Hair Hair Hair - Another question
Comments
-
Dutchgirl,
Yep, it grows. Seems quite fast even. As I said it didn't seem to grow, three days later I had to shave again my head as it was a stubble of about 1 mm. Even in the temples area where I thought it was thinning. 23 days from 1st treatment. We'll see how it goes with the next ones. Sigh.
0 -
After chemo teaching today, I went to the area at the cancer center where they have some donated wigs....thought it might be kind of fun to try some on....it wasn't. I made it home but started sobbing uncontrollably as soon as I walked in the door. I have a terrible headache tonight...it's only hair!!! Why is this such a big deal???? I haven't even started chemo yet! gotta get a grip.
0 -
janny - you're not alone. Hair is a big deal to most of us BC sisters. I'm a hair person and I was so upset thinking about losing my long hair. I had a pixie cut done after my first treatment...then I got the GI Jane buzz cut. It was very emotional but now I'm on the other side with my hair growing back in and it feels good. Hang in there!
0 -
Janny...we are there with you. I know...I was so upset about the hair loss. I don't understand why they cannot find a way to infuse chemo and save the hair. I would shower every day and wash my hair as gently as possible...counting down to 17 days after my first chemo, and hoping, begging, praying I would not lose my hair. I lost at least 80% of it, if not more. I was never shiny bald, but I was bald in all "reasonable" measures. I had my first chemo on 8/27/09 and by 9/17/09, my hair was pretty much gone. It starts gradually, and then clumps over 2-5 days
I remember sobbing in the shower... my hair is the one thing I had as a woman that made me feel feminine. I was able go coverless for the first time in mid March 2010 (really) with about 3/4 inch of hair (but my scalp was covered, dark...no empty skin spots). I had my first hair coloring on 4/10/10, along with a trim and ended up at close to 2 inches...I went to Coachella to party it up with my friends... I had my hair touched up again last weekend as I have had so much growth...close to 3 inches now. I hear that once we stop the Herceptin, it grows REALLY fast (I am telling you this as you are on the same treatment as me). I wish I knew how to post a photo so you could see... 
Just remember it grows back... I'll admit, I went to a party last Saturday and out of about 40 girls, I was the ONLY one with short hair. I felt like I stood out like a sore thumb, but no-one seemed to notice or care. I wasn't treated any differently. I may not "feel" as pretty with shorter hair, but it seems no-one really cares
It is difficult going out there at first...you definitely have to work more on the facial make-up... but it is doable, and gets better every week. And I would swear my eye-lashes are fuller and longer than they ever have been. I keep waiting for them to fall out again...I hope they don't, and sofar, they haven't. Regarding new hair growth... I remember picking my "date" that I fully expected to have enough hair to go topless (I picked early April...5 months PFC...which I thought/hoped would be realistic based upon all the other posters in this forum). I ended up being able to start going coverless a month sooner, in mid March
Which really surprised me. I don't know if using the Nioxin helped (used the scalp treatment, shampoo and conditioner), or the vitamins I started taking three weeks after chemo...I tend to be a cynic, but I figured it couldn't hurt and my Onc didn't have any concerns with them (I showed him the bottles). Looking forward really helps, picking a date and planning something special for yourself at about 5 months PFC is a super nice carrot. I don't know...it really helped me... now I am counting down the weekly H's! I cannot wait to get the port removed come September...that's my next countdown What's your countdown to 5 months PFC? 0 -
That's a great idea to do the hair count down to 5 months! For me that will be October 1. I do not wish time away but it will be fun to imagine having some hair to play with then.
I did the port countdown and had it removed last Wednesday. It was a lovely thing to have it gone!!
Thank you for all your great posts.
0 -
Regarding hair regrowth--I've been told I look like a french girl (by my onc!),a boy (by my kids), a trendy yoga mom (a friend's niece) etc... I don't like the short hair, but it is finally looking intentional, even if it's not my style. ( I finished chemo the week before Christmas, so I'm about 5 months out)
0 -
Hey Weety!
I really don't understand why people think short hair = French women. I am French and always had long hair!
But people are giving me the same comment as you now that I have short hair: they tell me I look more French !?!?!?
0 -
I have a French name as my husband's family is French-Canadian. With my very short 'do, I guess even more people will think I'm French now...lol
Sherri
0 -
Hi Everyone
I finished chemo in December 2009 and my hair has come back really curly and dark - I would love to know when I can safely colour it as hate being this dark (it's also a daily reminder of the cancer) I would prefer to be a shade lighter but am petrified of putting bleach back on in case it ruins it !
Debs
0 -
I would ask if there are "organic" haircolor products. I'm nervous about coloring my hair too and don't want to put any bleach products on it. I still have time since I'm in the hair loss phase of treatment.
0 -
Deborah - I did a protein treatment and colored my hair at 12 weeks post chemo and stopped wearing my wig that day. I had a demi permanent color done, which is much more gentle than a permanent. The demi just deposits color. I finished chemo on Feb. 8th and had the color done on May 7th. That was almost four weeks ago and I now have roots but I'm going to stretch it to six weeks before I get them done. If you look on an earlier page of this thread, I posted a photo of my hair.
Sherri
0 -
Hi Deborah...I was told to wait 6 months PFC for full blown peroxide or bleach coloring. I had a non peroxide wash put in my hair in March and in April my hairdresser used a cap on me to pull the hairs through (to help so that lightening agents would not touch my scalp. The result each time was wonderful. Last Saturday, May 29, I had a full blown weave with peroxide based colors (which was close enough to 6 most PFC for me!).
All is good...0 -
Back in February everybody was talking about their eye brows and how they are coming back in. I am now 17 weeks PFC and my eyebrows are coming back in very, very,very sparse, hardly noticeable.
I do recall someone making mention of a permanent eyebrow marker by a company called MAC COSMETICS... hmmm and even gave a link to the site.. when you say permanent eyebrow marker, is it that when you draw on your eyebrows/over the sparse eyebrows with this marker it stays on longer than it does with the ordinary pencil?
We have a store here locally that sells allot of MAC COSMETICS... and hopefully the permanent marker for the brows.
Thanks.. Charmaine
PS Turned the big 50 on June 3rd and here is my b-day celebration picture...
0 -
Happy Belated 50th Birthday, Charmaine! You look great! Have a great year ahead...
0 -
Charmaine....
Wish I could give you my Rimmel pencil. It has a nice little brush at the end and was just the thing when I was almost browless. Right now, mine are growing like weeds, so shaped and moved back to my YSL as needed a "lighter touch".
So worth checking, and I think Sephora carries Rimmel. Good luck. - Claire
0 -
Charmaine - in Ontario, they sell Rimmel at Shopper's Drug Mart and Pharma Plus.
Sherri
0 -
I was thinking if my eyebrows fall and don't come back to go get them tattooed.
Anyway, for organic hair coloring - concentrated camomille infusion lightens the hair, walnut (or pecan) leaves and green shells make it a chestnut brown, stinging nettles give it the "platinum silvery" look. All these are also very good for hair health.
0 -
Hello ladies,
I don't know what I can offer here except to day. I am out of chemo, was done in March. I have enough hair now to go hatless and it not be odd. It basically (for me) took a little over 2 months. It is VERY traumatizing because who wants the world to know what you are going through or look sick, people can be very very nasty and ignorant even when they are not saying anything (the stares alone) but it does grow, the Biotin supplement helps a lot. I started taking it day 1 after all my chemo was over. If you have faith and a whole lot of patience, it will come. Have a good week ladies, keep moving forward and it is all about, one day at a time. Chasinghope
0 -
charmaine
When my eyebrows were gone I used Laura Geller's eye brow marker. It stayed on all day and was easy to use. I bought it on qvc.com
you look great!
Jean
0 -
I never lost all my eyebrows with chemo but very few came back of the ones I lost. I was already eyebrow challenged and had had them tatooed years ago. I went in last month and had them re-tatooed ( the tatooing does not last on me for some reason, skin chemistry or some medication I use, is what I was told) i am sure it will fade with time and I will have to do it again. Always an option if you get tired of drawing them on. Be sure to go to someone who is recommended to you, they vary in their ability to make them natural. i talked to several people before I decided on the person, she is a nurse and is in a physician's office. Also do not go close to an MRI appointment, you have to have had it done a few months or weeks before you can have an MRI. At least that is what I was told my the breast MRI nurse when I asked her about it.
0 -
Jean: I am going to check gvc.com and thank you for the compliment.
Charmaine
0 -
Hi all,
I'm 3 months out and I can comb my hair!!!! I was taking Biotin, it really helped a lot!
0 -
Marion - thats funny about your 'French' comments! Im hearing it a lot these days too - my boyfriend told me I looked very 'Parisian' a few days ago before we went out for dinner (Im Irish!
). Lots of friends describing my short red hair as looking very French too!Congrats Charmaine on your 50th birthday, you look great in the photo!
While my hair is growing really well, Im disappointed with my eyebrows. While they have regrown and are quite thick, they have lost their colour completely. Pre-chemo, they were brown/auburn and I never had to use a pencil etc. Now, > 5 months PFC, they are almost transparent and an eyebrow pencil is a must. Anyone find this problem too? Will the colour come back at some stage?
0 -
TreadSoftly - my hairdresser said I could have my eyebrows colored to match my hair if I wanted. It's not something I'd ever considered or done because my brows are brown just not as dark as my hair. It's something to consider.
Sherri
0 -
When I used to color my hair pre chemo, I always went over the eyebrows with a Q-tip filled with hair color. They also make eyebrow dyeing kits.
Mine are growing in nice and dark, but may make the color darker once I start doing my hair again. I suspect "root touch up" would work just fine on brows. I have used it before, and you would only need to mix up a little bit.
Right now, I am shocked to look in the mirror and see brows, as they weren't there two weeks ago. In fact, I had to do some serious thinning on Sunday.
0 -
Hair question. I started chemo in early May, got two infusions completed in May, about 13 days out of my 1st infusion, 95% of my hair was gone, didn't shave my head because the length was short to begin with. I have two more infusions, one in June, other in July. Anywho, I've noticed a little bit of fuzz growing in, its not much and it looks super fine, almost delicate, is it possible for hair re-growth while still undergoing chemo?
0 -
Treadsoftly: Thank you so much for the birthday wishes...
Sherri: I went into Shoppers today and looked at the Remmel eye brow pencil and also spoke with the beautician... because I sweat really bad during the humidity and because my skin tone tends to get oily also very easily at times... this type of eye brow pencil is really not effective on my face... the beautician recommended a powder type with wax for brows from the Smashbox Cosmetics line... (bit pricey but it was nice). The beautician did my brows eye line with soft brown color powder and wax so purchased it... very small round tub of soft brown brow powder and wax to go over the brow powder and box the brush as well to put the powder on the brows..
Charmaine
0 -
Charmaine - yes, the Smashbox one is great. I used that same one a couple of years ago. Right now I'm using Merle Norman Only Natural Brow Makeup, which is similar to the Smashbox.
Sherri
0 -
Sherri: Although some what of a similarity - what do you like of the Merle Norman Only Natural Brow Makeup in comparison to the Smashbox... (this using of brow make up is all new to me) Just that my brows are really not growing in much - very, very sparse. (I lost my brows in December 2009).
The little tube of Smash Box brow makeup the Beautician said should last me a year, though I doubt it..
Charmaine
0 -
On the subject of brows, the Look Good Feel Better team at my local hospital runs a "Spa Night and Eyebrow Clinic." I went last year before I even started chemo. They gave each of us a kit -- Anastasia Brow Ex-press and showed us how to use it. I sailed through chemo without losing my eyebrows and eyelashes and then they fell out a couple of weeks later. I found the brow kit great and much more natural than trying to fill in with pencil. It also comes with stencils which work much better than trying to apply the powder freehand.0
