Hair Hair Hair - Another question
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Nana--I haven't changed my shampoo/conditioner at all. I really don't think it matters. I've read various things about when it's okay to color--some women are told six months, some are told they have to wait until regular hair grows (at first it's fine baby hair), and some go ahead with a natural-based color (like from Whole Foods, I think) whenever they feel like it.
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Meowmmy65- WOW fantastic look ! Love those glasses, they were made for you!!
Nanna8890
I didn’t cold cap, and I was completely bald until hair started to sprout on Taxol. I hit my lid a couple of times only with Nioxin to stimulate follicle and then I used Avalon Organics Thickening Shampoo. I used the conditioner too! I really liked the ingredients in it to stimulate growth. And it was very inexpensive !!
Once I hit the 5 1/2 month mark I went to my hairstylist to color my hair but it was repelling color. Of course my virgin hair color was much darker than I remember and I was shooting for a copper red that came out like rust! I was so upset. I think a lot of the ladies on this topic have mentioned how chemo hair can repel color!!
So my friend and I took matters into our own hands with Naturtints from Whole Foods. Love that product and nailed the color perfectly. Even my hairdresser said” you put me outta business “. I still use that color to this day.
I used a lot of different products on my hair but I made sure I stayed away from sulfates, silicones, parabens and phthalates. When my hair was just sprouting I used a spray- in leave in conditioner.
I also used castor oil regularly which everyone will gang up on me and say it has no research behind it that it sprouts hair, but I never have had this thick of hair since maybe when I was in my twenties. It’s a monster. I continue to use it on my eyebrows and lid to this day.
Good luck to you; grow, grow, grow!!!
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I was using a caster oil potion before cancer. I just used shampoo for the first time today. My liquid body wash is real mild stuff. I might start using the caster oil potion soon. I luxuriate with the feel of quarter-inch hair sticking straight up. Wondering what it is going to be like. might be whiter.
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MCBaker, congratulations for your first shampoo wash! I had mine a few weeks ago and was a great hit to me. I have 3 taxol to go and just crossing my fingers to not drop it again!
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I had my third TCHP last week, I’ve lost about 60% of my hair (I did have very think, corse hair) and had my husband buzz it after my second treatment. I don't appear to be losing any more and I swear the hair I have left is growing? I am not cold capping. Anyone else run into this? I haven't lost my eyebrows or eye lashes yet either. Will I continue to lose my hair for the next three treatments?
Thanks
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Gonnabeathis:
Who knows? We have nasty weather coming, it is going to switch from rain to ice/snow at 8:00 tonight. Are you willing to gamble on that?
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MCBaker,
Sorry, it was a question about experiences others may have had with their hair, not the weather. Not sure where your response is coming from,,,,????..
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Gonnabeathis:
I was on a different chemo 8 rounds ACT I lost the majority of my hair after the first 3-4 sessions. My eyebrows and eyelashes stayed until I was completely finished with chemo then they started to fall out. I never full lost all of my brows or the outer corner eyelashes. I'm a little over 4 weeks post in my final chemo. I'm starting to see tiny eyelashes and eyebrows growing back. No new growth from my hair on my head, but what didn't fall out - really random strands scattered all over my scalp is growing decently long.
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Predictions about this are like predictions about the weather.
I was on Taxol/Herceptin. My scalp got very tender about four cycles in. I went to a barber for my last haircut because I figured he would be more honest. He told me that I had a lot of bare skin showing. I borrowed a friend's shaver, and took the rest off. Soon after, it started growing back, even though there were still some tender spots. My last two chemos were March 7 and March 18. I had a break because of an infection and low immune system. I am now enjoying hair that is about 3/8 inch long. It is growing straight out from my head, and is nearly all white.
I have very few eyebrow hairs and fewer eyelashes.
Your experience may vary.
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Thanks poisedandpink
I’m prepared to lose it throughout the process but the growth of what I have is surprising. I know my sisters both lost all of their hair after their 2nd chemo (different protocol) so I was expecting the same. And from what I’ve heard, Taxotere is one of the worst for hair loss.
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Please please. I am so confused. What is the best product out there for promoting hair growth? I am so confused. I have seen so many products on this thread. I just don't know what to try. I want to buy everything but that won't work. I am only a month out of chemo and my head is full of the thin fuzzies. I had beautiful thick hair before BC and it wasn't grey. Looks like grey is coming, but that's okay because I hear it can eventually go back to my old color.
Thank you
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Thin fuzzy and white is how it started coming in.Then is went more noticeably dark.
Honestly this varies from person to person so much but in general color changes and textures are super common.
Like my hair was mostly straight with a slight wave and a light brown pre-chemo. Post chemo very dark with abundant curls. 16 months post chemo the curls are as strong as ever. Who knows.
I say pick a shampoo that is sulfate-free, no parabens etc with good natural oils in it. I used Avalon Organics Biotin thickening shampoo. Not expensive but has some very nice ingredients in it !
I doubt there is one BEST shampoo. But just ones to stay away from. Just don’t get into minoxidil!
I used a light spray in conditioner too. I stayed away from as much chemical as possible. And massaged my lid periodically with oils!
Good luck good to hear you are sprouting so quickly after chemo. I know how exciting this can be.... grow grow grow!!!
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Thank you so much for your timely response CBK.
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So, pre-chemo I had been regularly coloring my dark brown hair to cover grays. Since it grew back, it’s been solidly brown- no coloring. (I finished chemo in 11/2017). I had diep reconstruction on April 1. Suddenly I have some gray coming in the front. I joked with my PS and he says it may have been the shock of 8 hour surgery on my body. My hair used to be straight and is wavy now- that doesn’t seem to be changing post surgery. Go figure!0
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hello ladies! Just finished chemo. Next is surgery than radiation. My oncologist recommended trying castor oil for hair , eyelashes and eyebrows growth. Anyone have luck with castor oil? Also thinking of trying generic of Latisse which is less expensive. I’d appreciate any input, thank you!!
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I was doing castor oil before for hair. I don't know about lashes, but will try brows. Will be resuming soon.
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I did nothing for brows or lashes and they grew back pretty much the way they were before, within a couple months of finishing chemo
I'm about 9 months pfc and my hair is now a wavy mullet
I can't decide whether to pixie it short or just keep rocking the mullet until it can be bobbed. 0 -
Castor oil my favorite. I slathered that stuff on my bald head and brows. Grew in thick full and curly.
I used on my brows too! You may want to add some essential oils with it. Rosemary is one that is highly touted to encourage growth. As per a fellow board member suggests higher up on this thread.
I still use one a week on my lid overnight. I cut with another oil since some versions of castor oil are so thick they are almost like maple syrup consistency.
I’ve struggled with my lashes but I have not been using castor oil on them religiously.
Ha... the mullet, Moth! My hair guy has trimmed my back twice to help me lose that look, even though I’m begging for my long locks back!
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Essential oils are also important because castor oil, even 50/50 with olive oil, does not smell very good.
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McBaker
My Haitian black castor oil smells. Honestly I think any organic castor oil has a better consistency and doesn’t smell at all. And I feel like I grew just as good if not better on that.
I like to cut Haitian black castor oil with Amla oil. Organic plain castor oil I would just place on its own it’s lighter in weight.
Ohh the castor oil. You have not failed me yet.
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Here is another thing which will help regrow your hair (and nails). https://www.healthysmoothiehq.com/blueberry-gelatin-protein-smoothie
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Hello,
Last chemo was November 2018. My hair is growing back (which I am so grateful for!) but i am struggling with the gray color it is. I feel so vain talking about this part of my cancer journey - I am healthy should be my main focus....I have always gotten blonde highlights and whenever I look in the mirror now I don’t know this person staring back at me. I’m 51, and trying to embrace my gray....not working so well. The texture is so different, someone described their hair as “the pelt of a dead rodent”, thats pretty much how I feel.
My oncologist said to wait 6 mos before coloring and to use vegetable dye. I cannot find anything like this. I have seenthe Naturetint brand and am curious if anyone used this brand and is it really vegetable based?
Thanks.
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Is just a tought but you can try natural henna powder and search in google how to use it. Henna can't hurt you and maybe you can get a bit red reflex. Don't use so much, just a bit. Good luck!
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CPB, I can relate. Losing my hair has been the most traumatic part of chemo so far. I'm sure surgery will surpass it but right now I look in the mirror and see a stranger looking back. My hair has shown some growth on Taxol. Probably less than a half inch, all blonde and extremely soft. MO said it's not permanent. I'm 56 and have been coloring my hair for 20 yrs. I'm not even sure of my natural color at this point but I know there are grey hairs there. Waiting 6 months to color is going to be tough and I haven't found any all natural hair colors either. I may just continue to wear my wig till I can find something that works for me.
I think for me it's the normalcy I miss most since being diagnosed. Every little bit of feeling normal helps. I even purchased an all natural self tanner from Amazon because of how pale I've become on chemo. Looking healthy may not be the "real" me right now but it makes me feel better mentally and that's important to me.
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CPB - lol the pelt of the dead rodent - that's really how mine looked too! Though my family kept saying I looked like a silver backed gorilla...I love gorillas so that was sort of almost a compliment.
I did my hair at 5 months and the biggest issue was the hair repelled treatments. It was so short at the time that I couldn't do highlights so we did an all over color, using a 'natural' product in a really expensive salon. Idea was to lighten a few shades lighter than the ashy dk blonde + grey that it was coming in. instead it turned a really bright orange! Then the stylist had to use some bleach on it to try to take that out. We ended up on a really yellowish weird color. I posted about it here in Dec 2018. I wished I'd not done it.A couple weeks after I just kind of embraced it, used purple shampoo & conditioner on it liberally to keep the orange brassiness down, and then when the roots started growing out, I convinced myself it was looking edgy and trendy. Now it's a total sort of curly mullet mess and I can't decide what to do with it. The roots are longer than the yellow. It's finally long enough to highlight with foils so I might do that but I can't decide on how to cut it.
anyway - long story short - hair post chemo is filled with chemo chemicals and does weird things when you try to color it so be prepared for odd results. I read on this thread that this is an awfully common problem. Overall, I'd still do it because as weird as it was - & totally not the look I was wanting - it actually did make me feel better once I got over the omg, my hair is yellow shock0 -
CPB
Yes!! I turned to Naturtints when my hair was repelling color after chemo. I was going for Copper red and ended up with rust at my hairdresser!
My friend and I hit it a couple times with naturtints and I got the most beautiful vibrant copper red. To this day I still use this product. And I get compliments on my color all the time, including from my hair dresser. Great product!
I know it’s a very mild product because you can only lift color a couple shades at a time but I’m not entirely sure of ingredients. It literally has no smell or burning sensation on scalp. I love it!! Barely fades like most red colors!!
I buy on Amazon in 6 packs so much cheaper than at retail.
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I was waiting impatiently for my hair to straighten a little, which I was pleasantly surprised started to happen about eight months PFC. I’d been keeping it super short because the chemo curl was driving me crazy. I also had regular highlights in my hair for years and don’t recognize the woman in the mirror. Just yesterday I called a salon to make an appointment for cut and color, although not until the end of June. I think my hair will be about 2” long then, too short for highlights. They’ll do a single color, which I’ve never had in my life, but anything that can brighten it up will improve my mood. I also really don’t know how to grow it out—I guess some shaping/trimming around the sides and back? I keep telling myself a year from now I bet I’m feeling a lot better about my hair (but staying patient is hard!).
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I'm about 2 weeks PFC. My hair is now like a very very short pixie. My onco nurse said that I still can loss it. I hope to not. Did it happen to anybody you know?
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Yndorian
I have not heard of anyone losing head hair AFTER Taxol. I've heard of people losing eyelashes and eyebrows post-Taxol. I sprouted hair on Taxol and it stayed!!!
Sounds like you have a great start on growth!!
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