Post Chemo hair question

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StAuggie
StAuggie Member Posts: 52
edited May 2020 in Chemotherapy - Before, During, and After

Hey there, I finished AC/T last September, and my hair has come in super soft, mostly curly, and mostly gray. Tamoxifen has it thinning a little on top, but it's ok. Better than no hair, right~?!?

So anyway I really hate the gray. I used to have brown hair, and added lots of blonde highlights. I miss it, and want to color it.

Do I need to go to someone who has experience with chemo hair, chemo curls, chemo anything? Will coloring react with badly with chemo hair? I don't think that I can just add blonde highlights--I think it's going to have to be colored. I don't know what to do with it, but I do dislike having the gray...even though I'm truly grateful to have hair again.

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  • nopink2019
    nopink2019 Member Posts: 329
    edited March 2020
    I can't remember when I had my hair colored last time on chemo. Not after 6 months, probably after 8. Don't remember it taking color weird. Do know I had it shaped at about 6 months and still had frizzy, unattractive do. But was so tired of wig I just wore it like that until it grew out. This go round I had planned to have a haircut & color mid-April & toss the wig to celebrate my birthday. (I've exhausted all the chemos that cause you to go bald and have moved on to target therapies.) It will be very curly, but hoping I can punk it out and get by. Now with isolation in place don't know when the salon might be open again. I think a reputable hairstylist can handle it. I too hate my mousey gray, have always colored it. Thinking about lots of brownish lowlights.
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  • StAuggie
    StAuggie Member Posts: 52
    edited April 2020

    Fortunately I normally have fairly short hair, so it didn't take too long for it to be enough to go without hats--I ended 12 weeks of Taxol in September, and my hair had started growing back during that time. I was able to go without a hat by Christmas. My hair is naturally curly, so these tiny tight curls are tighter than normal, but aren't too bad. It's only really tight in the nape area--everything else seems to be a normal curl.

    The gray drives me crazy. I remind myself to be thankful for hair, and that I don't have to wear hats anymore. I am truly grateful for that. But the gray makes me look so much older than I am. I have granny hair and curls lol!! And right now with salons closed, I'm really forcing myself not to try and color it on my own.

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  • Runrcrb
    Runrcrb Member Posts: 577
    edited April 2020

    Stauggie,

    Don’t assume you will have grey for life. My hair (mousy brown/blonde/blah pre chemo) came in grey and then transitioned to dark and curly. Attached is prechemo, 5 month post final chemo, 17 months PFC, 24 months PFC. I’m now three years and a few months PFC and my hair is wavy and back to my original mousy brown/blonde/blah color. More wave but same color

    image

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  • StAuggie
    StAuggie Member Posts: 52
    edited April 2020

    Thank you for the encouragement! You know, before cancer, I seriously considered just stopping the highlights and all color, and just letting it go gray. I guess now I know that I don't like it lol!

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  • Laurencl
    Laurencl Member Posts: 237
    edited April 2020

    I finished chemo 7/19. I had surgery 8/12 (mastectomy with TE placement) followed by radiation 10-11/19. By November I had enough hair to go without my wig and be comfortable.....BUT I hated the nasty grey (not a pretty grey). Prior to all this, I had highlighted brown. I asked my RO if I could get it colored , and he said sure. I made an appointment for the same day as my last radiation treatment. I walked in the salon with my wig and walked out without it. I dyed it brown and will work my way black to blonde-ish. I can only tell you I feel better with it colored....more like myself.

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  • CBK
    CBK Member Posts: 611
    edited April 2020

    Hi St Auggie-

    I colored mine about 5 months PFC at a salon and it totally repelled the color. My hair grew back a strange steel grey mixed with much darker hair than I ever imagined and I was trying to get back to a copper color. The first pass at it my hair guy hit it twice and it still didn’t take the color. A week later it was the ugliest rust color I’ve ever seen.

    My friend colored her own hair for years so we started hitting it with a dye I found in Whole Foods. I had to dye it at least a few more times until it the product thoroughly adhered to the hair . My hair kept repelling the color . Even when I got some vibrant color in hair there were strands that wouldn’t take it.

    I’ve heard a few stories of people having their hair resist dye after chemo. But eventually it takes and you are back to the color you want!


    Good luck




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  • StAuggie
    StAuggie Member Posts: 52
    edited May 2020

    Thank you for the responses! I am trying to be patient, and let my hair get long enough to cut it short again and get rid of all the older growth, and see what I'm left with. I hate the gray but love having hair again! :)

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