Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Deblc

I finished chemo on May 13th (ACx4 and taxol+herceptin for 12 weeks) I heard some people's hair started growing back on chemo too. I am still on herceptin so maybe that's why I'm not seeing much growth:( .   No estrogen therapy. What a great hair pictography.....your hair really grows fast!

lago

Deblc We were on different chemo. My friend who's hair grew back really slowly was on TAC . I think the A slows things down. She has her hair back but it took a much longer time. We were treated about the same time. When I met her we both were in scarves. She also has thinner hair to start with… but she has all her hair back now and she's even doing hormone therapy. I used to feel guilty when I saw her because I had so much hair and she had little to none.

Deblc

 

lago

No Deblc it's a good thing. It means it will come back.

Jules_NY

Thanks bosumblues! Their innocence is what keeps me going! They drew pictures of me for Mother's Day at school and both pointed out how they added extra hair to make me feel better!!!!

You ladies are cracking me up with the Dalai Lama and Gullum references!!!!!! I am just starting to see some fuzz now not quite a 5 o'clock shadow maybe 3 o'clock. Lol. I have 3 more weekly taxol's to go then onto finishing herceptin and starting tamoxifen. So I'm hoping those drugs don't bring the growth to a screeching halt! The second you can't see my scalp is when I plan on whipping of the scarf!!!!! I never got a wig either. Hated everyone I tried on. I mostly wore scarves under hats. Just recently only scarves. It's just too hot! Only thing I wish is that my ears were pierced. They were but I never wore earrings and the closed. Once my post chemo CBC shows a good white blood cell count and with my MO's blessing I'm getting them done. My daughter said she wants to also so that'll be fun! 

lago

BosumBlues yes I had my hair dyed professionally. I've been going to him for years. He charges me so little now that I have less hair. He doesn't have to style/blow dry and that's $30 right there! I'm so glad it's inexpensive because I really need to keep up appearances. I'm still looking for work.

Jules_NY maybe try ear cuffs. Also they do make clip ons still. Even if you can't find what you like you can always buy the clip on findings and have the earrings changed. Usually not that big of a deal. 

BTW I wear an ear cuff all the time. I have tons of them. Been wearing them since the early 80's. I could never commit to more piercings. 

IamNancy

lago

do the ear cuff take some getting use to? If they are tight enough to stay on without being pierced, do they hurt?

lago

It really depends on the shape of your ear. They kind of slide down into place. To remove I need to slide up. If they hurt then they are too small. Either open it up more or find a different cuff.

Lorbgoo

my last chemo,was May 19th and I have very little hair as well. Mine has come in grey. Ugh. Does anyone know when that will change over? It makes it look like I have no hair growth at all because it's so light. My hair is dark brown!

Annie54

Lorbgoo - my hair came back in whitish gray in the beginning but quickly turned darker. I normally have light brown hair and was beginning to have lots of gray at the temples before my dx. Its now about 3 inches long and is back to my original color...and surprise! hardly any gray. Happy about that!

Annie

lago

My hair was brown with gray and came back black and grey. I didn't wait. As soon as I went topless at 12 weeks I had it dyed professionally. I felt so much better.

DiabloMom

I went commando the entire time.... I knew I would be so uncomfortable wearing a wig.  I am tired of seeing my bald head and am ready to not see skin!  My last chemo tx was 6/5 and I have a tiny bit of stubble but nothing noticeable.

lago

DiabloMom you are beautiful! I can only imagine what you look like with hair. You don't look like a cancer patient at all. You do have a perfectly shaped head. I'm a bit jealous. 

DiabloMom

Awww! Thank you lago.  Some days, when I would put on my makeup, do my eyebrows, and put on my fake lashes, I looked like I chose to be bald.  

naiviv

Bosumblues,

I did my own dye jobs....and my hair survived. I have a good 1-11/2 inches most of head, some a little longer. I have always been brunette dark brown. My hair came in 95% white.  I couldn't deal with white, would have been happy with light blond...so I bought a light blond and it did nothing. I went to dark blond and it turned hair a light pinkish purple, then reddish brown and I became orange, dark brown finally gave me a caramel color, not great color but surgery was next day. All of this happened within 3 days. Had surgery and the three weeks off of drugs really gave my hair a growth spurt in filling out, especially the front. To keep it dark would have meant root issues every 3 weeks so I decided to remove color. 1st kit took me to lt. orange, second kit I stopped at  light yellow and I am blond. New growth is still pretty much white, but I have begun to see more dark hairs coming in.  I will deal with this color, until long enough to protect ends and just dye roots.  I also condition with coconut oil, every couple of days. It is not as greasy as one would think. I leave it on for hours then just wash off.  Use it on hands, arms, legs as a moisturizer as well.

Take care,

Vivian

Deblc

Ditto to what Lago said. If I looked like you DiabloMom I wouldn't mind going topless! 

slv58

wow, Diablomom you are gorgeous! I wish I looked so healthy -even now 14 months PFC! You go girl, wear it proud, especially for all of us that couldn't. I tore off my wig at the beginning of last summer and wondered why society makes us feel embarrassed, it's not like we chose to be bald, but we shouldn't feel bad choosing not to hide behind a hot wig!

birdlady222

I love this thread!  DiabloMom, as others have said, you are absolutely gorgeous!  I have quite a few wigs, and I loved wearing them until a few weeks ago when it started getting hot!  Now I have enough hair that I don't feel self consious about going without the wig.  My hair is coming in salt and pepper, more black, and curly.  It was blonde before and straight!  I really don't know what to do with the curls, and I don't like the grey, but after reading what all of you have said, I have decided to let it be what it is and learn to love it!

Thank you for encouraging self confidence! 

Lisaj514

I agree with all, diablo, beautiful

Here's my photo collage for 10 wks PFC today!. Seems I'm obsessed with taking pictures of my hair recovery. Mine was and is slow so so excited when I see what it now looks like. Yup racing strip is still there and so excited about my eyelashes and eyebrows return. Can even put on mascara and use my eyelash curler now even though they are still short 

slv58

Lisa it's really coming in thick! Looks great and the back shot shows how your getting more colour! I loved it when my hair was that salt/pepper, I wish it stayed that way!

MinusTwo

What's with all the natural color changes?  I was blondish w/lots of grey & some white.  PFC hair is coming in DARK brown.  I was never that color.  I'll probably just let it go for now - even the weird curls & waves.  I'm in water aerobics 3 days a week & it's really easy, even if it's weird.

LeeA

lago, I love the photo with your husband and the scarf photo as well.  Do you have an Anatolian bump on the base of the back of your head? 

lago

No just a bump that makes my head look a little pointy. Also I have a long face to begin with so extra forehead from being bald is not a good look for me.  It might work for Donny Osmond but not me.

Sunshower

hello ladies! I haven't been on for a while but I wanted to share my regrowth pictures from the last 3 months since I finished chemo. It felt like watching grass grow but I'm finally at the point where I can go without any head covering. (last day of chemo; 1 month post-chemo; 2 months post-chemo; 3 months post-chemo)

Lisaj514

wow sunshower, I'm jealous. So fast and dark but I'm ok with what I've got coming in, at least it's something even though it's white, but then again I'm older than you and had lots of gray prior! You are so pretty, you can see your beautiful eyes, "the windows of the soul". Gorgeous!

Deborahanne

Hello Everyone -

I love seeing pictures posted. If you saw my post a while back, you'll know I've decided to not color my hair. It's definitely been hard having short, curly, gray hair when I was use to longer light brown hair that I straightened with the blow drier. My hair is still a work in progress as it gets longer and the color chages. I have no idea what it may look like a month, 6 months, or a year from now. As it gets longer I've found that using a hair brush makes it stick out and straighten in away I can't stand. Thankfully, the natural gel I'm using helps keep the curl in place. My hair is also getting a little less gray with a few light browns. The wonderful part about all of this is that my hair is so much easier to care for and my scalp no longer itches. 

Notbuyingit - Lago gave great advice about make-up. I've found that just a little make-up can really enhance your natural features and give you a beautiful look with short hair. I don't wear a lot of make up, but my eyebrows thinned so much that I've found the eyebrow pencil really helps, and wearing a lighter shade of lip color looks good. I found helpful sites online that give make-up tips for women our age. With the wedding coming up, I suggest you try on your dress, make-up, and style your hair. Take a picture with the wig and another without the wig and perhaps this will help you decide what to do. I'm sure you'll look beautiful either way! 

DiabloMom - you look great! I didn't lose all my hair, but did loose enough that I wore scarves and caps. I never felt comfortable in a wig.

Lisa - you're looking great! Mine came in a lot like yours. My dark line was a little over to the side. It's getting darker as it grows out. Time will tell if your hair stays straight or gets curly. 

MinusTwo - my hair came in white and black, and it was light brown only starting to gray on the sides before chemo. But I'm now seeing some light brown hair coming in. 

Birdlady222 - Seems your hair is coming back like mine did. A few weeks ago I posted a larger picture and information about working with the curls. It took me a while to adjust to my "new look" but as time has passed, I've become happy with it.  

Lago - you always look great - thanks for all your encouragement.

slv58 - your hair looks great! Months ago I would look at your picture and wonder - maybe my hair will be like that. I really wanted straight hair, but curly isn't too bad. 

naiviv - thanks for sharing your hair color adventure. When my hair was about an inch long, I put a temporary color on that was the same color as my hair before chemo. The color looked good and it covered all the gray but I didn't look good at all. The color no longer looked ok next to my skin color. So I knew then that it wasn't the hair color that was really bothering me. Then after allowing the color to stay in for 30 minutes, I rinsed my hair with water and ALL the color came out!!! I was glad and I also knew then that my hair was very resistant to hair color.

Annie - that's great about your hair!!!

Sunshower - you are looking great! Really shows, like many of the pictures others have posted, that a pretty face looks good no matter how long or what color one's hair is.

All these different scenarios show that we have no idea how our hair will turn out until it happens. It's helped me to see this life changing experience as a brave adventure to make the most of!

Deborahanne

BosumBlues - try to get the hair color that's very temporary. I can't remember the brand. But it was one that washes out with shampoo but it was suppose the stay with a water only rinse after 30 minutes of the color setting in my hair. I bought it at Sally's Beauty Supply. If you get this kind then you'll be able to see how your hair looks with color and maybe you'll avoid some of the offer color issues others have had. That's amazing about your mom having so little gray. It just goes to show that not everyone grays with age. :-)

Lakegirl1

Ok...maybe this is a dumb question, but here goes anyway...for those using the Nioxin, how do you know which one???  When did you start using it?   I have 1 treatment left.  I haven't lost all my hair. The RN's at the cancer center think if I haven't lost it by now, I will probably keep what's still there.   It's not a lot, but hey, it's something!  

Ok that was 2, sorry...

Thanks...

Janice 

jbokland

Been off for several days as I had my wedding! Such a wonderful celebration AND I came away with a major beauty tip!

My white hair was still sparse on the top of my head, the girl who came to do my makeup brought an aerosol can of dry shampoo.  She sprayed it in my hair and it remained as a white powder and filled in my hair!!!  If you have white hair, this will work for you too!  This shows a before and after

jbokland

When I was bald, I started 'bedazzling' my head.  I just couldn't be comfortable in a wig and I preferred to go topless, but was a bit shy about it.  It was SO wonderful to decorate my head and have people stop me to chat instead of give me that sympathetic half-smile and a nod.  I could not get through a shopping area or public place without being stopped or complimented . More importantly, I was having wonderful conversations with people about their stories, their cancer experience. It made me proud and confident.  Its really quite liberating during this time.

Anyway, through lots of encouragement, I launched my own product and I call it Sassy Head. I only have one design now, but I REALLY need some people to give it a test spin for me.  It works wonderfully on my skin ( I could sleep in mine and get 2-3 days use) but everyone is different.

Please private message me with your address if I can mail you a free one one to try.

Below are some pics. The first group was my head when I was bedazzling, and the second is my available design.  I plan to do additional designs, including a pink ribbon and designs for children.  Your suggestions are welcome!

www.sassyhead.com