Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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I was skeptical... they told me it was heat intolerant! But steaming it while combing through it WORKS! The youtube video shows exactly how to do it. I have 2.. one long that i quit wearing because it had gotten so yuk, and one short that i have been wearing a while. I was thinking of getting another one untill I saw this! i did both wigs last night and the long one is beautiful again!! Silky smooth! It takes out all those frizzy balled up hairs!
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I think the newer hair was slightly less grey and the ends were more grey, Sloan. I don't seem to have the wirey grey hairs but I had them before chemo so I assume they will come back at some point. I have (had) very thick hair and every so often some would fall out and the regrowth would drive me nuts. i did have a bunch of those short, wirey grey hairs then.
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Sloan, thanks for giving me hope! I am five weeks post-chemo and only have stubble that just started over the weekend. I'm also 50, and wonder how much gray will show up in the mix!
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Hi Peachy-
Welcome to our community! We hope you find this to be a source of support and encouragement as you continue on your treatment plan. We're glad you've joined us!
The Mods
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Sloan, Why do you hang your wig upside down to dry? I need to wash both of mine, but am afraid they will look awful and I cannot afford to buy new ones! Grow hair, grow!
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Mysunshine - I must have said it wrong. I put the wig on an "upside down vase." The wig is normal, but the vase is upside down. I was afraid to wash mine, too. Try getting the ends of the back wet, and see what it looks like when it dries. Mine is synthetic, so it dries exactly how it was made. Some of the "real hair" wigs require you to use a blow dryer and curling iron. (If I used a curling iron on my synthetic wig, it would burn up! haha)
Let me show you a picture....
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Put luke warm water in sink with 1 tablespoon of baking soda. (Some women use 1-2 drops of ba y shampoo, but baking soda removes odors.) Add wig and swish around gently. Rinse wig. Gently comb with wide-tooth comb. Set on vase (or anything wide enough to hold wig) and put in bathtub to drip dry. When dry, do not store it on a wig holder or vase. Keep it folded like it came in the box so the elastic doesn't get stretched out.
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Peachy - I'll try to post another picture next week so everyone can see the difference between week 10 and week 11. Seriously, though, I didn't think my hair was going to grow. At weeks 6-8 I only had stragglers! Then, my scalp looked darker one day, and the hair started coming in within a week!
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I have special shampoo for my synthetic wigs and they wash fine. I have a wig stand and I just put it on that...a plastic one, not a styrofoam head - needs to have air circulation. I have wigs that have 30% natural hair that I am supposed to be able to use regular shampoo on but I just used the synthetic wig shampoo. I was worried the first time but they come out great. Having said that, I had a donation of 62 wigs for a charity and washed them all in regular shampoo and hung them to dry on a hat display stand....they came out great too - I brushed every one of them so I know! Not so sure I'll buy more of the special stuff for my own now! I put the shampoo in the sink with warm water and swished the wigs back and forth gently, then rinced really well. I patted dry in a towel then put on the stand.
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One of the batches of donated wigs hanging to dry
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CatRus - Oh my! That's a lot of wigs! You must be a woman of mystery with all those changing styles! I went with a reddish-brown wig and thought I was living on the edge. haha!
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I just want to say that last Christmas I was bald. This year I am actually contemplating what style I want now!
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Sloan15, I have four wigs of my own, all pretty much the same colour just slightly different lengths. So not so mysterious lol. The wigs in the photo are part of the 62 that I washed and then they went to a charity and were sent as part of a package of humanitarian aid to a cancer hospital in Cuba.
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I wash the human hair wig in warm (not hot) water with a little bit of shampoo. Wrap it in a towel to get rid of the excess water. Work in conditioner starting from the ends--not the scalp--using my fingers first, then a wide-tooth comb. Let it dry on the wig stand. I usually don't bother styling it other than gently brushing it out before I put it on.
Synthetic is basically the same but with cooler water--think baby's bath.
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Catrus - That is really neat that you send them to charity. I always wished I were in the medical field so I could donate my time to free clinics. When I'm through with this rollercoaster, I'll donate my time to a local org helping women get free mammograms. I think this experience makes all of its want to lesson the shock or grief or suffering of others.
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Sloan, Thank you! I was thinking if I dried it upside down, it might look pretty funny! I am going to wash 2 of my 3 wigs. My third one, I have barely worn. I will let you know how they turn out.
That is great to do that, Cats!
Shetland, good to hear that one day we will not need wigs! I will say that it makes getting ready to go out really easy!!!!! However, I would prefer my own hair!
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thanks ladies, but the thanks should go to the charity, the ladies who donated their lightly used wigs for the benefit of other women, and the wig boutique where I bought my wigs (with insurance) - she takes the donations for the use of women with no insurance, however, as the Canadian Cancer Society now supplies one new wig to women who don't have coverage, the wig boutique had an over abundance. When I happened to mention in the course of conversation that I helped out is charity with shipments of humanitarian aid, she sorted out a bunch to donate. DH and I washed and delivered them. The wig boutique also loaned me the hat display stand to help with the drying. The owner is awesome
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oh and yes, I use aconditioner too. I have a spray on conditioner that I use as soon as I put them to dry.
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I wanted to let all of you know that your hair will be back. It is so hard to wait and look in the mirror everyday to see if it grew! My Chemo was done last March!! I finally stopped wearing wig in October. At 8 months PFC I finally feel like I have a purposeful hair Doo. I have had it trimmed 3 x. It's still curly. I have to get it blow dried professionally but here is picture. I put some highlights in too. This is with 2 of my grandkids.
Hugs to all of you!
PMR53
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Thanks, PMR. What a beautiful picture! You all look so happy.
3 months and one weeks PFC: I have about an inch all over. It's coming in a bit wavy, maybe a little straighter than before, but it's hard to tell yet. Definitely grayer than before, but more brown than it appeared at first. Longer on the top than in the back, so it's rather a shame I'm not inclined toward punk styles.
I'm letting myself take a real look in the mirror once a week, or I'd be looking for progress approximately once an hour!
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Thank you Rainy. Last summer I wore a Visor or my wig . I had more hair on top too it was slower growing on the back of my head. . It became very uncomfortable and started to cause headaches the longer my hair grew. I have never had short hair so it's hard to get used to. The good thing is it's Winter!! Wear a hat and by next Summer you will have a full head of hair!!
))) I am hoping that my hair will start growing faster now that Herceptin was completed last Monday!! What a journey. I am happy. I survived a year of 4 surgeries, chemo and a bald head. I am not the same person. I wake up each day and thank the lord I am alive. Plus my grandkids make me smile and I feel blessed. PMR53
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Beautiful picture of you and the grandkids!
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PMR, What a beautiful photo!
You look wonderful and the children are adorable!(I do not have any where near as much hair. Although I have had 2 haircuts to even things out, my hair is very thin on top, and i dont think the top is growing any more.
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Thank you Sloan and Nyc- I feel like posting this picture will give hope to all the women just finishing up chemo. I never thought I would get there. It's not the same hair for sure, but it covers my head!!
PMR53.
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PMR53, I agree......great hair! Mine is coming in longer in the back than on the sides and top.
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Beautiful, PMR! Very encouraging!! Your grandkids are adorable.
It's crazy how our hair goals change from "controlling frizz and wave" to "have enough to cover my head!" When I reach that one, I swear I will never complain about frizz and wave again!
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PMR53: You look great! And the grandkids are very cute.
Washing wigs: I fill a plastic basin with cold water and a squirt of wig shampoo. Swish wig around and let it soak for 10 minutes, then rinse. Don't twist or wring. I press it gently on a clean white towel, then spray with the leave-in wig conditioner and put on the wig stand. They are dry by morning. The short wig (looks just like yours, Sloan15!) I style with my fingers. The long one I use a wig comb. I'll post a photo soon. [Have not yet washed the blue wig, need to do that and pack it away for next baseball season.]
Iit is 3 1/2 months after my last chemo session. My hair has grown back to a short gray crewcut, sort of! It's very soft, thin and straight, which is funny as my original hair was thick and extremely curly. Wonder how it will end up? I was hoping the gray would go away, but nooo.....
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Hooray for hair! 17 weeks PFC and I've had compliments on my haircut! People are taken aback most by the gray. I had colored my hair for about 15 years, so didn't know what my natural color was anymore. I think I'll keep it!
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Theycallme.....You look great! I am 20 weeks post final treatment and do not hsve that much hair! Good for you!
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Theycallme...you look lovely! When my hair starts growing out, I think that is the type of look I am going for. After having hair that I could sit on for over 45 years, I am finding that just jumping in and out of the shower and being able to be ready in five minutes is somewhat liberating
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