Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Melclarity

I never stopped using Shampoo LOL, even when I lost my hair at the beginning of chemo, it is good for the scalp. I started on baby shampoo last week as Sloan said.

Sloan15

Baby shampoo- Yep! My hair is pretty thick now!

Melclarity

Sloan - Ive noticed sincer using it, my scalp is sort of rougher? eventhough Im moisturising, but I think Ive got more prickles?

PMR53

Rainny- I am glad you bought shampoo!! Lol it's the small things. I had to keep trimming my hair because it all grew out at different lengths. Top came in first and back slower.  It actually has to be texturized on top because it's curly and thick. Back not so much 

CatRus - your hair is gorgeous!! I got a tiny straight iron too. It works. 

Shopgirl- I posted earlier that I started coloring at 4 months PFC. I used no ammonia Sally Color Performance Demi color. Super easy. Just squirt the little tube of color in a paper cup with 2 ounces of developer and mix it with the end of the little paint brush you buy at Sallys. Paint it on wait 20 minutes. Rinse. My hair was 3/4 brown and 1/4 gray so I am not ready to go all gray yet. I bought a color 2 shades lighter than my hair. Covered gray well. It may come out dark if you go with same color as your hair. The good thing is this color washes out after 20 or so washes. 

Good luck and Happy Hair Growing. I might add. I finished Herceptin Dec 3 and now it is really growing faster! 

Patty

Trvler

Can anyone tell me why they think coloring their hair before a certain point is unsafe? I have seen the question over and over but I don't really understand why it wouldn't be safe?

Sloan15

melclarity - I believe it! I really think it helped me.

Shopgal2

rainnyc shampoo is good for the soul!

PMR thanks for the great info on coloring. I have a long way to go to get to 4months. Patience i keep saying to myself.

I used baby shampoo all thru chemo and just switched to Aussie moist shampoo and Aussie 3 minute miracle deep conditioner. It really makes my fuzz hair soft. And Melclarity my scalp is moist. It helped smooth the hair prickles when they were sprouting. I do have a Jason natural biotin shampoo I may switch to. I figure the more biotin the better to grow my fuzz hair.

KateB79

I'm getting really impatient with my hair. It's coming in, but so slowly (especially in the front and at the temples). . . I'm taking Biotin and using hair-building shampoo (and conditioner!). Anything else I should be doing? I want to be hatless by spring!

Trvler

Kate: When did you finish chemo? You are still pretty early in the process.

KateB79

I finished on 11/25.

I've been patient with everything but the hair. . . .

rainnyc

It's completely rational to be impatient with the hair. We want to get back to our lives--or the new version of our lives--and nothing says "cancer patient" like a lack of hair. The thing that always trips me up is that it takes a little while (I have no idea how long) after that final chemo for our follicles to look around and realize they're not being bombarded by chemicals anymore. When we say we're X weeks PFC, it really should be a few weeks less, because of that time it takes for the drugs to leave our system.

With that said, Kate: I'm 4 1/2 months PFC and have between 1 and 2 inches. Still wearing the wig, but I'm a long-haired person and just can't picture myself going out with short hair. I figure I'll take the plunge in early summer if it's still growing at this rate.

Melclarity

Kate - you're 2 weeks behind me, I've started like 1mm prickles all over with some bald spots. Top of my scalp was soft until I switched to baby shampoo, but I'm wondering if it's the hair follicles sprouting as I moisturise

justmaximom15

Kate, we finished chemo on the same day and I'm with you on being very impatient about my hair!

I can finally see a hair line in the front and on top. The back and sides are longer and if it was that length all over, I would toss my headwraps in a heartbeat but I think I have a couple more weeks before it fills in enough to do that.

KateB79

I can feel my hairline, but I can't see it. There are sprouts, but they have yet to reveal themselves. . . . C'mon, hair!

All together, now: c'mon, hair!

PMR53

Hey Ladies- check out this sight. I copied and pasted to my notes on my iPhone and watched it a lot. It's a 1 year hairgrowth video with monthly pictures. It's pretty accurate! Check it out. Scroll to the bottom after you paste this linkhttp://m.newhealthguide.org/Hair-Regrowth-After-Chemo.html

octogirl

I don't know...I am now 10 weeks PFC and while I am FINALLY starting to see progress, it is still at the stubble stage, not any where near the one to two inches that the video says to expect in that timeframe (this BCO website also says something similar)....moreover, it is not growing at its normal rate. If it was I probably would have one to two inches as my hair was some of the fastest growing anywhere (per every hairdresser I ever had; hairdressers have always commented on how thick and fast growing my hair was :-( ). I think it is important to remember that there is a lot of variance depending upon regimen and individuals....otherwise, hard to be patient! actually, it is hard to be patient regardless!

Octogirl

Melclarity

Octogirl - I agree, whilst they try to have a general standard of time frames, again everyone is individual and our Chemo regimes are not all the same. I'm sure that would affect things, its Summer here and I have to go back to work next week after nearly 3 months off. I'm dreading it for many reasons, its quite stressful and concerned I wont have the stamina, but I'll have to wear a wig as not comfortable wearing anything else to work.

octogirl

Melclarity, I never did get a wig...which mostly is a decision I am happy with but now and then I regret. Hats and scarves are more obvious, especially in the workplace where people see you every day, and especially of course in summer. Very glad that at least it is winter here!

Octogirl

PMR53

Octogirl- I am sorry. Dang it. I wanted to cheer you up, not make you sad. Stupid hair. Are you taking Biotin? I swear it helps. 

Here I was all happy about hair and I went to see my MO for my post done with Herceptin check up and she wants to put me on Arimidex. So I guess that thins my hair and makes you achy 

Ugg. This is such a Shit Show. It never ends.

Is anybody on that with hair problems?

Patty

Melclarity

Octogirl - Gosh, so true, I work with special needs children and they're more blunt that normal kids haha!!! absolutely love them, bless their souls! But...I just didnt ever want attention from people, so the wig always was great, it was so well made nobody could tell. Even through Chemo people couldnt believe how I looked. How you look and feel are too different things, I had to stop working I was so sick through it.

PMR - I see my Oncologist next monday and I'm going to be put onto a hormone pill for post menopause as Chemo has put me there. So I dont know yet, but I'll be asking SE's

octogirl

PMR, please don't apologize or feel bad. Actually, as I should have said, I agree that the video itself looks fairly close to my experience. It's the text..and the text and video don't match, on what to expect two months out (IMO). Hey, I am happy to have the stubble, just don't want others to think that it will never come back just because it is slow!

I am taking Biotin. Who knows if it helps but it feels like I am doing something proactive. And yeah, I just started Arimidex (hormone blocking AI). Too soon to tell if it will cause hair thinning. Only been on it a week and haven't really noticed much if any additional aches and pains (I already have arthritis in both knees...)

Hugs!

Octogirl

PMR53

If any of you ladies would like this Hat with Hair it's yours. I wore it in Hawaii. It's real hair! It looks better in a Ponytail! No one new I was bald underneath. It doesn't itch because hair is sewn into the bottom of the hat. It's doesn't make your head hot either. Just PM me. 

tjh

One of daughters worked on an oncologist l's office and 1 reason the hair takes do long is the follicles and cells have to recover and the the hair has to grow from the very start. I felt better after chatting with her. Other daughter...cosmotolgist says you don't want to dye or bleach the gorse hair because it is like baby hair. Mine is steel/ pewter colored. ..pre chemo it was dark brown with about 25% gray. I am going have white highlights added...like Jamie Lee Curtis.

tjh

gorse should be first....love auto correct

MinusTwo

Not to be a wet blanket, but remember the hair follicles at the roots were damaged. When your hair first comes in, it will not be normal. It may be more curly or more straight or baby fine or grey. It takes time for that damaged hair to grow out. Once I finished Herceptin, my hair grew pretty fast, but I didn't hold my breath for a final result for six month to a year after that. I agree w/tjh's daughters, treat it VERY gently, expect changes & maybe don't color for awhile.

rainnyc

I don't know, tjh: according to dictionary.com, "gorse" is "any spiny shrub of the genus Ulex, of the legume family,….having rudimentary leaves and yellow flowers and growing in waste places and sandy soil."

I could argue that that first growth of hair is somewhat rudimentary, and that for a while chemo renders our follicles waste places and sandy soil.

In any case, PMR, for what it's worth, that video is about where my hair is. The difference is that woman has such a winning smile, whereas my expression when seeing my bald self in the mirror was never too happy.

May all your follicles come galloping back!

Melclarity

RainnyC - That was brilliant...I couldn't stop laughing!!!!

Peachy2

Gorse! We learned a new word today!

Now that I have 1/2 inch or so of baby kitten hair I have a new challenge. My hair has always been medium brown. My wig is slightly lighter brown because the next closest color was darker, and the ladies at the salon agreed that it washed out my complexion. My new hair is black. Or very close to it. I still have all the grey I had before, but I need to make sure that the new hair doesn't sneak out from under the edges of my wig because it doesn't match!

Melclarity

Oh Peachy - LOL so much to think about, Ive wondered too as my hair comes in how Im going to be able to hide it.

Sherry1928

This is my first post...met with Oncolgist & entered Cancer Center 1st time today. Very overwhelmed @ the moment! Has anyone used Cool Hat during Chemo treatments. Any info would be greatly appreciated