Hair regrowth advice.

Hi Ladyparticular welcome to the forum. I don't know enough about your query except to say that people are advised not to use anything with dyes in or anything that is not gentle on skin after treatment.The main reason being that the effects of the treatment can stay in your system for  a long time after treatment has ended.

Some therapists will not even treat people for a period of time after treatment has ended so I'm not sure if I could recommend anything but maybe someone has had more experience of this and can can offer some words of wisdom for us.

Thanks Gail, That makes sense. I think almond or organic castor oil might be okay in that case. 

Hi there, I finished treatment in March 18, with no hair, eyebrows, lashes or fingernails left. Everything comes back irrespective of what products you use, so I’d just use good hair, nail n skin products and let nature look after you. My hair came back dark grey with a slight curl but 3 years on it is identical to before. My lashes and brows are a little thin but they are there. My nails have never recovered however. They split below the surface and are very weak. To be fair tho, I need to look after them better. It is strange to remember the issues that Chemo brings but it shows that life really does return to a good level of normal again. Good luck and I’m so pleased that you got through it. X

Hi Jo Jo, thank you for responding. How/why did you lose your nails? Was it neuropathy? 

To be honest, I'm unable to make sense of my own diagnosis and so `I don't understand what you've written. I'm astounded by some people's understanding of the technical terms. I was only diagnosed in November 2020 and it has taken me 5 months to come to the Macmillan site. I was definitely in denial. But I really ought to get to grips with the truth. Still a little afraid tbh. 

Hi

I used Nioxin from when I started to shed hair ,only small amount was needed for obvious reasons lol I finished chemo Dec 2019 went into March lockdown with fuzz came out needing cut . Still using shampoo but now going to revert to normal .

My hair needs cutting every 4. Weeks and has come back really thick . Was always thick but had thinned down a bit due to age now recovered to full thickness 

Didn't use anything on brows or lashes no point wasn't going anywhere in lockdown been fully shielded .

I lost big toenails at end of chemo and both finger & toe nails still won't grow as too brittle I think it's caused by dehydration

If you click on my name you can read my story within profile . 

Also if it worries you that you don't understand your cancer ask your BCN or onco for simple explanation . They will be only too happy to answer or ask on here 

Take care .

I finished chemo in January and had lost most of my hair (I shaved it off before chemo but there was still fuzz left), most of my eyebrows and eyelashes. Now, 4 months in, my hair is really thick and about an inch long and the same colour as before. It was still quite sparse at month 2 and started growing well by month 3. My eyelashes are growing in and almost at the stage where I could wear mascara again but are still short, they take longer to comeback. I have started using an eyelash nutrient serum just to encourage them a bit but they will continue to grow whether I use it or not! My eyebrows are still a bit patchy but they are light in colour so don't really make any difference to my face. 

I have not used any shampoo yet, my hair is so nice and soft without it and I wash it twice a day in the shower just with water. I'm going to leave using it again for as long as possible, even though I already used paraben free shampoo/conditioner before chemo, I still think any shampoo dried it out. 

I have started using a paraben free hair mask once a week which has been nice. 

I honestly don't think using anything special would have made any difference to hair growth. It is really slow at first as you still have the chemo going around your system but between months 2 and 3 seem to be the most common for it to start to grow noticeably and again by month 4, it seems common that people have a decent head of hair. 

I wouldn't want to discourage you from treating yourself to some nice products but just wanted to say that I don't think it is necessary and my hair is coming in really well using nothing at all. 

Thank you Margaret. xxx

Thank you for the info. I'm like you, no parabens before so no parabens after. I'm really looking forward to seeing it grow. It's encouraging to hear ladies talk about how they love their new hair. x

 I'm loving my new hair too. I use herbal shampoo, no conditioner. It came back slowly but surely in its own curly way!  Thankfully no problem with nails as some mentioned above. Hopefully you will love your new mop too.

So true and glad you are loving your hair.