so this is a minor thing, but how do you manage the transition from “I have no hair” to “I have a normal amount of hair”. I have a good covering all over, but its still very short - and reallly spikey on top. Its just getting long enough to look straggly round my ears, but seems silly to cut it at this point. And very expensive given it woud take about 2 minutes. Its just odd looking!
And how do I “style” it? I havent had short hair since I was a child, but will probably keep it short now…
Bringing this post to the top for Kess.
Jo, Moderator
It’s tough but time is the best remedy. I had my last chemo in Feb 2013 and did not go wigless till July 2013 when I had a covering. I did resort to a gentle dye which made my sparse hair purple. As it grew I really struggled to do anything with it. Over time it has improved but it is still difficult to manage and not long enough to tame. I have curly frizzy hair and just used lots of conditioning products to try and make it behave. I now have just about enough to stick a kirby grip in the front when it gets really mad looking.
Yesterday I caught a glimpse of the back of my head in M&S changing room mirror-a complete bird’s nest.
I did have a haircut a few months ago in the hope some of the drier hair would be removed. Waste of money.
Sorry I’m not being much help. I am however very very glad to have hair and I can actually grab it into a bunch at the back-yipee! I will never have a swishy pont tail though.
One thing that has helped me has been taking pictures on my laptop to chart the changes-this in itself is very encouraging.
Afternoon Kess
I think managing the hair after treatment is much like everything else…much higher maintenance than before!
I finished Chemo Feb 2013 and went wigless July 2013. My own hair was auburn with some grey very thick and long. Following treatment it came back white with the texture of a pan scrub… so i do think generally it grows back curlier, my hairdresser said that it is because the hair is struggling to grow through damaged follicles which makes sense and some follicles then get two hairs… I have had my cut / tidied about every 4 - 6 weeks which has improved the texture and the look. To be fair the hairdresser just charged for the colour for about twelve months, i now pay for the colour and cut. I used FAST shampoo and conditioner originally which i think helped (some people would disagree) also i now use Argan Oil or Moroccan Rose Oil products which again i think have helped it look normal by softening the frizz / curl.
I think i am probably now left with hair as it will be for the future, it is very thick, course and remains white but i have it coloured with a vegetable colour and keep it short and neat.
Hope this is helpful, Take Care Gilly x
I also had long hair pre diagnosis. When I eventually took my wig off, I decided to have it coloured pretty much straight away. I was in the hairdressers for 5 hours in total, because the dye kept coming out as orange! I can laugh now, but I wasn’t at the time, I was crying! Eventually it was toned down loads, and I was shown how to give it a little volume with some “putty”. This I found was really easy, you just rub it in your hands and run it through your hair with your finger tips. I used this for months, because i found it kept the hair in a sort of style,swept back at the sides,and a bit of lift on top. I look back at photos now and it actually looked ok, I was just self concious because I wasn’t used to short hair, but I realised that when I looked around it’s a very popular style! On the plus side my hair was thin and straight before, now 20months after diagnosis my hair is thicker and wavey! I wonder if it will stay like this?
Hi, I’ve been going to my husbands barber and he trims it for me to keep it in a nice shape while it grows, I think it’s a number 4 he gives me, he also shapes it round my ears and neck so it looks like it’s a proper haircut and not just left to grow as it pleases. Mine has been growing faster on top than on the sides so this means it looks all the same length. It also only costs me a couple of pounds which is another bonus! Helen