5 weeks after chemo: How my hair is growing back 

Over the past few months, I’ve experienced some hair loss from the chemotherapy drug I was prescribed to treat my cancer. While my hair loss has been gradual, it’s still made me very self-conscious about how I look – and how others perceive me.

My family and friends have all told me that my bald head looks beautiful, but what do they really think? Would strangers on the street stare at me or make fun of me? What would my boss think when she sees me next week? As someone who has always loved wearing her hair long and healthy, it felt like a huge loss.

Natural Hair Before Chemo

I used to have very long and thick hair. It was the first thing I noticed about myself when I looked in the mirror. I always wore it down because it was so much fun to play with! But now, after 2 rounds of chemotherapy, most of my hair has fallen out.

The doctors told me that the chemo will make your body go through a lot of changes and one of those changes will be losing your hair.

I really miss having long, thick hair but I know that soon enough it’ll grow back just like it used to be!

My First Session of Chemo

I had my first session of chemotherapy today. I’m not going to lie, it was tough. The nurse said that the nausea would subside in a few days, but I’m still feeling pretty rough. I’ve been taking meds to make me feel better and watching some Netflix so that I don’t have to think too much about what’s happening.

More Chemo, And Natural Hair Was Falling Out

This week, I was able to wash and dry my hair in the sink without having to wear a wig. I am so grateful for this small victory! My scalp still feels tender and sore, but at least I’m not losing any more of my precious locks.

I’m holding on tight to the hope that it will all be worth it. All the treatments, all the nausea and vomiting, all the weight loss – it will be worth it if I can just have some long locks again. It’s been hard to focus on anything else lately because all I want is to feel pretty again.

What I Did to Help Myself Through Chemo

I found that I really needed to take care of myself during this time. It was a tough time for me and as I got more tired and less able to do things for myself, I used the following tips. 

-I drank a lot of water and rested as much as possible. -I made sure to eat healthy food. -I wore hats when I went out in public (to avoid bald spots).

-I shampooed with sulfate free shampoo and conditioner every day. -I used a leave in conditioning treatment on my scalp each day. -I avoided styling products that were too heavy or greasy because they would just weigh down my already weakened strands of hair.

A Few Weeks Post Chemotherapy And My Natural Hair Started Growing Back!

The first time I noticed that something was different about my hair was when I looked in the mirror one day and saw a long, dark strand on the ground. It still didn’t register in my mind at first, but I just brushed it off as an old strand of hair.

When it happened again, though, I realized that it wasn’t simply an old strand of hair that had fallen out; it was a new one! That’s when I knew for sure that the chemotherapy must have caused some of my natural hair to start growing back.

The second time this happened was about two weeks ago when I pulled out another long, dark strand from the drain in our shower.

Going Forward

It’s been five weeks since I had chemotherapy. In the last month, I’ve noticed that my hair has started to grow back–albeit slowly. I really thought that it would take much longer than this for it to start coming back in. It feels so good to feel like myself again!

Final thoughts

It’s been five weeks since I’ve finished chemotherapy, and I’m happy to say that my hair has started to grow back! It’s still very thin and delicate, but I’m just happy that it’s coming in at all.

My scalp had been so sensitive for so long during treatment that I was unable to brush or wash it for a month before the end of chemo. And now, finally, the itchiness has subsided enough for me to be able to comfortably touch it again. 

I can’t wait until things are fully grown in and feeling stronger; this experience has been a little frustrating. But on a brighter note, I am grateful that because of all the hair loss during treatment, it’ll be quite easy for me to style-just like before!

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