Turning Chemo Frizz into Spiral Curls

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Chan_go_foill
Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
edited September 2014 in Life After Breast Cancer

Spiral CurlsHey ladies,

I wanted to share this with all of you who find yourself with an head full of "chemo curls" I am sixteen months post-chemo and my hair came in very thick, curly coarse and frizzy. I did a little online research and ended up finding two inexpensive products that really worked well for me and transformed my so-called "natural" curl into spiral twirls that I really like.

I used Frizz-Ease Serum and followed up with Frizz-Ease Dream Curls spray. A few additional hints-

Wash your hair and while it is still soaking wet apply a tiny amount of serum to the hair, about the size of a dime is what they recommend, I used slightly less since my hair is still fairly short. Avoid putting it on the roots, this will keep it from going flat. Work it through your hair, do not rinse it out, it stays on. Squeeze-dry your hair, don't use a towel, do a lot of scrunching with your hands, then spritz on Dream Curls. About 10 sprays worked for me. Work that through your hair, then blow dry either with a diffuser or at a distance, continuously scrunching it with your hands (I used my hands) with your head tipped upside down. This helps give it body and lift. Stop blow drying when it is still a little damp. I used just a little hair hairspray to finish it off. It was easy and the whole thing took about ten minutes.

My hair is totally soft and shiny and the curls are forming lovely big, bouncy spirals. I have to admit, I am impressed with how well this worked. I bought the Frizz-Ease products at Wallgreens. The serum cost $9.99 and the Dream Curls was about $5 if I remember correctly. I can check on this. These are also available online.

Spiral Curls
Diagnosis: 10/17/2009, IDC, 2cm, Stage IIa, Grade 3, 0/4 nodes, ER+/PR+, HER2+

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Comments

  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Member Posts: 1,376
    edited August 2011

    I didn't do chemo... but just had to say that your hair looks adorable! Very cute and stylish! :)

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  • Chan_go_foill
    Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
    edited August 2011

    I should add it was still a little damp when I took this photo this morning. The final result is a little fuller. (Thanks SusansGarden!)

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  • Letlet
    Letlet Member Posts: 1,053
    edited August 2011

    Thanks for sharing. I am jealous that yours came in thick. Mine came thin on top but thick on the sides...

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  • Fearless_One
    Fearless_One Member Posts: 3,300
    edited August 2011

    Bump....very helpful! 

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  • Paula1231
    Paula1231 Member Posts: 456
    edited August 2011

    Your hair is georgeous!!  Mine is still too short for spiral curls, but i will try this when it grows out.

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  • jeanette41
    jeanette41 Member Posts: 70
    edited August 2011

    Bump!

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  • Chan_go_foill
    Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
    edited August 2011

    Thanks ladies! I will be interested to hear how it works for someone else. I got instant and very dramatic results from this. I love the stuff! I bet it would even help on shorter hair, it might be well worth a try. I kinda wish I had known about this sooner. The texture I am getting is so nice and soft now, but all full of spring, lift and bounce. This added a lot of shine too, my post-chemo hair is pretty dull and coarse without it. My husband commented that it's a very 1920's look I've got going now and we joked that I should be cast in HBO's Boardwalk Empire, LOL!

    FYI my last chemo was April of 2010, so this is about sixteen months out, with no trims or cuts. Pulled straight, my hair is about 4" long and it has grown at a very average rate of 1/4" per month. Prior to chemo my hair was straight and I used to put a lot of work into curling it. (I guess I should have been careful what I wished for, huh?) 

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  • KSteve
    KSteve Member Posts: 486
    edited August 2011

    Chan_go_foill -- Wow!  Thanks so much for posting your picture and the step-by-step instructions with the product.  I am so excited.  I'm going to stop on my way home from work to buy the product!  I'm almost 8 months PFC so a little shorter than yours (close to 3" long) but I'm hoping I can achieve a similar result.  Your hair is beautiful!  Thanks for taking the time to post.

    Kathy

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  • Chan_go_foill
    Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
    edited August 2011

    I have been experimenting with the amount to use and I'm finding that because my hair is really coarse without it, I can use a pretty liberal amount- About a nickel-sized amount of the serum in the palm of my hand instead of a dime, and liberal spritzing with Dream Curls, but everyone is a little different, so I would start off with what the packaging recommends and adjust as needed.

    KSteve let me know what you think of this. I haven't talked to anyone else who tried it and I would like to know if you get a good result too.

    My hair is so different from how it was originally it took me a while to figure out what to do with it. have found that this stuff makes my hair so much softer and nicer that it also works well on days when I want to brush it through and have a less curly style.

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  • KSteve
    KSteve Member Posts: 486
    edited August 2011

    I will definitely let you know . . . under another topic (in the Chemo section), someone mentioned John Frieda 3-day straight spray.  Similar use to the Dream Curls, spray in damp hair, then dry and straighten.  I have been struggling with the curls, but if I could get mine to look like yours, I might actually enjoy them!  I think I'll buy the 3-day straight spray too, so I can experiment with both looks.  What I also love is that these John Frieda products are so affordable.  Wish I could leave work early .... I'm so excited to try them!

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  • KSteve
    KSteve Member Posts: 486
    edited August 2011

    Chan_go_Foil - I looked online and they have an original Frizz Ease and an extra strength.  Which one do you use?

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  • Chan_go_foill
    Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
    edited August 2011

    I got original formula, but extra strength might have been a better choice in my case since I'm using more than the recommended amount, I'll try that next time. I would say if your hair is very coarse and feels like straw after shampooing (with no conditioner) I would try extra strength.

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  • KSteve
    KSteve Member Posts: 486
    edited August 2011

    Chan_go_foill - So I bought the product on the way home yesterday and excitedly used it this morning getting ready for work.  I didn't get the pretty spirals that you have, but I think mine is just not long enough quite yet.  It definitely helped keep the frizz to a minimum, so that in itself is a big improvement.  I have a big party/bbq to go to tomorrow night, so I might try the 3-day Straight spray tomorrow (and use a straightener) to go for a different look.  We'll see how it goes!  Anyway, just wanted to say thanks again for the suggestion.  A definite step in the right direction for me!

    Have a great weekend,

    Kathy

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  • Chan_go_foill
    Chan_go_foill Member Posts: 50
    edited August 2011

    I am glad that this was at least helpful. I would think that the result would depend up on a lot of factors, like hair texture, length etc. Let me know how that other product worked out for you.

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  • mrsnjband
    mrsnjband Member Posts: 1,409
    edited August 2011

    Your hair is just beatiful!!!!!! NJ

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  • lexie2002
    lexie2002 Member Posts: 147
    edited August 2014

    I am new to this site. I just created an account. I mostly wanted to ask about my frizzy hair. I've been so torn about it. On one hand I'm

    so thankful I have some hair but I'm also so upset at how it looks. My hair use to be straight layers and very silky and shiny. Now it looks

    as if I fried my hair with a bad perm. I knew it might come in curly but not last this long. This whole breast cancer journey has been so upsetting , I 

    just wish someone out there might have an answer to this problem. At least it's something I would have control over. Thanks so much for any 

    advice or experience that anyone can share with me. PS: I forgot to say it's been 9 months since finishing chemo.

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited August 2014

    Hi Lexie - Welcome to BCO. I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you, and since this thread is a little old I am bumping it in hopes that someone with experience can help.

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  • lexie2002
    lexie2002 Member Posts: 147
    edited August 2014

    Oh thanks so much. I'm really not too sure how to use these boards. :(  I would love to find someone

    who's gone thru pretty much what I have. ??????  I wish I could get Cancer off my mind sometimes :(  How are

    you doing? Your user name is farmerlucy... that's so cute.

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  • farmerlucy
    farmerlucy Member Posts: 3,985
    edited August 2014

    You might repost on one of the chemo threads. I know there are ladies there who would love to help. Weekends are sometimes slow around here and this thread may not get seen by a lot of members. I am doing great. I know what you mean about getting it off your mind. I find as time goes on I think about it less and less. Oh - I just had a thought. Post your question on the stage III thread. They are a wonderful group of women, many with a wicked sense of humor. You'll enjoy meeting them. Take care Lexie. Hope to "see" you around soon!

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited August 2014

    Lexie, welcome to bco. No help on the chemo curls but I work in Los Gatos , lived there for many years and now live in downtown San Jose. Let me know if I can help or answer any questions, 

    Caryn

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited August 2014

    i found with time, my hair is relaxing , and i have also had some trimmed twice. my color didn't change, but everyone i know personally that did chemo, the curls went away with time. mine was soooo soft, my good friends i invited to feel it, then they kept feeling it. i had some color lifted out, cause i have exactly the mouse color naturally! But, i am letting it grow out, because i can see how the bleach did hurt my hair. There is also a thread called how vain are you, and there are some great women there too. it can be serious, or hilarious, or completely off topic, but we do talk about what we do, or what has helped, with different problems from treatment. but there are good women all over the place here.

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  • lexie2002
    lexie2002 Member Posts: 147
    edited August 2014

    Thanks so much kathec! I guess I'm doing this right. Wasn't really sure how to post. :)  I'm just hoping that the Arimidex doesn't

    make my hair thin. Gosh, there's so much to worry about. I hope your doing well. Where is this thread you talked about? Is it on

    BCO....Thanks again 

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  • lexie2002
    lexie2002 Member Posts: 147
    edited August 2014

    Thanks for the information. I'm going to try this today.  Your hair looks a bit longer in this picture. My hair is one big frizz ball. I use to have blonde, layered shoulder length hair with bangs. It was also very shiny and healthy looking.  I just don't understand why it grew in so fried looking :(  How long did you have chemo?

    Thanks again chan go foill

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  • Tomboy
    Tomboy Member Posts: 3,945
    edited August 2014

    yeah lexie. i don't know how to make a link, i will try.    How vain are you?  is the name, under humor and games. but if you go to the search thingy over to the left, click on it, then type it in you will find it. i will bump it up for you, when you come back to here, and then you could look at the active thread and find it that way. wish i knew how to make a stupid link! its not very active lately, but  you could read from the beginning, just to get to know everyone there, and the info is all still good, plus it WILL make you laugh! Enjoy! i am pretty good when i am not all pi$$ed off. i see you posted, i will pm you, so you will see i responded.

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited August 2014

    Here's the link to the "vain" thread Kathe mentioned:

     https://community.breastcancer.org/forum/31/topic...

    One more tip on curl care, don't wash it often. Curly hair is usually very dry and needs lots of moisture to keep it softer and frizz free. Not as gross as it sounds. I have naturally curly hair and although it took me far too many years to accept it and learn to care for it, I think I've finally got it. I do wet my hair when I shower everyday and put conditioner in it. This eliminates any trapped odors and old product. I shampoo no more than once or twice a week with a non-sudsing, paraben and sulfate free shampoo.  I usually use the Shea Moisture line, available at Target. Great price, great product. I use their body wash and lotion too. Whatever product you put in your hair (I mix a small amount of Kinky Curly Custard with argan oil. I also like Carol's Daughter and Mixed Chicks) use small amounts. I partially blow dry with a diffuser and then air dry. When my hair is dry, I either use a pick or my fingers to loosen the curls without disturbing them. Regular brushing will result in a fuzz ball. As I mentioned, Target carries all of these products in the ethnic hair care section.  Hope this helps and happy hair!

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  • annika12
    annika12 Member Posts: 433
    edited August 2014

    Hi, I'm 8 months out and started by "gelling" my hair in a short spike do !! I looked up short hairstyles on line and tried to mimic !! Then I went to a curl mousse , let it dry and then added a "gum" product to my roots and finished with a spray !!  Now when its a little longer I use a frizz eze product then the curl mousse and a very small bandanna( the very soft ones that don't hurt behind your ears) to keep my "wings" at my sides under control lol. I use to have very very long straight hair and now get lots and lots of compliments on my hair from complete strangers !!! I just love having hair again :) short and super curly !!!

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  • lexie2002
    lexie2002 Member Posts: 147
    edited September 2014

    I was told to go to the ethnic section of Walgreens but I never did. I've tried tons of products so far.

    My husband keeps asking me, JUST HOW MANY THINGS ARE YOU GOING TO TRY?! My response

    was, UNTIL SOMETHING ACTUALLY HELPS, I'LL KEEP LOOKING ... My hair is so darn kinky and dry

    looking. It use to be so healthy and shiny and straight and layered. Thanks for reaching out, I'm pretty

    new to this 

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  • exbrnxgrl
    exbrnxgrl Member Posts: 12,424
    edited September 2014

    Yup, the ethnic hair care products are great. Additionally, many of them are paraben and sulfate free. They work much better than the mass marketed products. As a lifelong, naturally curly girl, I've probably tried them all.

    Caryn (formerly of Los Gatos, still work there)

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