Does hair ever become normal again?

cahjah75
cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
in Breast Cancer #1
I'm 6 1/2 months post chemo and my hair is white, frizzy and barely 1" in length. I see onc on Thursday and plan on asking about when it's safe to color again but also how long does it have to be.......... The only nice thing is it's easy to take care of but always looks like a bad hair day. I bought shampoo and conditioner at Whole Foods that has biotin in it that promotes healthy hair. However, I'm on Arimidex that can cause thinning hair. A girl just can't win!
Char
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Comments

  • myungclas
    myungclas Member Posts: 2
    #2
    me too!
    I'm one year post chemo, and I finally have some volume and length (thought not much!) but it came back poodle curly! In the humidity that is Dallas summer, it is quite the frizzy fro. I'm hoping someone replies to your question with good news...or a product name...or something! My friends all say the curl is cute, and I'm with you on the easy to care for thing, but...
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #3
    I'd trade color
    When I was about 6 1/2 mths out of Chemo I had probably about the same length as yours. I was so hopeing that it would come back grey/white - but no such luck. The very few hairs that were grey came back colored again so at 64 I'm stuck with hair that is as dark (almost black but not quite) as it was all my life. I get accused of dying it even though I don't - it's just how it grows naturally. But then I just take after Daddy's side of the family - nobody on his side of the family ever really got grey even in their 90's - Mom's side on the other hand everybody did young - she was greying in High School.

    It's as thick as it ever was too - just grows a bit slower.

    Check with your Dr but you should be OK to dye it if you want to.

    Never had curl or frizz either - it's just barely wavy like it used to be.

    Susan
  • Gabe N Abby Mom
    Gabe N Abby Mom Member Posts: 2,413
    #4
    myungclas said:

    me too!
    I'm one year post chemo, and I finally have some volume and length (thought not much!) but it came back poodle curly! In the humidity that is Dallas summer, it is quite the frizzy fro. I'm hoping someone replies to your question with good news...or a product name...or something! My friends all say the curl is cute, and I'm with you on the easy to care for thing, but...

    Check out a book called
    Check out a book called Curly Girls by Lorraine Massey. It's got really good protocols for taking care of all kinds of curls, including chemo curls.

    I hope this helps.

    Hugs,
    Linda
  • cahjah75
    cahjah75 Member Posts: 2,631
    #5
    Gabe N Abby Mom said:

    Check out a book called
    Check out a book called Curly Girls by Lorraine Massey. It's got really good protocols for taking care of all kinds of curls, including chemo curls.

    I hope this helps.

    Hugs,
    Linda

    Thanks Linda
    I'll look into it.
    Char
  • Punkindo
    Punkindo Member Posts: 113
    #6
    Not sure...
    Someone I met told me that their hair finally went back to "normal" after about 2 years. That means I have a year to go :)
  • Ticky
    Ticky Member Posts: 117
    #7
    Punkindo said:

    Not sure...
    Someone I met told me that their hair finally went back to "normal" after about 2 years. That means I have a year to go :)

    First perm
    I just got my first perm and it has been almost five years since my last radiation. My hair was straight before chemo. After chemo it was curly, then wavey, then back to being straight. The ameridix didnt seem to cause my hair to be any thinner but I have always had very thick hair.

    Good luck with finding a solution for your hair concens.

    Hugs,

    Ticky
  • renee616
    renee616 Member Posts: 181
    #8
    Hair!
    Char,
    My hair is growing after coming off taxatere 8 days ago. It started growing a few weeks ago. my hair is about 1/2 inch to an inch in places...MOSTLY white and feels like wool! I like to rub it and its so nice lying in the tub and not feeling the coldness on a bald head! I want to color asap too but I don't want to discourage the new growth!
  • renee616
    renee616 Member Posts: 181
    #9
    Rague said:

    I'd trade color
    When I was about 6 1/2 mths out of Chemo I had probably about the same length as yours. I was so hopeing that it would come back grey/white - but no such luck. The very few hairs that were grey came back colored again so at 64 I'm stuck with hair that is as dark (almost black but not quite) as it was all my life. I get accused of dying it even though I don't - it's just how it grows naturally. But then I just take after Daddy's side of the family - nobody on his side of the family ever really got grey even in their 90's - Mom's side on the other hand everybody did young - she was greying in High School.

    It's as thick as it ever was too - just grows a bit slower.

    Check with your Dr but you should be OK to dye it if you want to.

    Never had curl or frizz either - it's just barely wavy like it used to be.

    Susan

    Thats so not fair Susan! I'm
    Thats so not fair Susan! I'm 47 and my hair so far looks stark white! Stupid Cancer!!! I ordered dark! Somebody mixed up my order! :(
  • mollyz
    mollyz Member Posts: 756 Member
    #10
    renee616 said:

    Hair!
    Char,
    My hair is growing after coming off taxatere 8 days ago. It started growing a few weeks ago. my hair is about 1/2 inch to an inch in places...MOSTLY white and feels like wool! I like to rub it and its so nice lying in the tub and not feeling the coldness on a bald head! I want to color asap too but I don't want to discourage the new growth!

    I was on taxotere and my hair did start coming back in on that my last chemo was January 28,2011 so I'm 4 months out and i have about 2 inches and it's wild if i don't put some kind of gel activator on it, then it curls all up pretty but i really don't like it,i want a nice style my onc. said i could dye it I think I'm going to do that and not perm it just let it be natural I can't deal with the grey mine came back with a lot of grey also. MOLLYZ
  • KathiM
    KathiM Member Posts: 8,028 Member
    #11
    6 years....more hair than I know what to do with....
    But then, during treatment, my hair kept trying to come back each time. Got to 1/4 inch, then fell out....annoying...

    BUT it is NOT the same hair I had!!! I was greying before cancer...and not very gracefully, I might add!!! Now, it's dark, with a 'flash' of beautiful white...I LOVE it!!!

    At 6 months, mine was also white...decided to have wash-in color done to turn it blonde...then, when the dark started, I ended up with gold 'tips'....it was great! Now, the blonde is gone, but what fun!!!

    Be patient, it will be back...I also have very fine hair on my face and back, but my doctor said that it was like when I was a newborn...my hair follicles started over...

    Hugs, Kathi
  • Double Whammy
    Double Whammy Member Posts: 2,832 Member
    #12
    KathiM said:

    6 years....more hair than I know what to do with....
    But then, during treatment, my hair kept trying to come back each time. Got to 1/4 inch, then fell out....annoying...

    BUT it is NOT the same hair I had!!! I was greying before cancer...and not very gracefully, I might add!!! Now, it's dark, with a 'flash' of beautiful white...I LOVE it!!!

    At 6 months, mine was also white...decided to have wash-in color done to turn it blonde...then, when the dark started, I ended up with gold 'tips'....it was great! Now, the blonde is gone, but what fun!!!

    Be patient, it will be back...I also have very fine hair on my face and back, but my doctor said that it was like when I was a newborn...my hair follicles started over...

    Hugs, Kathi

    Oh, I hope so!
    I'm probably the worst person to answer this, but I sure hope it gets back to normal. I'm now 9 months post chemo and my hair has grown - there are places where it's probably 2" long, but still very sparse and fuzzy. Not "normal" hair. I don't have enough hair to color but it might look better with some color. A friend told me that her sister did not regain all of her pre chemo hair thickness and texture until two years after chemotherapy, but she did. I'm holding on to that story. This is certainly not what I expected.

    Suzanne
  • wndringmnd
    wndringmnd Member Posts: 44
    #13
    Double Whammy said:

    Oh, I hope so!
    I'm probably the worst person to answer this, but I sure hope it gets back to normal. I'm now 9 months post chemo and my hair has grown - there are places where it's probably 2" long, but still very sparse and fuzzy. Not "normal" hair. I don't have enough hair to color but it might look better with some color. A friend told me that her sister did not regain all of her pre chemo hair thickness and texture until two years after chemotherapy, but she did. I'm holding on to that story. This is certainly not what I expected.

    Suzanne

    chemo effects never seem to end
    We ladies very paatiently put our time in with our chemo treatments, and now it seems like chemo treaments have come back to bite us in the butt again. I am only 2 months free of chemo treatments but one of the things I was really looking forward too was getting my hair back. Prior to chemo it was waist length and blonde and wavy. Now it is coming in jet black, whats the deal with that? I only have about 3/4 of an inch but is for sure black. and my scalp is itchy too. I'm not sure why unless it is more hair growing in? Any ideas? I have been using a dandruff shampoo thinking it might help, and then rincing it out and then following up with a baby shampoo, maybe its just too many chemicals...
    Marilyn
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #14
    wndringmnd said:

    chemo effects never seem to end
    We ladies very paatiently put our time in with our chemo treatments, and now it seems like chemo treaments have come back to bite us in the butt again. I am only 2 months free of chemo treatments but one of the things I was really looking forward too was getting my hair back. Prior to chemo it was waist length and blonde and wavy. Now it is coming in jet black, whats the deal with that? I only have about 3/4 of an inch but is for sure black. and my scalp is itchy too. I'm not sure why unless it is more hair growing in? Any ideas? I have been using a dandruff shampoo thinking it might help, and then rincing it out and then following up with a baby shampoo, maybe its just too many chemicals...
    Marilyn

    My hair came in really dark,
    My hair came in really dark, and my hair was light, that color that happens to blondes as they age. hiar was stick straight and is curly although as it grows it is becomeing more wavy. I colored my hair at 7 months. My hair is collar length now after 3 trims it has been
    almost a year and a half. I use frizz shampoo and conditioner from sephora and morrocan oil. I tried numerous products before this and these worked the best. made it a pretty curl instead of a chia pet.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #15
    wndringmnd said:

    chemo effects never seem to end
    We ladies very paatiently put our time in with our chemo treatments, and now it seems like chemo treaments have come back to bite us in the butt again. I am only 2 months free of chemo treatments but one of the things I was really looking forward too was getting my hair back. Prior to chemo it was waist length and blonde and wavy. Now it is coming in jet black, whats the deal with that? I only have about 3/4 of an inch but is for sure black. and my scalp is itchy too. I'm not sure why unless it is more hair growing in? Any ideas? I have been using a dandruff shampoo thinking it might help, and then rincing it out and then following up with a baby shampoo, maybe its just too many chemicals...
    Marilyn

    My hair came in really dark,
    My hair came in really dark, and my hair was light, that color that happens to blondes as they age. hiar was stick straight and is curly although as it grows it is becomeing more wavy. I colored my hair at 7 months. My hair is collar length now after 3 trims it has been
    almost a year and a half. I use frizz shampoo and conditioner from sephora and morrocan oil. I tried numerous products before this and these worked the best. made it a pretty curl instead of a chia pet.
  • Norma53
    Norma53 Member Posts: 11
    #16
    fuzzy hair
    I am 11 months out of chemo and am not taking any hormone blocker. My hair came back very grey,thick and curly. I look like a chic pet. I have had 3 hair cuts and dyed my hair 4 months after chemo. I am not dealing with out of control curly hair. Everyone is different. When my hair first came out it was baby soft and straight then it took a turn. My out of control hair seems to be a constant reminders that I had cancer. Good luck with your hair and recovery. Norma
  • Annette 11
    Annette 11 Member Posts: 380
    #17
    Char
    I was wondering the same thing so I asked my onc. The hair follicles are very effected by the chemo as we know from it all falling out. I'm hoping the Nature Maid super vit.B's that he told me to take will help my slow growing hair to come in faster. I am 7 months post chemo and it growing around the ears fast but the bangs and back of my head (also about 1") is so slow and yes it is wavy and curly. After washing it the other day I put a knit cap on until it dried (which takes about 15 min. here in s.w.) and that did help alot. My bangs were very straight! I believe you can color after 6 months.
    Annette
  • Rague
    Rague Member Posts: 3,653 Member
    #18
    Other than 'head' hair -
    basically none to very little has come back in the 17 mths yrs since last Chemo. No hair on arms or underarms - really didn't expect any on the side that burned so bad due to the scar tissue but none on other side either. The few on legs that have come back are very soft and light. 'Nether regions' probably about 1/4 has come back and is softer/finer and lighter.

    Susan
  • dyaneb123
    dyaneb123 Member Posts: 950
    #19
    Rague said:

    Other than 'head' hair -
    basically none to very little has come back in the 17 mths yrs since last Chemo. No hair on arms or underarms - really didn't expect any on the side that burned so bad due to the scar tissue but none on other side either. The few on legs that have come back are very soft and light. 'Nether regions' probably about 1/4 has come back and is softer/finer and lighter.

    Susan

    2 year hair
    I have a photo on expressions at 6 months growth, my photo here is at years growth taken last summer, and I just posted a new pic from now. The hair on top grew very slowly, sides and back , very quickly. I've had it cut and styled a couple of times because it is thinner and more fragile then it used to be.But its interesting to see the progression.
    Dee
  • Marcia527
    Marcia527 Member Posts: 2,729
    #20
    Mine did.
    Mine came back curly at first and then wavy and then just as straight as it always was. I think it took it a year to return to normal. Now 7 years later it's still just like it was. Thick and straight.
  • smalldoggroomer
    smalldoggroomer Member Posts: 1,184
    #21
    I had salt and pepper before
    I had salt and pepper before chemo ( maybe a little more salt LOL ) I am 6 months out from chemo and my hair came back white so I colored it. But other wise it is just like it was before. It is about 3 to 3&1/2 inches long I am going to have to get it shaped pretty soon. I was told it would come back different ( NOT ) I have always had very thick wavy hair and that is exactly how it came back. I was hoping for a little straighter LOL. All I know is I am so happy it's back..

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