hair growth

madsters1
madsters1 Member Posts: 120
in Breast Cancer #1
Yay!! I'm so glad to finally be at the stage of writing about hair growth. It seems, as you all know, that we wait forever for our hair to start growing back. Well that's what I've done. Could not wait for the 4-6 weeks after chemo for the growth to begin. I guess that was a healthy way to view it, one step at a time. But, now I find myself frustrated, impatient and disappointed that after 2 months of growth time, 3 months after chemo, I have a little over 1 inch of hair. I won't even go into the fact that it's pretty gray and I've heard there's a great possibility that it will come in curly and unruly.
My questions to those of you who've gone before me are: When did you have enough hair to take off the blasted scarf? And how much hair was that? Did all of you get curly, unruly hair?
Summer is coming up and I live in the very hot desert. Not looking forward to that scarf. My kids, 12 and 8 are not comfortable with my not having hair, so even at home I have to wear it. Help!! :) thx

Comments

  • jessiesmom1
    jessiesmom1 Member Posts: 915 Member
    #2
    My Hair Loss/Growth Experience
    My last chemo infusion was in August 2010. I was as bald as an egg. I was going to say as bald as a newborn baby, but some newborns have more hair than I did. While I was inside my house whether I wore a scarf or not depended on the weather. I live about 45 miles south of San Francisco so we have a pretty decent climate. It was not until February (6 months later)that I had enough hair covering my scalp that I was willing to go out in public without a scarf or wig of some sort. My hair was VERY short but it did cover my scalp. I always felt that if someone looked at me they would wonder if I had purposely cut my hair that short. Most women -in my experience- do not have hair quite that short. I had previously had very straight hair but it came in quite wavy. That is a whole new experience for me. I would not call it "unruly." Now I rather like it. I have had about 5 haircuts and each time I am tremendously grateful that I even have hair to cut. My husband, being a baldy himself, did not care if I wore a wig or a scarf or went without a head covering at all. During my bald phase my son was 19 and my daughter was 17. Neither one of them expressed a desire for me to cover up at all. It was my choice at all times. They really were very supportive and I will never forget that compassion. It DOES grow back. You WILL get through this.

    IRENE
  • madsters1
    madsters1 Member Posts: 120
    #3
    jessiesmom1 said:

    My Hair Loss/Growth Experience
    My last chemo infusion was in August 2010. I was as bald as an egg. I was going to say as bald as a newborn baby, but some newborns have more hair than I did. While I was inside my house whether I wore a scarf or not depended on the weather. I live about 45 miles south of San Francisco so we have a pretty decent climate. It was not until February (6 months later)that I had enough hair covering my scalp that I was willing to go out in public without a scarf or wig of some sort. My hair was VERY short but it did cover my scalp. I always felt that if someone looked at me they would wonder if I had purposely cut my hair that short. Most women -in my experience- do not have hair quite that short. I had previously had very straight hair but it came in quite wavy. That is a whole new experience for me. I would not call it "unruly." Now I rather like it. I have had about 5 haircuts and each time I am tremendously grateful that I even have hair to cut. My husband, being a baldy himself, did not care if I wore a wig or a scarf or went without a head covering at all. During my bald phase my son was 19 and my daughter was 17. Neither one of them expressed a desire for me to cover up at all. It was my choice at all times. They really were very supportive and I will never forget that compassion. It DOES grow back. You WILL get through this.

    IRENE

    Thanks Irene. You've
    Thanks Irene. You've encouraged me.
  • carkris
    carkris Member Posts: 4,553 Member
    #4
    madsters1 said:

    Thanks Irene. You've
    Thanks Irene. You've encouraged me.

    I normally have very slow
    I normally have very slow growing hair. It took 6 months for me to take my scarf off. My hair was stick straight grew in curly. Once I learned what products to use, I was grateful because it made me look like I had more hair. It came in dark. when the hair grows in it grows quicker in some areas than others, so you need to trim it to make it look normal and not a mess. The back will grow in and then you can have the mullet look. I had a hairdresser who was well versed in growing out hair and that really helped. It truely is a process. My hair is still wavy over two years later, I am wondering when it will go straight again. Also i have had several haircuts and colorings.
  • Muschi
    Muschi Member Posts: 85 Member
    #5
    I am happy
    I am happy that I have hair again. It is wavy on top and curly at the sides and a very nice silver color, at least everybody says so. My hair grew really fast, had my last chemo August 2010 and in December I quitt wearing the wig. I will keep my hair short, had always long hair and colored red. I feel like a "new" person.
    Ilona
  • Penny67
    Penny67 Member Posts: 65
    #6
    Muschi said:

    I am happy
    I am happy that I have hair again. It is wavy on top and curly at the sides and a very nice silver color, at least everybody says so. My hair grew really fast, had my last chemo August 2010 and in December I quitt wearing the wig. I will keep my hair short, had always long hair and colored red. I feel like a "new" person.
    Ilona

    My hair was slow to grow too...
    I finished chemo December 14, 2011. I took off my wig mid March and went to the salon and had the salt and pepper look replaced with a chocolate brown. I had enough hair to pull off a very trendy, piecey short cut. I would say that my hair was not quite an inch long. I will say that I have always had very slow growing hair and that aspect does not seem to have changed. My hair is not unruly, has a slight wave-more body and thicker than it was before but still very soft. The only thing I don't like is that it came back in salt and pepper and I was blonde before. I have received many compliments on my new short cut and it is soooo easy that I am thinking of staying short!

    One thing that I started doing was taking pictures of my hair each week so I could see that it truly was growing and then I started to really see the progress. Looking back on everything I realize that it sure was a long haul and I'm glad to be done with all that. I'm having my port removed today and can't wait to get that out! Good luck with your hair!
  • Cinkal
    Cinkal Member Posts: 161
    #7
    My last chemo was July 7th.
    My last chemo was July 7th. I felt comfortable without a hat around the end of November. It was only 1 1/2 inches or less and very dark with a little wave. A couple weeks before Christmas, I went to get it trimmed and they put in a couple of foil highlights. They basically just trimmed up around the ear and the unruly fuzzes here and there. I had another trim and a couple more highlights early February.
    In March ,I decided to highlight myself through a cap because I was tired of paying 80 dollars for a couple strands of highlights. I haven't had it trimmed again but it is in need of one. It is probably a little over three inches. I feel it finally looks like a "normal" hair do. It is thicker and has more body and wave than before. I wear a lot of headbands because I am trying to get it one length and do not want layers.
    The hair growth process seems slow at first, but once it gets about 2 inches it seems to go faster.

    Good luck!
  • Jobi
    Jobi Member Posts: 211
    #8
    Hair
    I am still undergoing chemo, and still have a bald head. I also have children ages 5, 7, and 11. The more I walked around bald while in the house, the more comfortable they became. Now that we are having warmer weather, (today is 89 degrees) I have already told them to expect to see me without the hat or scarf - even in the grocery store. My explanation to them is that is shows that I am a fighter and is nothing to be embarrassed about. They will get used to it. So will you. Just put a positive spin on it!

    Stay strong!

    Hugs,

    Dorene
  • Jobi
    Jobi Member Posts: 211
    #9
    Hair
    I am still undergoing chemo, and still have a bald head. I also have children ages 5, 7, and 11. The more I walked around bald while in the house, the more comfortable they became. Now that we are having warmer weather, (today is 89 degrees) I have already told them to expect to see me without the hat or scarf - even in the grocery store. My explanation to them is that is shows that I am a fighter and is nothing to be embarrassed about. They will get used to it. So will you. Just put a positive spin on it!

    Stay strong!

    Hugs,

    Dorene
  • mwallace1325
    mwallace1325 Member Posts: 806
    #10
    Jobi said:

    Hair
    I am still undergoing chemo, and still have a bald head. I also have children ages 5, 7, and 11. The more I walked around bald while in the house, the more comfortable they became. Now that we are having warmer weather, (today is 89 degrees) I have already told them to expect to see me without the hat or scarf - even in the grocery store. My explanation to them is that is shows that I am a fighter and is nothing to be embarrassed about. They will get used to it. So will you. Just put a positive spin on it!

    Stay strong!

    Hugs,

    Dorene

    Hated
    Hated the head covering thing -- grew up near Chicago and never wore hats or scarves as a kid in winter. Hated them hated them hated them. OK, anyway, I finished chemo 10/29/09 and stopped wearing anything on my head 12/15/09. Probably a little soon. I have very fine hair and there were a couple of spots that hadn't filled in yet but I did not care. I tested my baldness at radiation and didn't get any negative feelings so I took a deep breath and went to work the same way. Haven't put anything on my head again since and hope to never have to again. It did come in salt and pepper and strangely curly. The curls disappeared after few months and I decided not to color it anymore since this was the perfect opportunity to get away from doing that.

    Whatever your decision, I hope you get nothing but positive reactions from everyone. Remember you've just been in the battle of your life, it you're done with head covering who cares what anyone else thinks.

    marge

Discussion Boards