Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Shopgal2

Sloan your hair is really nice. It really does look like Jaimie Lees cut. When did the darker hair start to come in?

DeeRatz I am only 4 weeks and seem to have a lot of grey stubble fuzzat 45. I was happy to read your post that grey hair is in now. Rock that look!

Italychick do you have any helpful advice to get my hair to grow quicker? I am taking b vits and a hair, skin & nails vitamin that has 3000 mg of biotin.

Trvler

I think it grows faster when we stop checking it in the mirror 18 x a day (at least that was the case for me .

Italychick

shopgal2 are you taking 3000 mg or 3000 mcg? I take 20 mg of biotin and make sure I eat a substantial amount of protein. My hair 7 months out is below. I've had one trim so far, toughing it out one more month and then going for a real hair cut. But I'm also on Herceptin, which supposedly slows hair growth.

Shopgal2

oh my gosh thanks for answering me. I just had to run to my kitchen cabinet to look at my vitamin bottles. It's natures bounty hair, skin & nails that says 3000 mug of biotin. I was taking it for the first 2 weeks after chemo last month then switched to a regular biotin that had 1000 mcg. Then my hair growth slowed down from what I could tell. Or maybe the hair just started growing again on my chin. I now have face fuzz! I look like a fuzzy faced wookie!

Edited to add: italychick your hair is beautiful. Wow I hope I look that good at 7 months!

mysunshine48

Tyler....That made me laugh as that was me too!

Italychick.....you look great!

Italychick

Shopgal2, I had the face fur too, came on hard after chemo ended. One day, I kid you not, I plucked like 250 face hairs. It has calmed down now, but I still have chin and mustache hairs and a couple patches to the sides of my mouth. But I had those before chemo too. Guess there's some Neanderthal in me somewhere lol.

I started watching my hair growth by how far it comes down on my ear. So I figure in about a month it will completely cover my ear, and then I will get a real haircut. I dyed it too, otherwise it would be half fishing line looking hair I think

Shopgal2

Thanks I don't feel so bad now about the face fur thing now. I always had lip and chin hair to pluck before chemo but now I have white chin hair too. The darker pre chemo hairs are starting to come back. I plucked a few then told myself to stop before I went crazy. I can see myself having to pluck at least 200 myself. The cheek fuzz showed up today. I was afraid it was too much biotin. I want to take the face fur and add it to my head. I just gotta be patient for my hair to fill in on my head.

Italychick

mine filled in like male pattern baldness. I had a bald spot right in the front FOREVER!

Pluck away, I think it's kind of therapeutic lol

Sloan15

Cut off the grey stragglers before your dark hair comes in. I didn't, and the stylist just cut them off when she evened up my hair 2 days ago. Believe it or not, it's darker looking now. Salt and pepper rather than just salt! My dark hairs came late, like 8-9 weeks pfc.

Italychick - It looks great! It's a lot longer than the last time I saw it! And it's dark!

rainnyc

It definitely grows faster when we don't check it constantly. That's why I made up this rule that I'm only allowed to take a good look once a week. The rest of the time it's fine if I catch a glimpse, but I'm not allowed to really look at it. (Helps I'm wearing a wig, obviously.)

My gray hairs came in before the brown. For a while I thought there was not going to be any brown at all, which was a little depressing.

And yes, chin and upper lip hairs are having a jolly old time. Pluck pluck pluck.

ShetlandPony

About the face fuzz. I got it long and dark on the sides of my face. My onc said I could shave it if I wanted, but that it would go away on its own, and it did.

Also, I can keep up with tweezing the lip now, whereas before I was considering laser or electrolysis. A strange case of be careful what you wish for.

Trvler

Theresa: Mine and yours are about the same length. Mine is just so curly that it looks shorter.

Melclarity

Hey!

Thanks Sloan, just found this thread now! OMG! A few days ago, I went to the supermarket as I walked across the carpark the wind was blowing and I felt a strange sensation on my face!! basically my cheeks and chin it was like when you have hair and you need to brush it off?? Ive noticed it more if I go outside, but you cannot see it...so thank goodness Im not going mad as you all say its fuzz...well downing. Thank God!!!

Am 4 weeks PFC and not alot happening though I get funny sensations in different spots across my head like a nerve thing, doesnt hurt but I figure must be my hair growing.

Sloan and Italychick can't wait for mine to start kicking in, am sooo over wigs now!!!

tjh

My first post chemo/BC haircut. My favorite genius stylist made it look like,a haircut instead of chemo hair.....It is -17 so I am still wearing a hat.

mysunshine48

tjh, Looking good! Isn't it great to know we will have our hair again! I am going without anything on my head for walks and, of course, around the house, but still wear my wig when I go other places. Just me, I guess. Plus, my head gets cold! Even though I live in Florida, the temperatures are in the 60's right now. Cold for us!

Shopgal2

Melclarity I get those funny sensations in my head too, like nerve tingling on my scalp. I actually thought it was my hair growing too. Glad I am not alone in thinking that.

Shetland I hope my face fuzz goes away too. You give me hope.

rainnyc I like your idea of checking the growth once a week. It made me think of a watched kettle pot that never boils. I just rub my head hoping to stir up more hair growth. It's like petting a baby chick.

Italychick I did hit some of my chin hair with a tweeter last nite. it made me feel better. I was stressing that it was too noticeable and it's bad enough getting started at partially bald, let alone fuzzy faced too.

rainnyc

Shopgal, if I were not not checking it once a week, it would be every 7 minutes if not more. Seriously.

justmaximom15

Hello everyone! I've been so frustrated because my hair was coming back in the male pattern baldness shape, I joked that I was growing a mullet but it was just bothering me so much. Then, all of sudden last week I thought I noticed some growth on top/front and sure enough over the weekend it really took off and I can actually see my hairline taking shape!!

Melclarity

Shopgal - Well Im sticking to that feeling being hair growing LOL Woohoo!! not that I can see it yet uuuugh!

tjh

My head itched and tingled a lot ans the the next week the hair was coming in. I use Bobbi Brown Gentle Cleaning Oil instead of shampoo, it feels much better.

Sloan15

tjh - It looks great! My head gets cold, too! One half inch of hair is not enough insulation. But, at night when I'm having a hot flash, I just rip my hat off and I'm fine. Haha

octogirl

Sloan I go back and forth on a minute by minute basis on the whole hat thing and feeling hot and cold :-)

Just wanted to report that I am finally seeing stubble. WooHoo!

Octogirl

rainnyc

Octo, what joyous news!!!!!!!!!

SO glad!!

mysunshine48

I know, exciting! Right? It's the little things!!!

Sloan15

Octogirl -Yay! All this fanfare for stubble-Yay!

Kimmer33

HI Ladies

I am heading to my final Taxol treatment next Monday, and this past month been thinking about hair growth. I know it's a little soon to expect any, but have heard of people having growth during Taxol. Here's hoping it's sooner than later! My question is this, though, I never lost all my hair. It may have thinned 30%, and I do have some small smooth "baby's bum" patches, but mostly it's still the buzz that my husband gave me back in October when I started chemo, it's hard stubble. Does anyone know what will happen to this buzz? Will it fall out yet, and then regrow back with soft fine hair? Any thoughts/experiences would brighten my week! I look in the mirror everyday hoping that the buzz has grown longer, but that's like watching a pot that never boils. Thanks!

Kim

Peachy2

Octo, YAY! Stubble is progress!!

Kim- You will probably get a lot of different responses to your question. My oncologist told me before treatment "If you don't lose your eyebrows and eyelashes with AC, you will with Taxol." After the four AC treatments I had a little hair left, and at the end of Taxol my eyebrows had thinned but my eyelashes were intact. I was feeling pretty smug! Four weeks after my last Taxol treatment I was down to two eyelashes above my right eye, the remaining hair on my head fell out, and my eyebrows were almost non-existent. They all started growing back immediately afterward. I had hoped to have the remaining hair as a "starter kit" but it didn't hang on. It was brown, and the new growth is almost black.

VickiRides

Hi, Kim.

I am wondering the same thing. I have some stubble left on top after AC and I started getting peach fuzz around week 6 of Taxol. Now that fuzz is about 1/2 inch long, but just on the sides and back (male pattern baldness). The stubble doesn't seem to be growing at all. My last Taxol was last week, so I know it's early still. I am tempted to buzz off the fuzz so I can start with everything even again.

Congratulations on finishing chemo!

Vicki

Melclarity

Hi Vicki and Kim - I'm in the same boat, that stubble from when I buzzed my hair back in August is just that. I too have baby bum baldness in patches across my head...does that fill in too??? Im 4 weeks pfc and only a little fuzz on the sides and back, nothing much has changed yet. I got through AC with eyelashes and eyebrows in tact, a few weeks into Taxol I lost my long eyelashes, like Peachy, I too thought I'd escaped it. Ive noticed no movement with eyelashes yet but a little is happening with eyebrows. Ive just bought baby shampoo and am starting today. I'm encouraged by everyone here that it will happen, just going to take some time.

Trvler

It all fills in. I think that stubble that was leftover fell out but honestly, I am not really sure.

The lashes come in fast once they start. But if you are on Taxol, you may lose them again. I am in the process of losing my upper lashes and the bottom ones are growing back for the second time.