly.  

ggtexs:  I used the lint brush all the time  Wanted it off so it could grow back.  Finished chemo one year ago.  I have had 8 hair cuts since then.  It does grow back...very quickly too!

Lmimp64

I finished chemo April 16. Brows are back but many are sticking out rather than laying flat. Do they ever settle down? My hair also seemed to be growing well, but the last three weeks it seems to have stopped, my sides and back are really baby thin. Between hair and just losing one of my implants to thin skin (i am back to drains after my initial surgery in January ) knowing my brows will settle down and my hair will thicken/ begin growing again would be a small boost.

melody46

Lmimp we're pretty close in finishing treatments.  Today is 12 weeks out for me and I have the same, thicker on top than the sides (although it does cover scalp)  I only lost about 1/2 my brows so cant help you there.  REALLY disappointed that the last couple weeks my eyelashes have started falling out. How are you doing on the Tamoxifen?

Lmimp64

Seem to be ok on tamoxefin unless it is slowing down the growth. Hope you are doing ok on it. Thanks for letting me know your hair is similar to mine...there is hope!