Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Hi Ladies!
I'll be starting chemo on Wednesday and I already cut my very long hair (down to below my bra strap) to my shoulders in preparation. Once I start losing hair, I'll get hubby to give me a buzz cut.
My question is that I'm going wig shopping tomorrow, and I would love your opinions. Should I get a really good wig that is similar to thehair I have now, or get a few, cheap, funky wigs? Any other suggestions are greatly appreciated.
Citrine
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Citrinetiff, you are smart and brave to cut your hair and wig-shop ahead of time. I think only you can make that decision, and you can't make it until you try on a few wigs and see what you think. Are you working, so you might need to look the way you do now for professional reasons? Or are you in a position where that doesn't matter so much? The good news is that the funky, fun wigs can be pretty inexpensive, if you wanted to get one of each.
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rainnyc, thank you! I wanted to have some control over what will/is happening to me, so cutting my hair is a small thing that I can do.
No, I am not working during my treatments, so I don't have to worry about looking "professional". I'm going to take your advice and try on a few wigs and see what I like.
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Citrine: I think it depends on YOU. I went for one very nice wig that looks almost identical to my real hair. I am 5 months PFC and I figure I will be wearing it for another several months. For me, I wanted to draw as little attention to myself as possible. Do you like being the center of attention?
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Citrine- I got a wig that had bangs. That way if you loose your eyebrows you can hide it easier if you aren't wanting to paint them on. It was a piece of advice given to me by a friend who had just went thru chemo. Was glad I had bangs.
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Donald Trump has accused Hillary Clinton of wearing a wig. (As if there's something wrong with that?!) I saw her speak tonight, and though she had a lot of styling product going on, that was her real hair.
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Citrine...try a bunch on. Then decide on 1 natural and 1 wild woman. I chose not to do wigs...I mentally couldn't do the concept of either fake hair or someone else's hair in my head. I have about 20 hats and scarves....Now I almost have Jamie Lee Curtis hair.
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Citrine, - My wig was the closest that I could find to my pre-chemo hairstyle. It was 1/2 synthetic and 1/2 real hair. I lost my hair a week before my daughter's wedding and wanted to look as much like 'myself' as I could. It looked very realistic!
After the wedding, I didnt always wear it though. I often wore bandana or baseball cap instead.
My hair grew in, but is very thin, so I recently purchased a less expensive, synthetic wig that is shorter and lighter color which is more like the 'new me' that I can wear now and then.
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thank you, everyone, for the great suggestions!
I do not want to be the center of attention so I may get something closest to my current shorter hair. I may change my mind once I'm trying wigs on, and I'll let you know what I decide.
Again, thank you
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I went with a solution like Trvler's: a wig that was as much like my hair as possible. I also didn't want to draw attention to myself.
Ironically, at first I was very uncomfortable with the idea that the wig didn't have any gray in it. I'd made the decision to go gray naturally before BC, with DH's wholehearted support. Now I'm not so sure, as my new hair has significantly more gray.
Citrine, let us know what you decide!
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Eight months post chemo. It is at the hard to control stage, but it is hair!
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I am great with hard to control hair. If I do not have texture cream on mine it stands straight up. My 8 year old granddaughter says I should do it in a mohawk
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Was anyone's scalp itchy after chemo? I'm 3 months PFC (posted picture a couple days ago) and have a nice buzz cut level of new hair but from time to time my scalp really itches. I had hives from the taxotere but they're mostly gone. Anyone else feel this itching and, if so, what did you do
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Jabe...mine itched a lot until my hair really came in...about 4 months after chemo. I am 6 months out now. I use Bobbi Brown cleansing oil on it and I only wash it every other or every 3rd day. With winter in Wisconsin my skin is always dry the Arimidex makes it desert dry.
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My scalp itches sometimes. I, too, am treating it with oil (I'm using 100% jojoba oil) and only shampooing my "hair" 1-2x per week. I condition it daily, though.
I've noticed that on a day following an itchy day, there's more hair there. So I'm going with that.
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I also get the itchy scalp. I think it's partly just the bone-dry winter air. I've been using a little more conditioner, and that seems to help.
Still can't tell if my new hair is curlier than the old or not. I've always had wavy--but not curly--hair, with a bit of frizz. But it's hard to tell yet if there's more curl than previously. Patience, patience.... Not.
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wow italychick love the volume!
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DeeRatz- your hair is really growing !! How many weeks PFC? I am 10 months PFC and it came in thick and curly. Thank goodness. Biotin helps!
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PMR53-I am 13 weeks PFC. It is getting kinkier every day. The curls are coming. I think mine is thicker than it was before chemo too.
Yesterday I went to a hair place. I wanted a product to gently color my hair. I didn't want a harsh dye. I don't want to take any chances with it breaking or falling out again. I bought a product called Revlon Nutri Colour Creme. It is a tinted conditioner that you leave on for a few minutes. It did darken my hair and covered the grey. I am going to use it for a few days in a row and see what kind of results I get. I feel like I look 55 not 45
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Italychick - that is some thick lush hair:) -- mine has that same level of waviness now, instead of the poodle curl, a wee bit longer but my hair is finer.
Interestingly, I initially came back quite grey and although a lovely shade, I was soooo not ready -- I dyed it blonde streaky which was my former colour [mother nature helped with highlights], and now my part line and underneath is growing out AND it is much darker light brown with only minimal grey .... probably like it was before ..... so it seems the grey is a transitory stage
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DeeRatz, I have dyed my hair three or four times since chemo ended, no issues. I did an overall dye and then have been doing root touch ups. In about a month, im going to go to the hair salon and let them do the dye job
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Italy, your hair is beautiful!
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Thanks! It is pretty soft too, which is what worried me about dying it, that it would cause damage. So far, so good!
This picture is after I tried using a flat iron with some success. Eight months from chemo, I will take it!
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Definite flat iron success! You look great, Italychick.
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I had my hair cut for the first time post chemo yesterday. Last chemo was 12/29/2014, so I'm just over a year out. I wish that I'd cut it sooner. I had very frizzy ends, and now that they've been trimmed off, my hair looks much smoother. Still working on learning how to style wavy hair after having pin straight hair my entire life.
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Italychick: You look great! Your hair is beautiful. I colored mine yesterday for the first time since chemo. It was NOT a success. Fortunately it is a temporary no-ammonia dye which is supposed to wear off in a month, so I will wait (impatiently) and try again. Just a little warning to those of you who are gray for the first time: your gray hair may take the color differently from your not-gray hair. And it may not come out the same color as the box....0 -
Hello all...as regards surprise or not so surprise gray hair. Before BC, I colored my hair, so I wasn't sure how "gray" I was. When my hair started coming in PFC, it was very gray and I was really disappointed because this was my chance to stop coloring my hair. What I found was that the first growth of hair is generally damaged, its texture and color is off. I wanted out of the wig quickly, so I opted for regular shaping sessions with the stylist which also helped rid me of the damaged, gray hair faster. I still have some gray hair, but not as much as I thought I was going to have. Take heart!
MsP
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Patty—I don't think I ever congratulated you on finishing up with the Herceptin!! Yay for you!! Glad to hear your hair is growing faster now! My last Herceptin is next Friday!!
MinusTwo—you suggested not coloring for awhile…how long do you think? Like a few months, or until you see the damaged hair changing to the new hair? Does the damaged hair fall out or just start growing differently? Like the ends may be curly and grey, then smoother and darker (wishful thinking) closer to your scalp?
Here's my eyebrow pencil recommendation…and it's NOT expensive. Rimmel eyebrow pencil. I use 2; hazel and dark brown. My tip is keep the pencil sharpened very sharp so you can draw very fine lines. I sharpen it at least once or twice every application (so it's a good thing they're cheap since they don't last that long with all the sharpening!)
Rainnyc—I am like you with the hair…so wishing I could ditch the wig and love my super short do. I will wear my wig at home…even if I am alone!! I took it off one time to show a couple of my girlfriends how much had come back. They were like, "OMG sooo cute…it looks like Halle Berry…" Umm, no. No it's not cute to me and it looks more like Kramer's hair than Halle Berry.
Theresa…OMG you have the thickest hair! At least it looks that way! Good job with the flat iron!!
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DeeRatz- I didn't notice any damage coloring mine with ammonia free color. It made me feel better as my hair grew in it came in all different colors and lengths. I have gotten several trims for shaping and it had gotten the frizzy chemo ends off.
Italychick- looks great! Very pretty color.
I know it's hard to wait for hair to grow but it will get there!!
I am staying short I think!!
Patty
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Citrine…here is MY wig advise! Oh shoot…I see that you've probably already gone wig shopping. Well anyway…when you go shopping again...if it's one of those places where you sit in a chair and they put the wigs on? You can NOT just put a wig on and think you're going to like it right away. I was feeling hopeless saying "NO" immediately after each wig was placed on my head. You really have to play with it and style it with your fingers to get some idea of what it will look like, and be prepared to cut it a bit. I bought my first one at a wig salon (because the lady was so sweet and patient with me) then I started ordering online and saved a ton! But beware…the pictures with the models wearing the wigs often look NOTHING like the wig when you get it! That's why some sites like wigs.com have pictures of actual customers posting pictures with their reviews…very helpful. OR if you find one you think you like, just google the name of it and you will likely find someone giving a YouTube review and you can tell a lot that way.
My first wig was a lace front wig that I really did like, in a length similar to my real hair. Then this summer I bought a cheap short one just to wear to play tennis. Well, that one became my favorite! I am not kidding; I will get a compliment on my "haircut" every single time I go anywhere!! (My real hair never looked this good!) So you don't always have to spend more to get more.
If you know the wig you want, I would recommend this site: www.namebrandwigs.com They have the best prices and SUPER SUPER fast shipping!
Lorie
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