This is my first time on the forum. After Chemo, Mastectomy & Radiotherapy I am trying to get my life back to some sort of normality although its hard to remember what normal is!! I lost my long blonde(not natural) curly hair and it has started to grow back but is a horrible brown/grey colour. After seeing my breast care nurse and getting the OK to dye my hair, I tried earlier and absolutely nothing has happened!! Its been six months since my last dose of chemo, just wondered if anyone out there has got any advice.
Hi pumpkin
I actually went to the hairdressers today to have my hair coloured, she used a veg based colour I was told not to use chemicals as the hair is very new and could be damaged.
hope this helps
Linda
x
Hi Pumkin,
I have been going to a hairdresser that specialises in chemo patients. Like you, I had blonde (though I knew grey really!) hair.
Mine has grown back about 14 shades, grey, brown, you name it! Its not just the colour I hate but the quality is really coarse and wiry. I tried putting in '‘wet look’ gel to make it more smooth, but it just didnt take at all.
The hairdresser advised me against dying this hair, which he rightly calls “chemo hair”, as he says it doenst take colour well - sounds like you have just proved his point…though I have been really tempted to try a home dye just to see…
More importantly, he has suggested that I come in to him every 6/8 weeks for a cut until the chemo hair is gone and my normal quality hair comes through - then he will colour that hair. I’m probably looking at Christmas for getting to where I want to be. I have no problem wearing it really short but just want to be blonde again!!!
I would love not to wait so long, still wear the wig to work, but I am taking the view that this hairdresser has huge experience of chemo patients (that is all he does) and I am going to take his advice and go with it. Its not a money spinning thing as I paid a fixed price at the very beginning, including my wig, and in theory I could go in every week if I wanted to.
Hope this helps,
Katie
Thanks for your comments. However I think the colour of my hair is the least of my problems really. Am on Tamoxifen, will be for five years! Have got nausea, splendid hot flushes and joint pain. Had MRI scan during rads cos concerned about spread to bones. Luckily this is not diagnosed but I have arthritis in spine and shoulders excelerated by chemo. It seems that one thing is replaced by another. On painkillers but haven’t slept soundly for about 6 months. Is this normal?
Mines came back really soft and silver. I had been dyeing it for 25 years prior to diagnosis as I started going grey in my early 20s. I was a coppery brunette. When I asked the hairdresser what I could go to if I wanted a colour I was told I would need to go to one of the blonde or fair shades now for proper coverage. None of the colours would suit me so I’ve decided to stay silver and the hairdressers told me to leave it as they think it’s great - my OH does too and it’s like a blank canvas as I can now wear really bright colours I couldn’t get away with before like orange.
I got rid of all the makeup I had pre BC and bought new stuff that suited better - I wore browns before but I now look better with muted grey/pink/lilac tones.
Hi Cherub,
I would love soft and silver - mine is more toilet brush/brillo pad and too many shades in there! Just for my added pleasure, noticed that my eyebrows have thinned out again (finished chemo in April). Eyelashes had come back in a great way but thought they had thinned a bit too. I know its probably only me that notices these subtle changes but still v annoying!
Still, had lunch today with an old friend whose husband is undergoing scary treatment for colon cancer, made me remember how lucky I am.
Katie x x x
Katie, you might find if you leave it a bit longer your hair will get a lot better. I had to initially use smoothing gels for blow drying the chemo curl straight and I also bought cheap hair straighteners. I’ve been getting mines trimmed every 5 weeks since January and all they horrid wiry stuff has gone now.
Know what you mean about your friend’s husband, when you meet people who are going through a much harder time it really makes you appreciate things doesn’t it? My OH bowls with a guy who has had a cancer that’s come back 4 times, yet he leads a very active life and works f/t. He just gets on with it. If only we could all be the same.
My hair is just about 1cm long(if that) all over but a little thicker on top. It feels very soft but it has come back a grey/mousey colour,(I’m usually a light ash blond) . I spoke to a hairdresser friend of mine that suggested using some coloured mousse instead of dye until the hair is longer and older. This I did and it did make a difference but it was such a faff having to put it on everyday that this evening I dyed my hair - and it’s fine. A little darker than what I’m used to but it’s a lot better colour than grey.
My thought was that if it turned out wrong or if it fell out, at least I’ve got lots of scarves I can wear…again!!
My order for thick and curly hair has been ignored and it’s come back as fine still and with more grey in…I know because the downlighters in the lift at work make it glint!
I used to be bright red and would love to go back to this but I’m only just six months on from chemo, I guess I will have to be patient?
Hope everyone is doing ok.
Dawnflower
Dawnflower, I’m only 3 1/2 months post chemo. Couldn’t wait any longer!
It all seems ok though.How about trying the non permanent dyes?
Hi all,
I am 4 years down the line after my diagnosis in 2004. I too lost my shoulder length hair, i’m naturally a light auburn colour that goes blonde in the sun, but had blonde highlights. When my hair grew back it was much much darker than before chemo and yes I could have doubled as a loo brush!! It has very gradually over time returned to the auburn colour, not to mention the extra grey hairs!! I went through another really bad patch with my hair 2 years ago due to thinning caused by menopause - I honestly could not get a brush through it, but now although still a lot thinner it is in good condition. I always had dead straight hair but after chemo it grew back curly and that took a good couple of years before going dead straight again. Things do get better girls - I promise you! I had mastectomy with immediate reconstruction, had my 2 yearly mammo check on Tues and all ok.
Hi,
I finished chemo in May. My hair has grown to about 4/5 cms. It is very thick, looks wavy but is absolutely white at the front. The back is grey. I think I look like a roman emperor!! But my son and daughter think it looks good.
Should I expect it to gain colour as it grows or do you think that I am stuck with white now?
Before it was brown with grey beginning to show through.
Margaret
Hi
I finished chemo end of Feb and I have a mop of thick iry hair which just doesnt make me feel like me . I was intersted to read katie that there are hairdressers out there who specialise in chemo patients. Whereabouts in the country are you ?
I hate the texure of my hair as its so wiry at the front. It looks like a perm growing out and I cant wait to go a bit dramatic with the colour.
Cally x
I had very thick waist length wavy chestnut hair prior to chemo.I couldnt bear to cut it short so I cut it to mid back.I hung on to it with a vengence during my 4xfec chemos but it came out in handfuls on 4xtax and by the last chemo finished I didnt have a hair on my body let alone my head! It came back very quickly- curlier and quite white.I asked at my first post chemo checkup if I could dye it and was told I’d have no problem - and I didnt.I use Naturetint which I get from Holland and Bartlett.Its paraben,resortinal and amonia free, comes in lots of different colours and is the best hairdye I’ve ever used.I’d recommend it to anyone
Hi,
I finished chemo on 26th March. I used to have dark brown hair but it has come back almost black with grey UGH! I ordered red/gold ala Nicole Kidman, but I think it got lost in the post! It’s got a bit of a kink in it but before it was as straight as a poker. It feels ok, a bit soft. I’m just pleased it’s growing. To hide the grey I’ve used wash in/wash out colour and that has been quite successful. Couldn’t find any colour mousse. When it gets longer I’m going for the Holland and Barrett stuff. Funnily enough the hairs on my legs got off to a cracking start. I was soon having to tackle them but they seem to have lost the will to live and have packed up growing. Eyebrows and eyelashes are definitely thinner - trying to find them whilst putting mascara on is no mean feat!
Love
Lynda
Hi Cally,
I am in Dublin so not much use to you I’m afraid! I would have thought there must be similar salons in the UK. They have a normal salon downstairs and a private room upstairs, it is a great idea but boy will I be happy to go back to my usual hairdresser - it will feel like I am really back to normal!
Mine is also wiry, dry, curly, everything it wasn’t. I hate it and I thought I would be so thrilled to get hair back, but hadn’t thought it would be so unattractive.
I’m going in tomorrow for a cut although its only 5 weeks since the last one. I will ask him to cut it really tight, I prefer that to the chemo curls!
I am 7 months in a wig now and the novelty has worn off, to say the very least!
best wishes
Catherine