As the saying goes, ”Long hair, don’t care.” But as breast cancer patients, we do care about our hair.
The process of losing all your hair as a result of breast cancer is traumatizing. Your hair loss has a way of making you doubt your beauty; it unveils a face that was once hidden behind it. Losing your hair also ignores your privacy and signals to the world that you are ill.
To be honest, you will experience many emotions as you lose your hair, but there’s awesome news! Hair loss is temporary, and your hair will return. I promise!
Here are a few tips to encourage your hair journey:
- Understand your regrowth
- Trust the process
- Play with it
- Don’t overthink it
Understanding your regrowth
You’ve made it to the end of treatment, and now begins the journey of your “new hair”. It’s an exciting thing, watching your hair grow back–it’s a sign of hope and healing. Your scalp may tingle, itch or be sensitive as your follicles begin their regrowth process.
Newly peaked strands are called vellus hair, but we know it better as “peach fuzz”. It’s the short, very soft, barely there but there type of hair. Take a look at your forearm, for example–vellus hair is all over your body. This hair starts growing four to six weeks after chemotherapy treatment ends. As it grows, it may be different in texture and color, and it may even go from straight to curly. For some people, the curliness can also be temporary, which is known as “chemo curl.”
Trust the process
When you lose your hair, you can’t wait to comb your own beautiful locks once again. Before you know it, your hair will be back. We get impatient because we’re “over it,” and would like life to be normal again or at least close to it. But in the meantime, you have to trust the process. Your hair is also healing in a way, so it will go through many phases.
As you care for your hair, love her and take the time to learn her and nurture her (yes, I’m still talking about hair.) As my own hair is growing back, I use very gentle cleansers like baby products. You can make your own hair care oil, cream or product to assist your growth, but the point is, hair growth takes time. It will grow differently from what you may remember; its color and even the way it behaves will all be part of the process. Trust the process. Look at your hair as if it’s telling its own story about being resilient. She (your hair) is letting you know she’s growing, thriving and on her way back.
Learn more about breast cancer treatment and care
Play with your hair
Products that once worked perfectly to keep your tresses managed may not work as they use to. Styles that you were once wild about may not easily be obtained with your “new hair,” and that’s O.K. Use this time to explore and learn your hair. Spend time looking at new styles online and even attempt to recreate them.
I found that even though my hair is growing, it’s still really short, so continue to play with whatever you have in your collection. When looking for products, remember to purchase those that will enhance, grow and protect your fibers. How you play with your hair is completely up to you–you never know, you may be surprised.
Don’t overthink it
Patience is a virtue, and remember, your hair is coming back. Don’t overthink it. You don’t have to rush to find products or hurry to find all the tools; you can simply just be. In time, you will move and treat your hair accordingly.
Here’s what overthinking does: it causes unwanted stress. It’s enough stress to deal with all things breast cancer-related; let’s not add to it. Overthinking also stresses your hair, which is counterproductive to your goal of hair growth. Lastly, overthinking steals the joy of watching and embracing the process. Here are a few women who embraced the regrowth process and shared their experience.
What phase are you in in your regrowth process? Wherever you are, embrace it. Embrace you! Hair is temporary and is only an enhancement to your natural beauty. Your regrowth is an enhancement to your strength. It’s an enhancement to your character. With or without hair, you are still you, and you are beautiful inside and out.
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