Hair Hair Hair - Another question

Peachy2

fightergirl, my lashes are now back to their 2-3 months pfc glory! One of my friends who has not had chemo but has been dealing with thinning lashes recommended RevitaLash. It was a splurge purchase, but I felt like I was putting Miracle Gro on my lashes and doing something besides just waiting.

PaulineK, I also had extreme facial fuzz a couple months after chemo. I shaved it with an electric razor at the time, and it doesn't seem to have returned.

I have always said that chemo is so much like pregnancy: bizarre things happen to your body, and you have no control over any of it. And right now, my hair is my colicky infant!

Angtee15

Pauline I have the super fine fuzz along my jawline on both sides! So weird. I am not taking biotin or tamoxifen. I am 8 weeks PFC.

tjh

Pauline...I had fine hair on my face for about a month after chemo...it just wiped off like the white fuzz my hair started out as when my hair started coming in.

Shopgal2

Sloan your color looks great. I am jealous of your smooth waves. I have wavy hair that goes in every direction at times. I just got it colored again this weekat 6 months pfc.

And Pauline I also had face fuzz. The light hair on my jaw, chin, and cheeks went away after 6-8 weeks pfc. I plucked a few chin hairs that had been there before and they also gradually slowly grew back. I did take biotin and still do. Here's my darker color.

Sloan15

shopgal - I have super curly hair (think shirley temple), but I use a 1/2 inch straightening iron by ghd (good hair day). They are super expensive ($200), but worth it. I ate dinner under MISTERS tonight. Usually mt hair would be frizzy in minutes, but this straightening iron keeps my hair straight at the beach even. I start my blowing it out with a round brush, then I straighten it, and then I use pomade. This works for me as I've been dealing with it my whole life. Good luck.

belleeast

I finished chemo over 4 yrs ago, 2 of my treatments were taxotere. My hair came back a lot thinner, you can see my scalp esp on top of my head and crown. Years of biotin didn't help. But I started using a shampoo and conditioner 6 wks ago, called Thicker Fuller Hair-revitalizing cell-u-plex pure plant extracts is also on the label, in a green bottle at Walmart. I have noticed a lot less hair loss in the shower, thought my hair was thicker and the bald spot on the crown less noticeable! But didn't know if that was wishful thinking:) Yesterday I had a hair app., my stylist told me "I think your hair is thicker and you have more hair than last time" without me asking Whether it is because I have less breakage or hair loss or because it is stimulating hair growth and the scalp, I don't know! But I will continue using it and hope for more improvement :

Catherine3

Hello Everyone, I really appreciate all the comments here. I cannot wait to be at the step of my hair growing back. Right now I just finished my second chemo treatment and my head has patches of stubble all over it. My head really itches and I just want the rest to fall out so it stops bothering me. I am wondering if any of you experienced this when your hair was falling out? Is there any creams you may have used or anything to help?

Thank you for any advise on this!

ThinkingPositive

I also had fuzz growing on my face during and after the chemo. 15 months since finishing chemo and it's gone now. One thing that has not completely returned are my eyebrows. Very sparse. At this point I am guessing that the eyebrows aregoing to stay that way.

Valstim52

PaulineK, Peachy2, I have that on my chin. I've had to shave like a man. Also, seems like overnight, my eyebrows have decided to grow and they are bushy, like pre chemo. I'm 2 months PFC

Valstim52

Catherine3, I experienced that itchy feeling and patches during chemo. I alternated between almond oil and coconut oil. They soothed and I didnt have scabs.

tjh

Catherine3....My head was the same. When it fell out in handfuls it itched and burned....felt better after I had it shaved off. The I used Bobbi Brown Extra Face Oil and Cleansing Oil on it.

Sloan15

catherine - if you start to get red bumps, that's foliculitis. I had it. It's when your hair follicles go EEEK! Haha. I had to be put on an antibiotic. If it's itchy and a bunch if red bumps, get treated asap because it doesn't go away on its own.

Shopgal2

Catherine I washed my head and scalp with baby shampoo and used a conditioner too. I also slept on a satin pillow case and went bald at home to let my head breathe. If all else fails to soothe it try to use a lint brush roller to get rid of the itchy stubblies. As sloan said be aware of red bumps. For those my mo nurse had me try cortisone cream and it worked like a charm to dry them up. I pretty much used Aussie 3 minute miracle conditioner every time I washed my scalp in the shower. I swore it keep my head moist and smooth. But definitely keep your head bare if you can. I really think it helped me. Good luck.

Cathytoo

Five weeks since last TC infusion and not one strand of hair. I'm thinking that I'm going to be one of those with permanent baldness. NEED SOME ENCOURAGEMENT

twiggyOR

Be patient Cathytoo. You should start seeing hair growth soon. My first growth was very white, fine hair. I too was extremely worried about permanent baldness (probably everyone is) but eventually my hair came in. How long after your first infusion did your hair fall out? I figured my hair would not start growing until at least that long after my last infusion.

Sloan15

It took a long time for my hair to come back. I got leg hair before head hair. Hang in there!

Cathytoo

twiggyOR...My hair fell out 18 days after first infusion. I'm 5 weeks past first infusion now. Waiting...not very patiently

twiggyOR

I know it's hard. Hang in there!

Italychick

Cathytoo, chiming in from March 2015 chemo forum. We had women that had hair start growing back during chemo, some had hair grow back quickly, and some came back slow, like 2 months before they saw anything. For me, the first new growth looked like black dots on my head.

Hang in there, and fingers crossed all grows back well!

KarenInCanada

ne

Almost 4 weeks PFC. I take a couple of pictures once a week so that I don't get anxious about my hair growth. My last chemo was Taxotere and I had the white chemo hair growing during that. Now my actual hair is starting to come in, less on the top but more on the sides and back. Still lots of white on top! It will happen, mine I believe was a little quicker because I had the chemo that really cause hair loss first.

ca

octogirl

Cathytoo: I felt exactly the way you do at that stage. It really is too early, but the waiting is really, really hard. Hang in there!

Octogirl

Catherine3

Valstim52, thank you, I am going to give that a try. 👍

Catherine3

Sloan15, yes I think you are correct. My dr put me on a prescription for the bumps. I am hoping for some relief soon. Appreciate your post.

Catherine3

Shopgal2, thank you for your post. I am going to try Aussie. I think keeping my head bare has helped as well. I don't think I realized that I was literally covering my head all the time. Anyway dr gave me a prescription for some relief. I wonder if it's going to itch when it grows back in as well. Can't worry about that now but I am already anxious to be getting my hair back. thanks for your post.👍

Lolliipop

Cathytoo, I finished chemo (ACT) on 4/21/16. I have been completely freaked out that my hair was not going to grow back, I checked every day and saw absolutely nothing anywhere. I went in for my BMX on 6/15 and didnt check for any growth again until I came back home and got settled. When I looked yesterday I saw tons of growth starting on my head and unfortunately on my chin. So it took almost 8 weeks for me to see anything. Hang in there 😉

tjh

Cathytoo....It took about 6 weeks before I got white fuzz and then a couple more weeks before my hair started coming in. Remember it has to grow from the very beginning, not just like a haircut. My darling daughters told me that when I was very impatient. 1 worked for an oncologist the other was a cosmotoligist. It is really hard but hang in there, it shall return!

KayaRose

belleeast,

Thanks for that tip. I'll definitely look into it. I finished chemo in March of 2015. My hair grew back pretty nicely. Oddly curly at first but then settled down to my normal stick straight hair. I was so happy - for a while anyway. I'm on anti-hormonal therapy (Arimidex) now and have been experiencing hair loss from it. Can't tell you how hard it is to finally get your hair back and then start losing it again. My MO said I could try using Rogaine but sometimes it works and sometimes not. I really don't want to put any chemicals on my head. I've had enough of chemicals! I'm almost thinking about going back to my wig. Anyway, I will try the shampoo you mentioned and hope for the best.

Kaya

belleeast

Kaya, your welcome! I understand about your reluctance to use Rogaine, I feel the same way. I am really happy to see improvement in my hair using this shampoo and conditioner. It is supposed to stimulate the scalp to promote growth and remove any buildup on your hair and scalp plus strengthen and thicken your hair. My scalp does tingle sometimes when I use it so don't be alarmed if yours does. I have tried various other shampoos and conditioners promising the same thing, this is the first to actually deliver:) I think there is a styling product that goes with it but I haven't tried it yet. Next time I go to Walmart, I'm going to look for it.

YoungBRCAgal

Sorry for popping in and out. Last term of grad school has been insane. 13 weeks PFC on pic on the right. Left is 2 weeks prior. Looks like I'm on the salt and pepper train. Considering coloring this weekend but nervous about damaging it or turning red.

Faith-840

Youngbrcagal,

I am probably much older than you but at first mine came in white and then changed to salt and pepper. As soon as I had enough hair which it looks like you have now, I had my stylist color it. It didn't turn red or anything weird. I probably would not do it myself, at least at first as it's hard to know which product and color to use. Twenty five years later I am still coloring, it makes me feel younger. Now, however it is getting thinner because of the new meds I'm on since my cancer returned, but I think the colors adds body and I don't think it harms anything except the pocketbook .