those of you with long hair

[annieCinMD]

There is no mistaking it, my hair is falling out. I'm wondering what others with long hair did, cut it short or just wear hats and (shudder) wigs.  I have a lot of hair to begin with, so maybe it will just get thin and not full on bald. I've had long hair since I was about 14, and have always fought that theory that women over forty should not have long hair. Hogwash!  I'll take input from men, too. I know some of them have long hair. A guy I work with has me beat on hair length.

[kitkat14]

I believe I lost about 40% of my long hair during my 48 week treatment, but only I seemed to notice it.  I was forever finding clumps of hair in the shower, in bed, in the car, on my clothes etc.

Its been five weeks since my last shot, and my hair is starting to grow back in.  The top of my head is getting a nice spattering of one inch long hair spikes which stick straight out.

I'm still waiting to find out if the new hair grows back in in its original colour.  Fingers crossed.

k

[nygirl7]

My hair loss got pretty bad between treatment and then the thyroid problem that developed I lost about 75% in the 72 weeks.

I finally resorted to wigs and made it fun. I'd change them to match my outfits...different colors and styles, yeah the women here at work could tell but the men let's just say not so much. One day it would be 18" longer than the day before and they'd go "Oh you got a nice haircut" uh yeah yesterday it was light brown and today it's platinum blonde.....haircut sure..........

You gotta do what you gotta do but ebay was a lifesaver to me :)

[dreamhawk444]

I myself had quite long hair when i started treatment. Within the first month, I was noticing quite a bit of hair loss.  I cut my hair all off, my kids and husband shuddered LOL.
I did it so I would feel like i had some control over the situation " your not taking my hair, I'll take it".  So ya control issues abound :)  
Just about half way into tx, it stopped, but my hair was so thin. I had very thick hair to begin with so i think that helped a lot. I kept my hair short and had it cut 3 times in the early months. When it stopped coming out I stopped cutting it.....
Ive been off tx for 3 months now, my hair is just shoulder length but I am growing it back!!  I really miss the ability to just put it in a ponytail and go..... Whatever you decide, you will get through it and it will grow back :)

[meakea]

GoofyDad you always find the humor in everything -- love that!!

I'm actually starting to get attached to my sexy wig so...

Memo to my remaining hair (yes, I said hair and not hairs):  Go ahead and fall out -- MAKE MY DAY...  :)

[GoofyDad]

Many people find that the longer they treat - the less attached to their hair they become. If that makes sense.

[annieCinMD]

Rain, your new haircut looks really good! I gotta tell you I wondered if I'm having "hair headaches".  It's about half the length that is was in the nineties, but it's still halfway down my back. I used to know it was time to trim when it got below the toilet seat! Definite hair headaches from all that!
PrettyPoisonNoMore, I may try the oil treatment. My neighbor works at the hair salon where I get my hair cut. I will ask her about the Mediceutical product. Somebody at that place can pick it up! I'm going to hold off on cutting for now. After all it's only been coming out for a week or so, it may get better, and other people may not notice it. I notice because I'm the one picking out of the tub and off the bathroom floor.

[merryBe]

I did 3 things that I think helped me keep my hair. My hair got thinner on tx, but never so thin I needed a wig.

One is I watched my thyroid and dosage, even slightly off readings can contribute to hair loss and INF can wack the thyroid, so monthly checks. Optimally you want your TSh at the low end of the spectrum. mean closer to 1 or .50 and not up to 2,3 or 4, that's still in normal range, but not optimal and the higher numbers will negatively effect your trigylicerides.

Two. If you like you hair long try jut a few inches shorter and then thin of layer it as well.
This will take some of the weight off the hair, make it look fuller and also cause less breakage to occur. The shorter hair has that advantage, less weight and less tangles means less breakage.

Three. I soaked in a tub with olive oil added sometimes. Other times I just worked oil into my hair after a shampoo, and left it on overnight, or over the weekend if I wasn't going anywhere. Oil is one of the oldest beauty secrets in the world, and the one deseart women have used for thousands of years. Even though the hair shaft is dead tissue it can take into it's shaft some molecules and the olive oil makes the hair as supple as any expensive hair product. Plus it's better for you than the plastics and other unnatural things in most hair strengtheners. Since most kinds of perfumes and skin/hair care products can absorb through the skin, and since this then requires your liver to metabolize or detox and remove them, I've taken a very conservative view now of all that stuff, lipstick, deodorants, you name it...it's better to find things that cannot absorb through the skin, or else just don't use thing in my view. For instance, I can make my lips and cheeks redder with a drop of beet juice, not liver toxic like the red dyes in make-up are. I can put perfume, deodorant on my clothes not skin, and still get some benefit without them entering my system as much.

Also, if a person is vegan they may not get enough protein to keep their hair and nails strong. Proteins are an essential part of both of these. For vegans I recommend they read "diet for a small planet" and learn to combine grains for optimal protein absorption and to avoid the diseases associated with protein deficiency.

mb

[PrettyPoisonNoMore]

I finished treating in 2006 and I had hair past my waist.  I had a friend with a cosmetology license and we went to a beauty supply store and I bought Mediceuticals Therapro for thinning hair.  It stopped the hair loss in about 3-4 weeks, or at least made it reasonable.  You can do a treatment with olive or coconut oil on freshly washed hair for 30-60 minutes to help dry hair.  Wash hair, coat in oil and put up in shower cap for at least 30 minutes.   Hit the shower cap with blow dryer, and wash hair a couple of times when you are done.  It makes you hair a lot softer and healthier looking.

The good news is your hair will come back and look fabulous!

[epiphiny]

Rain I have the same thing when I get my haircut.  I swear it actually and every time I hear a snip snip I feel sadness....  Crazy how attached to it we get!

[Rain6866]

Oh and I have a new profile pic with the new Do on it if you wanna check it out.

[Rain6866]

Funny this topic should come up. Before TX I swore I wouldnt cut my waist long hair no matter what. A week ago tuesday I had 10 inches cut off. Its still a bit below shoulder length but not much. I grew up with very short hair and ever since I began taking care of it myself I grew it.
I cried with each strand that hit the floor. It was a part of ME. a part I loved. On my 11th week, having to keep it in a ponytail all the time to keep the rats nest out from so much of being in bed became to big of a hassle. Also the meds were causing a build up on it and I couldnt even get it to shine anymore.
Now the good side! I love the look of my new hair and it feels so much better and truthfully the headaches havent really bothered me near as much. The shine is back and its so easy to brush that even on shot days I dont get worn out just trying to get the tangles out. Ive noticed less hair in my brush and it was coming out even more when I would wash it but not now.
  All and all I can say that even though It hurt to cut it, it was worth it in the long run and the good news is IF I want to it will grow back after this Dragon is slain.
Oh and my mom always said a silk pillow case helps your hair from coming out more.

Good luck and let me know what you decide.
Rain

[annieCinMD]

Any oil you may have had on your face and head, the Riba will take care of. I used to still break out every once in awhile, and had the oily T zone. I'm full on dry now. Afraid I'm going to need a face lift when this is all over. Actually from what a guy that went through treatment told me, it's not permanent. He said it took several months after treatment was over to get back to normal and some of the wrinkles to go away.

[Isobella]

It's like trying to keep it connected to your head as long as possible =)

[newleaf09]

Thanks to all for posting about hair.  Mine is long and I got by pretty well for the first 4-5 mos., but lately it is really thinning.  After reading all your  posts I suddenly thought Duh! why am I still washing my hair every day if I'm not going to work any more?  So now I'm putting it up in a clip and only going to wash it twice a week.   It's not like I'm 20 and still shiney with oil all over my face and head.  Hair looks fine with just 2 washes a week and not pulling hair out of the drain.

[annieCinMD]

I am always in a ponytail or up in a clip. The little flyaways in the front have been making me insane because they make my face itch. Hey, I can use the smaller clips now! I used to only be able to use those octo clips, and when I did buns it looked like a bowling ball up there. I do a lot of online orders from Sephora and save up all those little samples of moisturizer. They actually last awhile and some of that stuff is really expensive. Epiphany, you're right about the grays blending in with blond highlights. It's really enough to cover what little I have. Well, I do have a patch but it's underneath, so you can't see it. Really weird to have one little spot with a lot of it. It's those gray eyebrows that bug me. I can't see them well enough to pluck them out, and wax wouldn't work for that. I'd end up with no eyebrow! I think I need those flip top glasses. I'm hoping this is just a phase and it slows down. I just did 16 and started on the PI and the kicker drug for the PI. I don't think they have any major sides, so maybe I'll be getting some good results from the doctor. I have been through a bad spell here lately. I got a wild hair last night and went to the gym for 15 or 20 minutes just to do a little machine work and stretch. I honesty think it helped. That and I bought a bag full of shoes at Nordstrom!

[justme53]

I don't have long hair anymore but still have breakage and thinning. I've tried restlying my hair because my part is so "there" but it just does it's own things anyway. I stopped coloring before tx and doubt I will go back. The gray thatch on my crown has fallen out or disappeared. I try to lube it with warm oil, but it seems like it takes more soap and friction to get it out.

And what about the fingernails...Wow, I am forever filing and trimming them, yet they seem to grow again overnight. Look nice, but time intensive...so not me....

[GSDgirl]

I ended up cutting mine.  It was falling out when I brushed it so I started barely brushing only in the am.  Then one day in the tub I saw this dark mass (can't see too good without glasses) floating.  I was horrified, it was my hair!!  

From one ear over the head to the other ear & forward is where I lost the most.  I have a widows peak normally but it disapeared with the hair loss.

I also got that sore scalp, kinda like when a ponytail is in too long or too tight.  Quit luminizing and thank God I don't have gray growing in, yes it is still growing in after a year post.  I will say that my hair has always been poker straight and it has the slightest wave to it.

Can't figure out which to do first, body wave or luminize (foil) so I haven't done either.

Denise

[Isobella]

What week are you in?  My hair loss amped up during weeks 20-22 and I thought it was going to all fall out.  But it slowed down considerably.  Just looks thin and kinda lifeless.  Sometimes my scalp would get really sore, but nothing ever seemed to come of it and within days, it would stop.  

I have colored and highlighted it throughout tx, about every 5 weeks.  Initially I went darker thinking that I would stop coloring, but am now back to my blonde. I did cut it into a bob to make it look fuller, but honestly, no one would notice any difference-just me.

My scalp seemed to stop producing oil, so I only shampooed twice a week and that probably helped.  I used Nioxin shampoo and my stylist always used one of those humidifier things for extra moisturizing.  

Initially my theory was that I was going to keep looking like myself as long as I could...then go to wigs. Maybe something snazzy...red, perhaps.  I wasn't about to let my HCV make me grayer than I needed to be, lol!! Especially when my eyebrows  and lashes are going psycho and my face is chapped and I look like a sunburned vampire. (ok, I'm a little cranky, sorry)

Good luck, Annie---I hope the loss slows down.  Ponytails are always a great idea =)

[epiphiny]

Goodness knows how that link got in there!  Ignore!

[epiphiny]

I'm another one who doesn't believe women after 40 shouldn't have long hair and I had really long hair pre tx also and it snapped, frizzed, dried up and fell out and and the new bits actually started standing straight out on my head!  Freak out!!  

In the end I bit the bullet and got quite a lot cut off the length (probably 5 inches in total and had layers put in that gave it the illusion of being longer than it actually is.  Prior to that I was wearing bandannas to get myself through.  

I also completely stopped putting any color in (I used to get ash blond highlights every 6 weeks or so) as it made my scalp itch and my hairhttp://www.medhelp.org/posts/Hepatitis-C/those-of-you-with-long-hair/show/958438#
Post Comment frizz more.  I also tried every shampoo and conditioner under the sun and the only one that worked finally was Kerastase Bain Reinforce for Damaged hair.  Everything thing else made me itch like a woman possessed.

I'm lucky that I am naturally fair haired and I have silver strands that kind of look like blonde highlights.  I'm enjoying the fact the hair that is regrowing is coming in healthy and shiny (and quickly) now that I am finished AND I love the savings of not paying for highlights every 6 weeks!  I'm considering staying au naturel for as long as I can stand it!

In a strange way, tx forced me to try things with my hair that I would never have done otherwise and the result has been quite good....

All the best, our hair is our crowning glory and I do understand how frustrating and confusing it can be when something you have always taken for granted is all of a sudden behaving in a way that is out of your control...

Epi :)

[annieCinMD]

Thanks, ladies!  Charm, I saw some of your profile pictures, and you probably are a worst case scenario as far as hair loss. Glad it's all behind you and most of it is back. I just cut back on the hair washing from twice a week to once. I use T Gel to keep the dandruff and itch to a slow crawl. Lucky for me, I can wear a hat at work and school. The school thing just came up last semester. I had an older man for Accounting. I'll guess he's between 65 and 70, and he wouldn't let the guys wear hats but it was OK for girls. Old fashioned manners, I guess.
Yuk, that website is awesome! I didn't know they could use human hair to clean up oil spills, and you don't need to give up 10 inches of it like locks of love.
I think I'll wait and see if it doesn't clear up in a few months before doing a major chop. I may just get a trim, I'll wash it myself with my stinky shampoo, put it up in a clip and go in. I don't think I could take the shampooing right now. I comb out with conditioner in the shower, and at the salon, the comb out hurts! I am very fortunate not to have too much gray. Highlights and lowlights will do the job. I get brown roots. I have a bad feeling I'm going to have to go sit at the pool today with my kid. I think they have to be 13 to go alone :(   I wonder if you can do your shot in the butt? I can hide the belly marks with a tankini, but the thigh ones are going to show big time.

[meakea]

I had long, thick hair prior to starting TX and I have had to start wearing a wig (yes, a wig) to work.  I have lost at least 80% of my hair.  I cut my long hair to a chin to shoulder length just prior to starting TX and I had it trimmed a few times but I finally quit paying to have it trimmed because it wasn't getting any longer.  I now have ear-length hair and it's not because I had it cut that short -- there just isn't much hair left from it falling out.

I do the hat thing at home and when running errands to places like Wal-mart but I can't get by with hats at work so I wear a wig.  Actually, for as much as I didn't want to have to wear a wig, it is much more convenient than trying to make no hair look like hair.

I have not colored my hair at all while on TX but I will as soon as treatment is over and it grows back in.

[Tippyclubb]

I figure the less I do to my hair the better off it will be.  Wash once a week, but its so dry that's all it needs anyway.  No blow dryers , hot irons, gels ( drying ) or hair color.  My gray roots are over 2 inches long and will not color until its over.  Although, I did color in the beginning but now its falling out, that's over.  I suppose I should cut my hair as the ends are so dry, but I am wearing hats to cover the gray and to keep from having to style it.  I am thinking I won't do anything until this is over.

[charm27]

I lost about 80% of my hair during tx. Even my doctor said it was pretty severe. I had long hair and didnt cut it nor color it for 55 weeks, I had not much to color and I didnt want to mess with it. Besides I had SEVERE plaque in my scalp from tx. I was a mess in the head department.'

So..whatever hair I had I used one bobby pin to put it up-wasnt much to put up ither-a small strand od hair.

After a couple of months of post tx I colored and cut it.

Im 6 months and it ALMOST all back still sprouting.
I have about 10% to go!

Best of luck
Charm