What to do with my hair 5 months after chemo? Hair dyes?

Kazmar

Hi,
My hair is fairly thick now but still very short and a bit wavy, especially at the back, puffy on the top,flicks out at my ears.
 l am hating the colour, it is such a weird salt and pepper colour with a tinge of red. I did not have this much grey before,
l am a natural redhead, l did get a few foils in my hair regularly before l lost my hair from chemo. 
Will my hair go back to it's original colour or am l stuck with mostly grey hair now?
How safe is it to dye my hair and can l expect to get the colour that l want?
I will go to a professional.
I would love to hear from those that have coloured their hair after chemo, how long after and what results they got.
I hate looking in the mirror, l feel as if l have lost myself.
Cheers,
Karen

poodlejules

hi @Kazmar. Good questions! I'll start off by telling you what happened to me.
I had dyed ash blonde long curly hair and I suspected my natural colour was almost all over grey too. My hair came back in thick and curly and platinum but very coarse and wiry. I used the 'natural' hair dye Herbatint Ash Blonde from a health food shop about 5 months post chemo but it hardly did a thing. I waited another 6 weeks and went to my hairdresser who dyed it with my old colour and again, hardly a difference.
Waited another 8 weeks and my hair seemed to be getting softer as it grew and finally 6 weeks ago I went back to my hairdresser and the colour took. So all up nearly a year since I had it shaved did it feel and 'act' (!) like my hair again. It also tied in with finishing a year on Herceptin so maybe there's a link there as well.
It's still curly and I don't think I'll go back to having it long again but I feel more like my old self when its coloured.
Glad you're over the worst of it and good luck with everything! x

Jen001

Karen I know how you feel, 5 months after chemo my beautiful Russian blue cat and I had something in common.....silvery grey hair and I hated it (the grey hair not my cat, he is beautiful).  I had no grey hair before chemo.   Initially I used a semi permanent DIY hair colour that lasted 28 washes, and this worked well.   Now I have more length - still short though, I go to the hairdresser and have it professionally coloured. I still wont let a pair of scissors near my hair.  Bless whoever invented hair colour!  

onemargie

Hi there @Kazmar. Mine was salt and pepper too when it first grew back I went to my hairdresser about the 10 to 12 week mark and she dyed it for me and tidied it up to help out grow in some sort of style. I’ll attach the pics for you. I’d recommend you see your hairdresser for it though just to get good even coverage. That’s me on the right  I finished chemo oct 2016 and this was feb 2017  

Afraser

I reckon it can take ages for hair to settle so don't panic yet! I found a local hairdresser who specialises  in chemo affected hair and uses organic colour. I found regular trimming helped - gave shape and also my hair "normalised" more after each trim. My hair was a good steely grey post chemo but gradually lightened and became more brown. I have a bright red foil and my hair has settled into a light grey brown which actually looks like you paid a bit to get it like that! It's really hard to be patient after you have lost your hair but time does a lot! Good luck

Kazmar

Thanks @poodlejules, it's great to hear of your experience. l am having my hair coloured on Monday, hopefully it takes.
After all of the treatment, loss of hair, you just don't stop to think about how long before your hair grows back, l had no idea that my hair would grow back a different colour, it was easier to wear scarves when l had no hair, l still felt somewhat like me, but this weird wavy gray hair that flicks out at my ears is crazy. I suppose that in a few months my hair will get to a more manageable length. 
Cheers,
Karen

Kazmar

Thanks @Jen001, good to hear that the hair dye worked for you, l will see how l feel after Monday when l get my hair coloured by a hairdresser.
Cheers,
Karen

Kazmar

Hi, @onemargie,  the hair colour worked well for you and it looked great.
Cheers,
Karen

Kazmar

Hi, @Afraser, it is hard to be patient. I thought that the hard part would be having no hair, but l did not mind wearing scarves, it was easy and there are some really lovely chemo scarves to buy. This hair on the other hand is awful, l hope that after l have it coloured on Monday that l will feel a bit better. l have always had long hair so it is a bit of a change for me.
Cheers,
Karen

Deirn

I went to a hair supply  Shop  saw the colour  specialist  and she sold  me a natural  wash out after 7washes hair colour  which I didn't Home  till I could  use permanent  one.  She also said some women  take on the colour  of the chemo  given to them when it first grows back,  which amazed  me.  

Sunshine0206

I’m 8 weeks post chemo. I had mine coloured about two weeks ago. It has come back a light brown - so I have it coloured a slightly darker brown so as to add the illusion of more volume. I have it reshaped every 3-4 weeks.

x

Sister

@diern I wonder if my hair will grow back cordial-coloured red?

kmakm

@sister Why that colour?!

Sister

That's the colour of doxyrubicin - aka the red devil.

duxx1234

I’ve wondered that [email protected]! I think I am just ahead of you in my treatment.  Had my 4th dose of AC last Wednesday and will have my first (of 12) dose of Taxol on 11/4. Glad to see the end of the ‘red devil’ and only now at day 10 am I coming out of the emotional fog!
Good luck with your last one! 

kmakm

@sister Ah! Of course. I forgot about that. Congrats @duxx1234! And best wishes for the Taxol.