Post chemo hair!

[Enigma54]

My hair is startling to return ( even though i’m on permanent chemo now) and it’s so hideous, I could cry! My once long dark naturally curly hair, has been replaced with short grey wirey hair, which you could scrub a bloody pan with.

I want to dye it, but unsure which dye would be suitable, or even if I should ask my hairdresser to do it. Or just wait until it’s a bit longer and see what happens?

Chemo ladies, how did you manage your new hair?

Thanks..

Hello, congratulations on your new hair! I'm nearly six months post chemo and have the length of a pixie cut. Like you, mine was dark & curly. It's now a mix of white & dark which actually gets a lot of compliments. I would urge you not to dye it. Stick with it. I'm using an organic baby shampoo and nothing else as dyes etc are just too harsh. You may be surprised at how quickly it will grow!

It's the final bloody insult isn't it?! The dodgy curls and texture will grow out it, just takes time. If you're connected to a Maggie's, maybe give them a call as they'll probably know of a hairdresser with experience in chemo regrowth. That's definitely worth investigating. A lot of women just keep on using wigs until they're through it. I carried on with scarves and hats but my re-growth was mostly through autumn/ winter so that helped. I hope you find something that works!

Thanks. I’m hoping it does grow a bit faster now. Maybe I will hold off the dye for a while longer, to give the hair the chance to strengthen a bit. Mine is a mix of light and dark too. Unfortunately I don’t recognise myself!

I hope you are doing okay health wise now?

You are right, it’s a pile of crap! I hate this “ new “ hair with a passion and am
jealous of just about everyone’s hair!!

The worst thing is, the chemo did sweet FA for my cancer, so I lost my hair and got to keep my tumour!!!

Suppose I will find a way through it all. I will be patient and not look in the mirror.

I feel your pain. Am a little under two years post chemo and I am still in the 'I fucking hate my hair phase'. In a way, I almost miss being bald. (I hated wearing a wig and scarves, and found embracing the boiled egg look easier than I thought it would be.) I had no idea how difficult it would be to regrow it. I feel like I've had a permanent bad hair day since day 10 of my first cycle of chemo.

I chose not to cold cap in the hope my hair would grow back white and straight. Instead, it grew back even curlier, even thicker (I have a double crown!), and although it's a little silver at the front and sides, it's mostly the colour it was pre-cancer. Sadly, I can't even blame the dodgy texture or curls on regrowth, it's my natural hair, something I spent most of my adult life straightening it but thanks to another chemo gift - peripheral neuropathy - I can no longer do this. It's also too tiring to do to. As it's so curly, it grows upwards, at least the top does as it's still not long enough to weigh itself down. I haven't so much as succumb to having a trim as yet and I mostly wear it pulled back into a top knot or get someone to put it into two corn rows/plaits.

Good luck OP with whatever you decide to do. Enjoy having hair again! 💐

Btw, I should have said that your hair will likely change as it grows. Mine was like yours for the first 3-6 months, and once to a few inches, it started to darker/resume its natural texture. Maybe at the end of summer it will be time for your to have a trim. Either way, it's decidedly unlikely your hair will remain the colour and texture it is now!

@doublec it’s a bloody headache, isn’t it?! One the one hand, I’m weirdly grateful for a covering of hair. On the other hand, it’s hideous! I mean I do have naturally curly hair anyway, but it was long and lustrous. This is short, fuzzy, wirey and stupid! Yes, mine is growing upwards too. I hope you are right. By the end of August, I will book in for a colour and trim.

Thankyou @doublec And how are you health wise now?

I feel your pain ! Im
eight months post chemo and mh lovely long hair came back looking like my grandmas in a lovely shade of steel grey 😭 however I was introduced to Daniel Field products specifically for chemo patients. The hair dyes are all free of harsh chemicals etc and are really gentle on post chemo hair, I now have lovely chestnut brown hair which looks much nicer .
www.danielfield.com/

I've had chemo, nearly 20 years ago. My hair used to be wirey and wavy. It came back with lovely baby curls, but for only 2 months. Now its fine and mostly straight. Wait for a couple of months before deciding what to do with it. At least hair is returning on your head. What about other places? Mine hasn't come back all over. No hair on/under arms, hardly any on legs etc. I'm cold mostly, rarely too hot.

Don't panic, as everyone is saying, your hair will get back to normal in a few months. I kept mine very short for a while as it was also very wiry and curly, but it did go back to its fine, slightly wavy self eventually.

The hair follicles have been damaged by the chemi but will sort themselves out soon 😍💐 Well done on getting this far

It is good to hear your hair is coming back. A chat with your hairdresser first is absolutely the right call as they can assess the condition of your new growth and suggest whether a gentler option might be better to start with.

I think you are right. Last thing I want to do, is kill my new hair. I must nurture these little strands, so I will chat to my hairdresser next week. She has definitely worked with post chemo hair
( along with fitting and cutting wigs etc).

@Enigma54Thanks, I'm doing better. Just about to start radiotherapy. Hope you are doing ok too.x

I'm 8 years post chemo, where I lost all my hair.
I remember being so excited to see the first fuzzy white growth, only for it to become coarse in texture.
It's such a rocky and emotional hair journey.
Everyone is different, but for me it took around 6 years to get my original colour and texture back.
It went through many stages, from fuzzy new growth to coarse and wavy, to thinning, to slow growth and eventually back to (near) normal.
I definitely wasn't prepared for it to take so long, and my eyebrows never fully recovered, but you will get there x

I'm 8 years post chemo, where I lost all my hair.
I remember being so excited to see the first fuzzy white growth, only for it to become coarse in texture.
It's such a rocky and emotional hair journey.
Everyone is different, but for me it took around 6 years to get my original colour and texture back.
It went through many stages, from fuzzy new growth to coarse and wavy, to thinning, to slow growth and eventually back to (near) normal.
I definitely wasn't prepared for it to take so long, and my eyebrows never fully recovered, but you will get there x

I didn’t lose mine but the texture of what grew during chemo was visibly dreadful.

My hairdresser was very strict - she made me wait 3 months after chemo for a cut, then cut almost all of it off to remove the damaged hair (I have it short anyway so not as bad as it sounds) and then made we wait another 6 weeks before she would dye it.

I found it quite frustrating and wanted the timescale speeded up but with hindsight it was absolutely the right choice. By the time I’d had the 2 haircuts it felt and looked a million times better!

Best of luck with your radiotherapy. I hope it goes well 😊

Thanks for sharing. I lost my hair 16 years ago and don’t remember the “ road to hair recovery” being so rocky. I suppose it must have been. It came back dark ( as was my original hair colour) and it seemed soft. This is course, grey and horrid.

Oh well, nothing I can do, just got to wait and be patient.

I’m glad your hair has made the journey, you’ve done well. My eyebrows are also a bit ragged. Not sure what they are doing! 😱

Your experience has somewhat filled me with hope! I think I’m losing patience and wanting to get my hair “ sorted” because it’s the one thing I can control (cancer is active and incurable)

Your hairdresser sounds like she knows her stuff ( think mine does too) and now your hair is in much better condition.

I’m sorry to hear about your diagnosis. I imagine that’s not easy to come to terms with.

I felt a lot of the same frustration, in particular about having such a visual reminder of my illness. But I’m glad that I listened to the hairdresser and waited.

I have not had cancer but lost a lot of hair through stress and also became allergic to hair dye. I have now found one that I am not allergic to. It’s a home dye though I think they do have a salon. It’s Daniel Field Hair Clinic based in New Barnet. I had a free 10 minute appointment online face to face with them. They sent me a sample to test for allergies. I have been using the dye for a few months now and they specialise in helping women who have had chemotherapy. They were so brilliant and really caring. I can’t recommend them enough it’s £15 per dye and it’s a water based colour. They also sell perfume free organic shampoo and conditioner.

https://www.danielfieldclinic.co.uk

Realise that you had already posted @Rockschooldropout but pleases to read about another Daniel Field clinic fan.

I was pleased with my hair post chemo. It had been straight, mostly grey/white (I am old 🙁) and had become weak - inclined to break off at about shoulder length. The new growth - same colour but lovely soft curls and is stronger, it's at least 2 inches longer now than it would grow before. The curls are disappearing, sadly, but I am hoping the added strength remains.

Thankyou for sharing your experience and Daniel Field dye. It’s funny because I was looking at his website today and came across the watercolour range! I have no clue what colour I would go for as my current hair is more salt and pepper colour and original hair was a very dark brown (tanned skin) I might give them a call. Thanks again, much appreciated.

I really hope your strong hair remains. It’s funny because you just don’t know how the hair will return, do you?