Hair chronicles: More work with the curly post-chemo hair

So, I've been using my Miss Jessie's products for curly-haired folks and I'm really digging it. It cost a pretty penny but the products are good quality and my hair seems to be responding pretty well to them. I am sort of pleased. Well, that doesn't sound quite right. I am pleased with Miss Jessie's and I am happy with the way that it helps my "new" curly hair look springy and shiny and happy.

I am displeased with the lack of shape that my hair has -- but that's my fault because I am too chicken to get it cut into a shape. I am displeased with the fact that the products are a little thick and take some time to dry. I'm used to washing and going -- literally -- out the door. I am just a smidge unhappy with the fact that my hair looks good the third day after I wash it -- instead of looking fabulous from the first day I wash it.

(shrug)

But, those are really little things to be concerned about. My hair is growing pretty well and most of the time I'm okay with my spongy, curly afro. Even if I don't really know what it will look like from day to day -- I can live with that.

I am slowly getting comfortable with the notion of actually having to DO my hair. I do miss my carefree barbershop days. And I am still thinking about going back to my super-low, sleek cut. But, until I make a definitive decision... I'll stick with my Miss Jessie's regimen and enjoy the little curlies all over my head.

Some days... they are really kind of cute. Post-chemo hair is a happy part of the breast cancer journey for me.

okay... so how long will it take for my hair to really grow back after chemotherapy?

I completed the first part of my chemotherapy journey approximately a year ago. I finished my Herceptin treatment (a hormonal targeted treatment) about a month and a half ago. The first part of the journey was the worst on my body and especially on my hair. It made it ALL fall out. All over. Just bald.

In some ways, it was wonderful. In others... not so much. I didn't have to shave my legs or get a bikini wax for months and months. But, my hair came out in clumps and my eyelashes just disappeared. You take the good with the bad and you deal with it.

I think I preferred being bald

My new post-chemotherapy hair is very curly and very dark. It is soft and reasonably easy to manage which is good for me because I have no idea what to do with my hair. I haven't had to "do" my hair in many years. I wore it very short in order to avoid hairdressers, blow dryers, curling irons and all that jazz. Yes, I am admitting that I was (am) quite "hair-lazy".

(more after the jump...click the READ MORE link)

Losing my hair to chemotherapy was traumatic. To move beyond it, I promised myself that if my hair came back I would allow it to grow as long as it could grow. So, I havent' been to the barbershop since the fall of 2008. But...now I am frustrated. I've got this curly afro on my head and I have no idea what to do with it.
 
I need help.


Where's my hair growth?

After almost a year... My hair really hasn't grown much. Well, let me take that back. Its grown a lot. Although its pretty curly, stretched out its about 3 inches long all around. Considering that I was bald as a cueball this time last year... I am appreciative of the growth. At the same time though, I realize that hair typically grows about 1/2 inch per month. So... if you do the math... either my hair is growing at half that rate OR I've got a serious breakage issue going on over here.

Might be a little bit of both -- slow growth and breakage. Since I'm not accustomed to being overly concerned with my hair, this is all new to me. I thought that by now I would be fighting myself to get to the barbershop and have all my hair cut off. But it really hasn't happened. I would like to see myself with long hair again. I can't remember the last time I had hair that came down farther than my ears.

Hair chronicles

In the coming days, weeks and months... I plan to chronicle my journey with my hair growth. Learning how to care for naturally curly hair is challenging. Fortunately, there are a lot of sisters out there working with learning how to manage their hair in its natural state. I've discovered quite a few blogs and websites dedicated to helping african-american women go "natural" and learn to appreciate the hair texture that they have. I am hopeful that with their help, I will also learn how to work with my natural curliness -- even if its different from the hair I had before chemotherapy.

The first thing I have to figure out is a regular regimine that is healthy and somewhat easy to carry out. Wish me luck.