when can you color your hair after chemo?

Diane - I have read so many varying responses to your question in the past.  You could use an all natural product that has no peroxide or bleaching agents in it within a couple of months.  However, it is best to refrain from using a permanent dye product until 5 months out of chemo. 

Your body is still excreting chemo from your body for 5 to 6 months after you have finished treatment.  Many times if you try too soon to dye your hair it will come out brassy or the color just doesn't match up to the box because you have too many chemicals still in your system that are counteracting the salon products.

I waited until I was out of chemo for 5 months.  At that time I had 2" of hair.  Prior to chemo I had  beautiful natural blonde hair  that was light (not an ash blonde).  My hair came out mousey brown with gray in it.  I hated the color so bad.

At 5 months I went to my stylist and had her do the old fashioned "frost" on my hair using the frosting cap.  She was hesitant to dye my hair because of course I wanted to go back to being blonde and that would mean bleaching my hair.  Also she was concerned about trying to go too light and it end up being brassy.  I totally trust this lady, she has been cutting hair for over 30 years.

I love the "frosted" look that I got from that appointment and have made an appointment to go back in December (4 weeks later) and put some more frosting in my hair and cut off the uneven ends.  My hair will look so much better after the 2nd appointment.

I know the second I can, I will.  I also am hoping to get extensions as soon as it's long enough.  I do not look good in short hair and I can't rock that look, as much as I love it.

I've worn my wig a couple of times, even though I still have hair, just to get  used to it.  It's pretty uncomfortable, I sure hope that it gets better when I'm bald.  I also don't think I can do the hat look although I probably will inside the house.

I didn't follow any of the guidelines.  I slapped on the colour once it was a 1/4 an inch.  The nurses were concerned more about my hair being fragile than any health concerns.  I had no problems at all, and felt a lot better once I got my colour back. 

One thing to remember, the colour will come out more brassy than it would if you were colouring your pre-chemo hair.  Tell your colourist or if you do it yourself go for the boxes marked "cool" rather than "warm".  I screwed up the first time and recoloured it immediately -- everything turned out OK.  When I went to a salon one time the colourist didn't listen to me and we had to add tons of toner to get out the orange (I was trying for blonde at the time).  Yup, orange.

I forgot to mention this but as ya'll know, it seems like your bangs are the last thing to grow out and it takes FOREVER.  The frost color on my scalp hair is blonde - love it.  But.....my bangs that are only about 1-1/4" long - the frost color turned out orange. - Definately a different color than the blonde highlites.  No a problem for me - I am just glad to have some color on my hair versus that mousey brown/gray look that I had before.