Memorial Weekend Wig Removal

BMS
BMS Member Posts: 127
in Breast Cancer #1
So, the weather in the DC area is getting to our summer normal - 90 degrees, sticky, hot and humid. With my hair beginning to grow back - slowly - I think this will be the "Ditch the Wig" weekend!

Question - how long after your hair started growing did you stop wearing wigs, hats, scarves, etc.?

Bonnie
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Comments

  • MAJW
    MAJW Member Posts: 2,510 Member
    #2
    I went...
    Wig free 5 months after my last chemo..short, short and curly! I was sooooooo glad to ditch the wig! It made me feel " normal" again...I always wore my hair short anyway...not that short though....lol

    Congrats on going wig free! It's yet another milestone in this long journey..

    Hugs and enjoy your bare head!
    Nancy
  • jessiesmom1
    jessiesmom1 Member Posts: 915 Member
    #3
    Going Topless
    I grew up in the D.C. suburbs so I know all too well what you mean by "sticky, hot and humid." I now live in Northern California about 45 miles south of San Francisco. It is usually not sticky and humid but can get hot.

    My last chemo was in August 2010. I started going without a wig/hat/scarf consistently in February - so 6 months post chemo. By that time I had enough hair not to look ridiculous and perhaps most importantly, it was warm enough. I have learned that bald heads are cold. There is no right or wrong way to go about this. You just have to do what you feel comfortable with. Like MAJW said, this is definitely a milestone moment. Enjoy.

    IRENE
  • mamolady
    mamolady Member Posts: 796 Member
    #4
    2 months
    Once the patchy bald spots filled in. Still really short but not patchy anymore. The warmth is the biggest factor. It is too warm most days to wear much. If it is chilly I start the day with a hat but usually loose it as the day gets warmer.
    Cindy
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #5
    I went topless
    I went topless after 6 weeks. After 6 1/2 months of wearing something on my head I couldn't stand it anymore. There were a couple of spots that needed a little more thickness, but I was done with the scarves. Funny thing was it was December 15th in Colorado when I did it.

    Enjoy the unveiling.

    marge
  • NJMom10
    NJMom10 Member Posts: 176
    #6
    I'm thinking the same thing
    I'm only 4 months post chemo and I have very short, maybe 3/4 inch, thick, gray hair now. I look a lot older because it's all gray and I always dyed it before. But the heat is making this wig annoying now. I told my daughter that if we go into New York City this weekend she will have to go with a woman who looks a little more like her grandma than her mom. I figure no one knows me in the city so I'll just look like a very distinguished gray haired woman!
  • patti anne
    patti anne Member Posts: 101
    #7
    the last treatment
    The last time I wore my wig was to my last chemo treatment. I hated the wig, even though it did look like my original hair. I just wore hats or nothing. At that point I didn't care that much. I'm in Northern VA, so I know you are hot today!! I vote for ditch the wig!! :)

    Patti Anne
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #8
    patti anne said:

    the last treatment
    The last time I wore my wig was to my last chemo treatment. I hated the wig, even though it did look like my original hair. I just wore hats or nothing. At that point I didn't care that much. I'm in Northern VA, so I know you are hot today!! I vote for ditch the wig!! :)

    Patti Anne

    I ditched the scarves 6
    I ditched the scarves 6 months after chemo, it was short and kind of weird at the temples, but i was too hot. Nothing happened, nobody fainted or pointed so it was all good! My point is I think we are more self concious than we need to be go for it, be proud!
  • linpsu
    linpsu Member Posts: 747
    #9
    5 months
    I ditched the wig 5 months after the end of chemo - my hair came in really curly and I got it colored, highlighted, and spiked. It was cute, if I do say so myself! It is going back to straight now though. I was hoping I'd keep the curls. Linda
  • poplolly
    poplolly Member Posts: 346
    #10
    I stopped when the hair was
    I stopped when the hair was like a little grey cap close to my head.
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #11
    poplolly said:

    I stopped when the hair was
    I stopped when the hair was like a little grey cap close to my head.

    Bonnie I've been topless for
    Bonnie I've been topless for three weeks now. Last chemo was Jan. 7th and I am sporting a pretty thick 1 inch spiky hair do... (colored back to blonde of course) LOL

    Lorrie
  • EllenaMaria
    EllenaMaria Member Posts: 69
    #12
    butterflylvr said:

    Bonnie I've been topless for
    Bonnie I've been topless for three weeks now. Last chemo was Jan. 7th and I am sporting a pretty thick 1 inch spiky hair do... (colored back to blonde of course) LOL

    Lorrie

    Like jessiesmom my chemo
    Like jessiesmom my chemo ended August 2010 and I ditched the wig in Feb. My hair was about 1.5" short. It was straight, dark ( I am normally dirty blonde) and very wirey. Not curly at all, just looked fuzzy. I had it trimmed and colored. Unfortunately it turned really orange. It has since grown out a good 1.5 inches since, yep roots came in dark! I decided to color my hair like my wig. Dark underneath with lots of blonde highlights. It should be easy to maintain the highlights. I figure if I am going to be stuck with dark hair I should make the best of it.

    So many suggested I do the spikey think but it is so not me. I have used a tiny curling iron which has worked nicely. The style is really cute but again it is not me. I am 45 but the style is very matronly for my spirit. Everyone keeps asking me if I am going to grow my hair out. Helloooooooo, of course. I had literally just found the perfect length and cut for me when I got my diagnosis. Really peeved me to lose my hair. So of course I am growing it out. I really wish I could do the spikey thing but like I said it is just not me.

    So give it up, ditch that thing!
  • BMS
    BMS Member Posts: 127
    #13
    patti anne said:

    the last treatment
    The last time I wore my wig was to my last chemo treatment. I hated the wig, even though it did look like my original hair. I just wore hats or nothing. At that point I didn't care that much. I'm in Northern VA, so I know you are hot today!! I vote for ditch the wig!! :)

    Patti Anne

    Northern VA
    Hey, Patti Anne...I am in NOVA, too! Hot weather kicking in and I am ready to go topless. Today I came into work wearing just a cute ball cap. My hair, as you can see from my picture, is still filling in, but I am ready to ditch the wig.

    Thanks for all the stories. I'll keep you posted!

    Bonnie
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #14
    Bonnie
    I stopped wearing hats last month. My hair is very gray and about 1/2" long. And did I say very frizzy! I'm in CT and it's going to be a hot weekend.
    {{hugs}} Char
  • CAchick
    CAchick Member Posts: 277
    #15
    You look cute!
    Hi, I had my chemo in Fall of 2009, and then radiation in spring 2010. Finished rads in early March, and hair was slowing growing in, but I kept working the whole time, so I wore wigs (had three of them). About April of 2010, it was getting too hot for the wigs (I live in Alabama). So, I came out of the wigs in mid-April. I was really scared and sort of self conscious, but people at work were supportive. You are lucky, you have such a pretty face! You go girl!!
  • Heatherbelle
    Heatherbelle Member Posts: 1,226 Member
    #16
    Bonnie -as soon as i had
    Bonnie -as soon as i had that "5 o'clock shadow" of hair on my head, i quit wearing head coverings. If you look under my expressions, there is a picture of me with my 2 daughters at Christmas, that was when I started going "topless".
    *hugs*
    Heather
    ps-it's SUCH a wonderful, familiar feeling, isn't it?!
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #17
    Heatherbelle said:

    Bonnie -as soon as i had
    Bonnie -as soon as i had that "5 o'clock shadow" of hair on my head, i quit wearing head coverings. If you look under my expressions, there is a picture of me with my 2 daughters at Christmas, that was when I started going "topless".
    *hugs*
    Heather
    ps-it's SUCH a wonderful, familiar feeling, isn't it?!

    How did it go?

    How did it go?
  • BMS
    BMS Member Posts: 127
    #18
    carkris said:

    How did it go?

    How did it go?

    Felt Great!
    I have done away with the wig! I bought a couple of cute hats that I have started wearing, which are cotton and way cooler than the wig. And I even went swimming this weekend, which meant, going completely topless! The hair (everywhere) is growing pretty quickly now. Bummer...I got used to not shaving my legs!

    Bonnie
  • butterflylvr
    butterflylvr Member Posts: 944
    #19
    BMS said:

    Felt Great!
    I have done away with the wig! I bought a couple of cute hats that I have started wearing, which are cotton and way cooler than the wig. And I even went swimming this weekend, which meant, going completely topless! The hair (everywhere) is growing pretty quickly now. Bummer...I got used to not shaving my legs!

    Bonnie

    And the armpits and the chin
    And the armpits and the chin and the eyebrows... LOL
  • VickiSam
    VickiSam Member Posts: 9,079 Member
    #20
    butterflylvr said:

    And the armpits and the chin
    And the armpits and the chin and the eyebrows... LOL

    Liberating --- no doubt!
    I found ditching my hats, scarves and ball caps -- freeing. I walked PROUDLY sporting my short buzz do -- my badge of honor --. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs -- I am a Breast Cancer - SURVIVOR! I did mention those very same words, whenever someone stared at me at the store -- or having dinner ..

    You GO Girls --- !!!

    Strength, Courage and Happy rapid hair re=growth,

    Vicki Sam
  • iaelituuao
    iaelituuao Member Posts: 19
    #21
    BMS said:

    Felt Great!
    I have done away with the wig! I bought a couple of cute hats that I have started wearing, which are cotton and way cooler than the wig. And I even went swimming this weekend, which meant, going completely topless! The hair (everywhere) is growing pretty quickly now. Bummer...I got used to not shaving my legs!

    Bonnie

    went naked/ wigless

    My last chemo was Oct. 29,2010; on mothers day 5/8/2011 I went wigless. I had wavy/curly hair before BC; my hair grew back salt and pepper and straight, so I dyed it dark brown; it is about 2 1/4 inches long and loving it.
    Hair everywhere is growiing pretty quick that I had to shave my legs and underarm....bummer.

    Iaeli

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