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Post Chemotherapy hair

14 replies

Skap · 30/06/2020 14:18

I finished chemotherapy in December and my hair came through at first white and fluffy. I clippered it off at the beginning of lockdown so what I have now is "proper" hair with some of my old colour and some grey.
But it's not my hair!
My hair was very, very straight and fine, always flat. This is different. It's now about 2 cm long and the sides are straight but the top is weird. It's not curly but it just stands on end. So the top and sides are like different kinds of hair!
I have coloured it so that's not so bad but I don't know how to deal with hair that isn't curly and yet doesn't lie flat Confused

Post Chemotherapy hair
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Fluffycloudland77 · 30/06/2020 14:55

It looks like my dhs hair texture.

If it’s just had such a huge shock/trauma as chemo I’d just eat as healthily as possible, take b vitamins if your dr says it’s ok & wait. Hopefully it will remember itself.

Trouble is stress is really bad for the body and it’s a very stressful time at the moment.

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NoBloodyFighting · 30/06/2020 15:11

It looks quite funky from what I can see OP, can you get some styling wax/gum and have a play round with it? Pinterest for ideas?
Agree re stress being so terrible for hair but worth clearing with GP if you can take some supplements- biotin/bamboo are good, and scalp massage. Hope you're on the mend Flowers

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ZaraW · 30/06/2020 15:48

My hair came back darker after chemo and a lot curlier. I just embraced it with clips and headbands until it got longer.

Hopefully, it will get straighter.

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Juo · 30/06/2020 16:06

I'm fine now, not stressed and eat very healthily.
I'm so grateful that I lost my hair over winter and didn't have to wear wigs / hats / scarves in hot weather.
DH likes it and I do like it very short, I'm just not used to styling hair with a mind of it's own! I will definitely keep it short in the long term.
I have never used much in the way of products - will try some wax / gum type things.
I wonder whether it will actually curl when it gets a bit longer? At some point surely gravity will win Grin

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Skap · 30/06/2020 16:08

Ha. Name change failure!

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Dreamersandwishers · 30/06/2020 16:18

Hi Juo / Skap, mine started off looking like yours but as it has become longer it is really curly . I used Fast shampoo / conditioner / hair mask on it for about 6 months ( which was about 2 bottles worth of each in reality) then I switched to sulphate free for curly hair. A year on and it’s still curly as heck. It was, at best, wavy before.

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MrsArcher23 · 30/06/2020 16:46

Hope you are all doing ok post chemo.
A very dear friend had chemo last summer and he used to have lots of lank, very straight hair- it has now grown back in a Monty Don style curly top with no sign of return to his original hair.
Hopefully, as yours grows Skap you’ll find a way to style it to your satisfaction.

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Skap · 30/06/2020 19:25

Thanks for all the tips folks.It's quite bizarre because during chemo I lost most of the hair on the sides and kept a fair bit on the top - yet it's the top that is most changed.
@MrsArcher23 yes lank very straight would describe my old hair.
It looks like I'm going to have to get used to a new kind of hair routine. I'll start with some different products. I'll also dig out some hair clips.

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Trumpton · 30/06/2020 20:28

Mine has come through much the same as it was before . I buzzed it again on no.6 this week to try and get the chemo fried ends off . But I think it will need cutting again as the ends still don’t feel right . But mine is definitely trying to curl as it was before .
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CherryPavlova · 30/06/2020 20:31

Mine was curly initially and much darker but settled back to previous wavy and lighter after a while.Just takes time.

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Skap · 30/06/2020 22:32

I buzzed mine twice as I figured no-one would see me anyway in lockdown Grin, I should probably have left it the second time as it would be considerably longer by now! Yours looks very similar to mine texture wise actually, at least you've had previous experience of curly hair!

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ceecee32 · 30/06/2020 22:39

Mine is growing all in different directions. It's coming back really dark grey where I was brown before.

One side is growing forwards, the top upwards like yours apart from a small bit at the front which is going sideways. And I have a tuft that sticks out over one of my ears.

Praying for curls and at least dont have to worry about when the hairdresser opens

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Skap · 01/07/2020 11:20

@ceecee32 Yes to different directions!
When it first came through pure white I thought I could live with that but then it went a steely grey mixed with brown. I used to be blonde .
I actually tried to dye it pink but that didn't work so I used a nice n easy temporary colour which I'm happy with.

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barberousbarbara · 01/07/2020 16:45

I'm 3 months out of chemo and mine is a mixture of much darker and grey. It's also growing in all different directions. There is curly hair in the family but my hair has always been very fine and long, so unable to hold a curl. It will be interesting to see what happens.

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