Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Mikesgirl17

Thanks girls.  HollyHope, I am 18 weeks out from my last chemo. Lisa, yes this is my own color.  I haven't dyed it. My daughter was looking at me the other day and said it looked highlighted.  Upon inspection, the tips are silver.  It's the white fuzz that first came in.  I'm glad I didn't buzz it off.  It adds dimension

lago

Just an FYI. My onc said I could dye my hair when ever I wanted. I went topless at around 12-13 weeks. Next morning I was at the hair dresser getting it dyed and trimmed. Came out too red so he processed it again. No problems at all. The next time we did change the product b rand. Having more gray now after chemo made it harder to cover and still a bit too red.

Notbuyingit

minus! i believe my sister had special pink tape that she used for the spit curls with Dippity do! she also ratted the top like a little bird nest

mikesgirl, love the hair!! looks great on you

mine feels like it's come to a standstill...one more month of Herceptin & then we will see if it makes a difference

lago

I looked like twiggy before my BMX. My PS now has me looking more like Raquel Welch

HollyHope

Love it Iago!! :-)

Lisaj514

lago, ...but we were talking about the hair I think...lol!

Bosum, yes twiggy! Will have to look up pictures now

I'm done with radiation tomorrow girls...I'm free! I'm going to embrace the white for a while and see how I feel. I hated when the roots started to show especially on a windy day 

islandmom

Mikesgirl  your hair looks great, it looks like you had it colored, lucky you.  You have such a beautiful smile. 

lago  we must to had the same PS.   

Lisaj514  I just want to say thank you for sharing your curly hair care tips.  It has been a great help to me.  I had been treating my wavy hair no different than my former straight hair.  I just used any shampoo and conditioner, but after reading your posts, I have started conditioning more and using the right products.  It has made a HUGE difference.  My ends, which were a bit dull have come back to life.  It just shows you that even us old timers benefit from the shared knowledge in this board.  Congratulations on being done with rads!!!

kite sorry you have to deal with this again.  Stubble is a good sign, just give a little more time. 

islandmom

This is 3 years, 4 months after chemo.  The back is little longer because it grew in a V shape, since I never cut it.  

Here is my  hair link.

HomeMom

Islandmom - you had and have fantastic hair! I used to have great hair but the last 5 years it has lost it's body and volume.  I don't know what to expect when mine grows back. Will it go back to being pretty hair or back to the issues I was dealing with before I was diagnosed?? ugh.  Congrats to you !

MomMom

Islandmom,  Thanks for sharing your hair history - so helpful to those of us without it right now and dreaming of when it will return.  You look beautiful at every stage!

Rosiesride

deblc...a few posts back you wrote about how you went bald!  Well , I have only shown my twins, nieces ( one who is my hairdresser!) and sisters!  Today I went to my nieces salon as I had a pt appointment and was going to kill time...while I was there she asked if I wanted my stray hairs trimmed..a few pieces on my neck...so I whipped off my hat with about 6 people around...first time in public...then at pt I went bald again as I was sweating!  

Of course these were all ladies but it was also a HUGE step for me!  I also feel my soft hair coming in!  It seems to be growing fast! Yay! Rosie

lago

Lisaj514 my hair is shorter than Twiggy and I am a brunette. I think it was more Twiggy when I cut it shorter the day it started to fall out. Check out photo 2nd from left. I don't wear my hair that "long" now: linky

islandmom

HomeMom thank you. I always had thick hair, but after chemo it
came back a little thinner. However, the
waviness makes it look like I have more hair. Hopefully your will get your pretty hair back.

MomMom thank you. The early days were the worst. I bought a magnifying mirror then, so I could inspect my bald head many times per
day. I can assure you, it does not grow any faster when you stare at it.  

BosumBlues I really thought that
after a year my hair would go back to being straight, but I guess my hair follicles
got permanently altered. I have to say I
like the wavy hair more than my straight hair, so I hope it stays.  The early hair is very hard to manage, but as it get longer it relaxes.   

I was considering cutting a
couple inches because the ends were not as healthy as the top. However, since I started doing more
conditioning, it looks a lot better. It almost justifies the small fortune I have spent on hair products lately. 

If you plan to keep you hair, you
should really take care of it. Avoid
heat as much as possible.   

nancybel

Islandmom, thank you for sharing.  It gives me hope.  I did not shave my head, nor did I buzz it.  I just let it fall out until it stopped.  I have some cover, but not much at all.  I am only 10 days PFC so I have a ways to go.  

islandmom

nancybel you have such beautiful hair!  I wonder what texture you will get.  You still have a few months ahead to find out, but it will come. 

When I was in my thirties I had waist long hair and it looked as straight as yours.  Over the years I kept going shorter and shorter and liked it that way.   I never thought I would have long hair again.  This journey changes you in many ways. 

MomtoIrishQuads

I might be posting in the wrong thread - but I'm in a bit of a rush.  I'm 16 days post first chemo treatment and I'm shedding like a dog.  I could perform a party trick of "pull my hair" and see the look of horror on drunken folks faces when they pull my hair out.  (actually - that would be funny!).

So - sisters - I've browsed headcoverings.com (or whatever that website is) - and I'm a bit overwhelmed.  What head coverings did you all use?  I'm not a fashionista so I'm not sure that I have the flair for knotting head scarves but maybe I can learn?  What cap did you all like?  (I'm thinking the softer the better?).  

Also - did you shave it when it started to fall out like this?  Or did you wait a bit?  I already went to a very short haircut.

It's time for me to get out of denial!   

The good news is that I expect it to grow in faster than normal since I've decided to drop out of chemo (bad side effects - and not worth the return for Stage 1).  

Help!!

MomtoIrish/Deb

jbokland

MomtoIrishQ-   I shaved military short, but it was a hassle! It STILL comes out and  It was like washing a wet short-hair dog....I was happiest when I shaved clean after that.  BTW, I found the Venus 5 blade was the best with cocoa butter lotion as shaving lotion.

Sometimes I wore a little silk scarf under a cute hat, (you'll be surprised how hats are suddenly too big on a shaved head!)

I could not STAND a wig...never wore it.  I went commando and bling-ed my head.   It was such a success I launched my own designs:

sassyhead.com

PM me with your address and I will be happy to send you one!

Janetanned

There are so many options!  I preferred a soft, pre tied scarf when I didn't want to wear my wig.  The American Cancer Society TLC catalog has some nice scarves and hats.  They also sell caps and hats that have a hallo of hair peeking out so it looks as though you have hair under the hat.  I also found some beautiful scarves on ebay and amazon.  One ebay seller makes a variety of soft hats and scarves and offered to customize my choice since I have a large head.  I'll try to find her site (its been 2.5 yrs).  My wig shop also had a nice selection.  I'm sure others will come along to share their ideas.

 

I shaved my head once I realized I was loosing clumps.  My husband shaved it for me.  Some woman choose to celebrate their taking control and make it into a party.  Some hairdressers will shave a head for free, after hours, so that there is some privacy.  My wig shop had a relationship with a local hair dresser who trims wigs and shaves heads of chemo patients for free.

Good luck and best wishes!

jbokland

yes!  I did the party thing!

Deblc

Rosie congrats on embracing the bald ...I know what you mean about it being a huge step . When I started to go topless I wasn't completely bald, I had a little fuzz, and I have to say my hair is really coming in now versus a month ago. Not very long by any means, but now hardly any bald areas. At first I was still embarrassed about being seen like this, but now I go out in public everywhere, supermarket/restaurants even. I get lots of looks, and I can tell sometimes that people whom I haven't seen in a while are shocked and uncomfortable when they see me, but after a while everybody gets used to it.

MomtoIrish...I shaved my head as soon as it started coming out in clumps, and wore scarves in the beginning (when I was completely bald)

MinusTwo

MomtoIrish - I had my hair cut down to 1/2" since several people told me shorter would be prickley on the pillow.  Then I used a lint roller two or 3 times a day until it stopped shedding.  I'm w/you about easy.  I did have a "halo" from TLC - ring of hair that attaches to any hat with velcro to give you a touch of hair all around.  I like my wig but only wore it 4 or 5 times.  Most of the time I just wore Buffs - available from stores like Academy & REI or on line.  Even tho I now have 1-1/2" hair, I always take a Buff with me - tied to my purse strap - because my ears & neck get gold in the air conditioning.

http://www.buffusa.com/sports/collections/filter/women

Lorbgoo

I finished chemo on May 19th and I have about 1/2 inch. I know my wig lady said to massage my scalp with oil so I have been doing that. Now I feel my hair is to long for that. What is/did everyone else doing when there hair just starts to grow back? I'm looking forward to using regular shampoo and not baby shampoo. 

Mikesgirl17

Lorbgoo, I rubbed a mixture of coconut oil and caster oil on.  Let it sit for as long as you can stand.  It smells great too.  I found the instructions on youtube.  I don't know if it helped, but at least I felt better knowing I was doing something.  Good luck!

 

MsPharoah

MomToIrish, Hi!  I bought a slew of headcoverings from that site and never wore any of them.  I just didn't like the coverage they provided and I certainly didn't look like the models.  LOL   Many of the patterns and colors were unexpected too.....they didn't lie about the colors, they were just not as vibrant and pretty. 

 I liked my wig ever so much and just used a simple beanie for around the house.  And for casual, I bought a "hat with hair" from the local wig shop. I wore it when I did errands on the weekend as it was as simple as putting on a ball cap. I donated my headcovers to ACS and hope that someone gets some use from them.   I guess what I am saying is buy your headcoverings local if you can so you can try them on. 

Good Luck, MsP

DeeC

I was told my hair would thin on Taxol/Herceptin not fall out in clumps.  I already had short hair so I waited to see how it went. It gradually thinned evenly so even when it got sparse I had some strands to show under a cap or scarf for a long time.  I am past my 3 months of Taxol and on to Herceptin alone and my hair continued to fall out so I only have fuzz now.

I wear my wig a lot.  It looks better than my real hair did.  Around the house or for casual look I wear a bandana tied behind my head.  $1.50 each at Wall-mart in pink and blue.  I did not look good in any scarf I tried to tie.  I am a small person with a small head and the scarfs and most hats were too big.

Now I am waiting for the big comeback!  My 'old' hair was white and straight, I am hoping for curly and blond!

Dee

lago

MomtoIrishQuads I preferred scarves. I couldn't wear the pretied ones because I have a small head. I loved the scarves from here: linky  they wash without losing their color. If you pull them out of the dryer you don't even need to iron them. Don't purchase anything smaller than 36" x 36". The bandana size I found a bit too small. The longer scarfs hand a bit like hair and many people think it's your look rather than a chemo patient.

But what ever you do:

• don't purchase silk or most rayon, the slip

• Cotton is great. Won't itch your head

• Be careful of scratchy & itchy synthetics and wool. Metallic can be itchy.

I don't look good in most hats but you may

nancybel

thank you Islandmom. I'm not sure what I'll get as I barely had any grays. At this point I just want hair 😊 how much biotin did you take?

HomeMom

I buzzed my head after my second A/C treatment. I got out of the shower two days after and could grab clumps out of the front. I had cut my hair short a couple weeks before that and one of the wigs I have is short like my cut. When I wore it to work, the people who didn't know what I was going through commented on how they liked the new hair color! I bought the wig at Ritzy Rags, a shop in Mills ave in Orlando. A lot of the drag queens buy their wigs there, they are awesome! 

Around the house I go bare or wear one of my little stretchy caps. I really want to get one of the baseball caps with a halo so I can go walking again. I still have quite a bit of hair stubble around the back of my head up to the crown. I use Nioxin shampoo and scalp therapy. 

jbokland

I went to Ritzy Rags too!  The carry my Sasdy Head!

Deblc

For the ladies who are finished: I was very careful during rads not to touch all the Sharpie marks they made on my body. Now I can't get them off at all with soap and water. They impressed on me that I am STILL to be very careful and not to scrub the skin until two weeks after rads. I want all the markings to be gone!  How do you get off them off?