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Hair Hair Hair - Another question

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  • janny99
    janny99 Member Posts: 49
    edited May 2010

    I found out today that my insurance will pay for 1 "Cranial Prosthesis"...that is.....a wig.  I thought that was so funny, never heard that term before, so today, finding out that I am starting chemo June 7th, I will start looking for a cranial prosthesis. 

  • JudyNaomi
    JudyNaomi Member Posts: 209
    edited May 2010

    Good luck Janny99! xxx

  • chinablue
    chinablue Member Posts: 31
    edited May 2010

    Anyone have trouble with hair color after chemo?  I went into the favorite salon and got my first hair coloring post chemo.  Yikes, it turned out sooo red.  It was the same formula that I have been using for years. Is it a chemo hair problem?

  • Marion
    Marion Member Posts: 116
    edited May 2010

    Hello chinablue,

    I have had 2 colors since my last PFC and it turned out well but not as blond as expected. My hairdresser feels it is because of the chemo hair!

  • one-L
    one-L Member Posts: 653
    edited May 2010

    janny99, happy "Cranial Prosthesis" shopping.  Go to several shops before deciding on a wig.  There are so many to choose from.  I could not be talked out of a human hair wig and they are so expensive.  I found it very hard to care for.  It takes them forever to dry and then must be styled.  I liked my synthetic ones better and they are really easy to care for.  Saying all that I did like the way the cap fit better on the human hair one, I think it was because it was so expensive.  Many women bought wigs off of eBay and I think they were really getting them cheap.  I would get a nice one first, since the insurance is going to pay, might as well get a good  one.

    chinablue, sorry your color didn't turn out exactly as you wanted.  I am beyond the age to get mine colored, I am just going to be natural.  I just don't  want to spend the time.

    Hope everyone has a great weekend.

    Juannelle

  • ccbaby
    ccbaby Member Posts: 503
    edited May 2010
    China Blue....yes, a lot of the time hair turns brassy because of the chemo that is still in your hair. That is why I advise to get the ends trimmed off every 4 to 5 weeks to get that 'chemo hair' cut off.
  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    lovetosail: I went to do my makeup the other day and add mascara for the first time in over a couple of months - I do have a little more than a couple of layers of lashes on the top.  As for the bottom, really do not see too many there as of yet. 

    Charmaine

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Michelle: Thank you so much for the compliment of my hair, and also for indicating that the part of my hair at the back where I feel it looks like a splotch of paint thrown at it is really not noticeable.  Even a few ladies I know in the community here says same as you :)

    Charmaine

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Sherri: Wow you and your hair looks absolutely beautiful!

    Your eyebrows have come in nicely, unless you never lost them...

    Charmaine

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010
    MarieK:  Your hair really looks great and yes I can see your eye lashes.. they too look to be coming in nicely :)
  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010
    one-L:  Your hair looks beautiful and love the waves and hair color too...
  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Christy: Thank you so much for the advice about how to get the color of Jamie Lee Curtis.  I have shown that picture to many people that I know and including people in the community here.  So many people say that color will make me look older, and so many also tell me that they like the color my hair is now, and how allot of women would pay to get their hair the color mine is...

    So I don't know... I just may wait and see once my hair is really grown in what color it is after a few cuts and ect and just decide to keep it this color as so many people are recommending this :)

    However, too bad I meet a good hairstylist online here and you are too far from me :)

  • one-L
    one-L Member Posts: 653
    edited May 2010

    Thanks Charmaine, I am really debating about keeping it short.  I think I may let it grow some more before making a decision.  I can already tell that it is going to do exactly what it wants, just like it  has done all my life.  But it is hair and it belongs to me.  As my Son would say "That is what I am talking about."

    Winding down from the weekend and am ready for a nap, but it is too late, will have to wait on bedtime.

    Juannelle

  • CarolT0214
    CarolT0214 Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2010

    Hi Ladies.....so glad I finally found a "hair" topic!  I am 8 weeks out of Chemo (YEAH) and soooooooooo looking forward to having hair once again.  I was OK with losing it back in January, but I am having little patience with the growing back part of this deal.  I currently have about ¼ in. of fuzz except on the top and crown area which seems to be taking forever to grow.  It is not very thick at the moment though and I am tired of seeing my scalp.  My hair was strawberry blonde and below my shoulders when it fell out....and appears to be coming in much darker at the moment. As long as it comes in....I don't really care what color...I can always fix it!  I saw a nutritionist last week and the only suggestion she gave me was to use a dandruff shampoo with Zinc, so I am trying that now.  Has anyone every heard of a supplement called "Horsetail"....the nutritionist is supposed to get back to me on that one....but it is supposed to promote hair growth.

    Everyone's pictures look great and give me hope that someday I will be able to leave the hats behind and uncover my head.  I never did the wig thing....not really sure why, but at this point I don't think I will bother.  Losing my eyelashes and eyebrows was the worst for me....I would never leave my house without mascara and eyebrow sealer before all this, now I don't have any choice.  

    I am looking forward to the day I have a reason to see my hairstylist!

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Carol: Biotin also helps with hairgrowth...

    You could consider trying this stuff.  Go to your neighborhood health store and purchase a bottle of 5,000 mcg and some take 1 tablet a day, and there are some that will take up to 2 tablets a day of this...

    I am taking 1 tablet a day and feel it has helped with the growth.

  • ccbaby
    ccbaby Member Posts: 503
    edited May 2010
    Awww thanks Charmaine! If I were you, I would just leave it alone for awhile and see what color it turns out to be once it grows out some more.
  • CinCan
    CinCan Member Posts: 61
    edited May 2010
    ccbaby - Your hair looks so darn cute!  You are so knowledgeable as a hairstylist that I wanted to ask if you ever took Biotin?  I was thinking about it, but now sure I want to swallow another daily pill.  I am 10 weeks PFC and my hair, eyelashes and eyebrows are coming in very slowly...maybe due to Herceptin.
  • TreadSoftly
    TreadSoftly Member Posts: 88
    edited May 2010

    Hi Ladies, an update on my hair-growth, 20 wks post chemo.  Major tight curls, esp at the back, more wavy at the front!! One 'trim' and colouring at 13 wks, think it may soon be time for another!

  • sugar77
    sugar77 Member Posts: 1,328
    edited May 2010

    Treadsoftly - it's really coming in nicely!! The curls are so nice.  I'm hoping I get the curls, too.  I'm coming up to 14 weeks PFC and am seeing a wave starting. 

    Sherri 

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Treadsoftly:  Your hair really is coming in beautifully and I so love the color.

    Charmaine

  • CarolT0214
    CarolT0214 Member Posts: 21
    edited May 2010

    Charmaine - thank you for the Biotin tip.  I found it on Amazon and it is on its way.

    Treadsofly - beautiful hair pics!

    My hair used to be curly/frizzy.....not sure what it will come in after all this!

    Carol T.

  • Marion
    Marion Member Posts: 116
    edited May 2010

    Treadsoftly,

    Wow, your hair grows fast! Or maybe mine grows slowly! I'm 25 weeks PFC and my hair just looks like yours, but you're 20 weeks PFC. Do you take anything? Biotin?

    I also have a lot of curls in the back, but also in the front. I cannot really do anything with the curls, I have tried to "flatten them out" to no avail.  I miss having straight hair! All the short haircuts out there are for straight hair!

    Anyway, you look very good, and I love the color. At 25 weeks PFC I've had my hair colored twice now, to cover up the grey.

  • charmainejensenvoisine
    charmainejensenvoisine Member Posts: 210
    edited May 2010

    Carol T: Carol I was happy to help.  I hope that the Biotin works out for you.

    Charmaine

  • suzieq60
    suzieq60 Member Posts: 1,422
    edited May 2010

    CinCan: We've figured out that the 3 weekly TCH is harsher on the hair than AC-TH even though they tend to lose all of their hair. Others have said the growth is slow on Herceptin, but a friend of mine had AC-TH and her hair grew quite quickly even while she was on the weekly taxol. 1 week after rads her hair looked great - like TreadSoftly's above.

    Like you, I am nearly 11 weeks PFC and it does seem to be slow growing. I'm using Nioxin System 6 and do think it's helping keep the scalp healthy. I might look for some biotin today, but I'm taking fish oil, glucosamine, caltrate plus and anit inflams  - not to mention the impending Arimidex and bisphosphonates - so I might start rattling.

    Sue

  • o2bhealthy
    o2bhealthy Member Posts: 1,089
    edited May 2010

    Tread - your hair is beautiful!!! Your curls are so consistant and uniform, I love the color to!

  • Issymom
    Issymom Member Posts: 27
    edited May 2010

    I am new to this thread but have been reading it for months.  I am 5 weeks PFC and no visible growth of any type.  I am trying to be patient but if  I don't see anything soon, I will really begin to worry.   I shaved my head to about an 1/8th of inch to have a wig made out of my hair.  I lost about 90% of my stubble.   I have Biotin but have not taken it because I read several people said they had to stop it because they were having surgery.  I had my port removed last week and I am having a hysterectomy next week (BRCA1+).  After that, I can start taking it.  I am starting to really have hair envy.  One thing that is really hard for me is the lack of control.  What will my hair look like, what color will it be, will it be curly or straight, etc..?  I know you all have or are going through the same questions.  Thanks for all your posts and experiences.

  • Lilah
    Lilah Member Posts: 2,631
    edited May 2010

    Issymom -- be patient!  I did not even start to see 5 o'clock shadow on my scalp til I was around 8 weeks PFC... now have about one inch of dark brown (no grey) straight hair!  It takes time... I know how you feel :)

  • Issymom
    Issymom Member Posts: 27
    edited May 2010

    Lilah - Thank you for words of encouragement.  It is good to know I am not alone with the slow hair.  I had a "end of chemo" party on Saturday.  A friend who finished chemo at the end of March (a month ahead of me) for Ovarian Cancer, was topless with a really cute hairdo.  It was about an inch long and stikey but so incredibly soft.  Several people who didn't know her asked me who the woman with the sassy short hair was. 

  • Lilah
    Lilah Member Posts: 2,631
    edited May 2010

    LOL Issymom... well sigh that sucks that she's so far ahead of you!  I forgot to mention that I finished chemo Oct 9, 2009 and only NOW have about an inch.  It would be longer by 1/2 inch (I think) but I did get a trim a few weeks ago... which made my hair look MUCH neater (though shorter).  My five o'clock shadow showed up around the first week of January :)

  • Shrek4
    Shrek4 Member Posts: 519
    edited May 2010

    I have a question, I am sorry if it was asked before, but this thread is so long, it's hard to read all, and the search function didn't really bring up the results I was expecting.

    Does the hair keep falling throughout the chemo treatment? Or is it a thing of the "after the first treatment only"?

    I am asking because my hair had started falling the 12th day after the first treatment. in the 14th day, it started falling more noticeably (about a handful every time I would comb it). So I decided to buzz it off. I am now on the 20th day after the first treatment, andif I rub my palm against my scalp, there is plenty of hair there, there is no bald area or even areas with thinning hair. It is true it doesn't seem to grow anymore - my hair used to grow close to 3/4" a month, I had to do my roots every three weeks - it's the same as it was a week ago. Will I lose more of it? when does it stop falling?