Post 7: the Hair / Obsession case..
Tip 4: hair...
Hello,
It's time for the Hair Battle story!
Indeed after a year and a half of chemo (I'm rambling), this chapter: HAIR represents my 3rd fierce battle. We can even admit today that it bordered on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (well known by the name OCD) ;)
In this post I don't want to offend or taunt those who didn't keep their hair, I just tell you how with a lot of work, mine ended up holding up... After having tried absolutely everything! Note, however, that for those who are not as "lucky" as me, there are plenty of tips below that concern you, because before knowing if they were going to hold out I had looked at all the options in case of fall ;)
Failing to have kept my hair, I “reassure” you, I lost attributes that were much more dear to me, so at least I kept that, see post 2 if you want to know the list of damages/losses …
My obsession with hair goes back a long time…. I think we all have something that we particularly like about ourselves, that’s it for me. It's stupid but I'm not ashamed to say it, I love my hair. Some people love their right ear, their mole on their buttocks, their nails… for me it’s my hair, who knows why….
Indeed, before discovering my K, the hairdressing mission already represented a decisive step in my schedule. It required long hours of consultation between myself and my mirror, to know if I was going to cut 1 or 2 cm, that is to say... Except that, unfortunately, hair during Cancer, the risks that it going through it in full are important and it's the third thing I thought of (it all depends on the cocktails you're served, I remind you). A priori, this is supposed to be the least of our worries given the magnitude of the K, but make no mistake, it changes a lot of things when you are subject, like me, to a manic delirium...
In short, as soon as my K was announced, as I told you in my post 2 , my concerns very quickly focused on:
1) my life
2) my eggs (compared to the oocytes to be cooled – a post will be dedicated to them)
3) my hair
I'm superficial, but hair still comes in 3rd position, not first, don't worry ;)?!
Anyway, once I learned about my happy schedule, THE question arose, does my chemo include a cocktail* that can make said hair fall out?
Answer/verdict:
YES ! in my K :(
* I had understood “thanks” to Mom's experience that not all chemo treatments necessarily made hair fall out, so banking on my “luck” I crossed my fingers (Mom lost it, but she looked superb despite it). That)...
What product (knowing that I had 3 cocktails – see post 6 )?
The TAXOL
How why ?
Because certain chemo cocktails attack all the cells to fight, I mean ALL the cells, including the bulb, so it makes the root die, a bit like weedkiller...
You will therefore understand that my tips are once again not universal, nor 100% reliable, it is just the lottery, or luck, or Acupuncture, or all the energy spent which ended up working (maybe also the mix of all that). So I'll let you judge for yourself...
After measuring the “risks” of falling.
So, on to the PLAN OF ATTACK:
Punch operation (or scissors ;)) in 6 steps:
1/ THE ICE HELMET*: renamed Mister Freeze
to wear while injecting the Taxol cocktail into my K
So I present to you the famous Mister Freeze :) (glagla...)
I had heard that in the oncology departments they offered you the frozen Smurf head option to freeze you:
1) the bulb / the root
2) neurons ;)
you can therefore discover all the preparation in my 1st kit of tips see post 4: D-day & after chemo ;)
* for your information, there is also the Misses Freeze option for the hands, it is the same principle as the helmet, (which I did not use). These are icy gloves, to avoid the risk of losing my nails, but I didn't have the courage to opt for the total living ice cube look, I just kept varnish constantly on my hands, as I said in my post 3 , (I will talk about it again in my next post: BEAUTY KIT - next Friday)
2/ IDENTIFYING DREAM HAIR / SUBSTITUTION EYEBROWS
has. hair
At the time when I didn't yet know if they were going to last (I'm still talking about my hair). I did a complete shopping investigation to find THE hair of my dreams! I surveyed all the possible brands of wigs, I mean, all of them!
(I even looked up who was the official supplier of Beyoncé's mane, I tell you it takes big money, so I threw in the towel ;))
These are the only times I looked on the internet for something that could be linked to the K, to be honest ;)
After 1000 fittings, from various suppliers, the must for my taste remained (dedication: thank you for your patience during the numerous fittings):
1 of the hair leaders who offered me a lioness's mane even more beautiful than my REAL beloved hair...
(out of superstition I didn't want to buy the beast as long as they held on, conclusion, I did well, it saved me yet another expense...)
See also at Elite (very beautiful wigs)
Photo of the winning hair:
“Because you are never better served than in front of trash cans…”(photo credit… uh…. we are far from Studio Harcourt)
b. eyebrows
yes, eyebrows are also a subject, you have to admit that it's part of the package with hair, and that's what changes the look...
So as I had already been able to do my scouting “thanks” to my mother a few months earlier, I was planning to make an appointment with a semi-permanent eyebrow “tattooist”, (and yes it exists)! It’s really really well done. Mom got her tattoo at:
the eyebrow workshop , the result is very natural, (I didn't need it...)
There are also plenty of makeup options for shaping eyebrows (ask your oncology department for advice)
And for "afterwards" the great treatments from REVITALASH (the whole eyelash/brow range is fantastic) , to strengthen, restore volume & life to your eyelashes and eyebrows :)
3/ PHOTO SHOOTING OPERATION
This part is the ultimate shame! But I decided not to hide anything from you and to give you all my tips that could be useful to you, so...
As the kind hair sellers told me that I could cut my wig identical to my initial cut, the day of purchase. Poor P. was requisitioned for a whole evening, the day before my first chemo to take my “cut”, which was not really a cut (since as you read above I only cut 1 or 2 cm every 6 months), from all angles , during a photo shoot, to have hyper-precise evidence for cutting if the need arises ;)
(it's in retrospect, completely pathetic to come back to my photos, where I'm really showing off, and I must have close to 150 witness shots... but hey, it's better to be forward-looking, I'm still convinced that it would have greatly benefited me served)
3/ HAT – TURBANS – SCARVES
As I already told you, I work in fashion, so I am quite concerned about my “look”, even very flirtatious*, and I love Hats, which was timely given the context!
* staying flirtatious during the K was one of my watchwords, and an essential point of my fight, because when you still want to please yourself that implies that you want to please others of course, but above all that you care about life …
And what was even better was that one of my friends: Z. ( dedication: thank you for supporting me so much, and for taking the time to accompany my adventures with Mister Freeze among others <3 ), had just created my brand of superb turbans / ultimate fashion accessories, which allowed me to democratize the turban, not only as a K fighter tool, but above all as a cutting-edge fashionista tool ;) (this whole part will be developed in a tab dedicated to “looks”, to be continued)
but if you already want to look at Zelda's superb creations I invite you to go to: www.zeldacitroen.com (she will be happy to offer you a personalized, very soft turban, to take care not to irritate the head ).
Small photo preview ;) (photo credit: Zelda Citroen Turbans)
that's me on the left ;)
There are also a thousand ways to tie superb scarves, you can see very beautiful tying tutorials on the internet (a beautiful, well-tied scarf can be very chic ;))
For the hats/turbans (my favorites), I had anticipated the thing and from my first chemos I had decided to wear a head covering every day to accustom my “public” to my hatted head, because I told myself that if soon I had to wear a wig underneath, no one would see the difference, as you can see I had a hard time (that's fair to say).
4/ MAINTENANCE
The maintenance work was also very important, ( see: washing post 3 ) let's be clear, as Mom would say, I spent my entire treatment period rather “unkempt”. As a good psychorigid performer, I allowed myself:
1 almost non-existent brushing once a day, so as not to pull on it.
1 wash every 5 days, to alter them as little as possible (calculate your cost carefully, because you always have to wash them the day before chemo ;)).
And NEVER drying!
Basically, I touched it as little as possible. Except that my hair type is rather wavy, difficult to tame without drying, so I looked more like a poodle than a top model, but at least my hair was there!
5/ PREVISIONAL CUTTING
After 2 chemo sessions, and the egg operation (to be discovered very quickly). I started running my hands through my hair like a neurotic, and with the slightest micro handle left in my hand, I already saw myself as an egghead. So at the risk of not supporting the shock of the fall, I decided to anticipate, and to cut 30 cm at once to prepare myself psychologically for the dizzying fall... But it was really reluctantly (but clearly more practical not to have dreadlocks, and to wear the helmet for better grip)…
Before/after photo..
(well sorry for the image quality, I'm a stylist not a photographer, it's just to illustrate the point haha)
6/ REHABILITATION after chemo!
In April 2014 , the time when I finished my Taxol cures (the product that required “ Mister Freeze ”), my sessions became a real “treat”. I assure you that when you no longer wear a helmet at -10°C, 40 sweaters, 10 pairs of socks, you feel... how can I say... lighter during the sessions!
It was time to make way for the revitalization of my hair, which had regained an almost normal length, in my eyes, but a frankly poor appearance... The renovation was necessary, so it was on the wise advice of my hairdresser that 2 months after* the end of Taxol, I rushed to an organic hair beauty institute of course, specialized in hair restoration, among other things!
I can guarantee you that the ruinous products they slathered on my head literally brought my mane back to life….
* you must wait approximately 2 months for the products to no longer be aggressive to the hair and nails
I will develop this part: hair after treatments in a future post, on Après K , patience... :)
PURCHASES / SHOPPING RECAP:
A/ wigs if necessary I recommend: Any d’Avray / Elite-Hair
o low budget: synthetic hair
o big budget: real hair (exorbitant)
(Ask your mutual fund to find out the amount of your reimbursement)
MY PREFERRED FIELD
(look tips - which will be developed a lot more in the next 2 posts):
B/ scarves (favor very soft fabrics in natural materials so that it doesn't itch, or in jersey, to make pretty bows I invite you to watch the tutorials)
- low budget: Zara / Monoprix / H&M /
- + big budget: Marc by Marc Jacobs / JCREW / A peace Treaty / Net à porter
C/ hats / beanies:
- low budget: Asos / Urban Outfitters
- + big budget: Maison Michel / Borsalino / Stetson / Net à porter
D/ turbans:
already prepared: Zelda Citroen
C/ mild (or egg) shampoo in the pharmacy, the extra gentle Ducray for all hair types was very good for my hair
D/ eyebrow: the eyebrow workshop
E/ ask your Homeopath & Oncologist if you can take food supplements (I was taking Longo Vital , but you must first check if you can take them ;))
That's all for today :)
Thank you again for taking the time to read me,
See you soon for the next tip: BEAUTY KIT - next Friday
Charlotte
PS: to follow all my next tips & posts by email,
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TIP 4: hair...
Hello,
The time for the Battle hair story has come!
Indeed, after 1 year and a half of chemo, this battle was probably one of the scariest one. I was completely OBBSESSED by it, it was almost symptomatic.
In this post I will neither offend nor taunt those who did not keep their hair. I just want to explain how (through a lot of work) mine didn't fall.
Even if I kept my hair, I lost other very important attributes ( see post 2 ).
My hair obsession comes from a long time ago....We all, I think, have something we particularly like about ourselves. In my case it was my hair. It's stupid but I am not ashamed to say I love them. Some love their right ear or their legs.
Indeed, before discovering my K , going to the hairdresser was already something big in my schedule. It required long hours of consultations between me and my mirror, to see if I was going to cut 1 to 2 cm. So it was really a terrible thing thinking that my hair could fall because of such or such medicine.
In short, after the announcement of my K, as I told you in my post 2, I immediately focused on:
1) my life
2) my ovary
3) my hair
Anyway, once I had learned from what I had to take as a cure, THE question arose: will my chemo include a special cocktail which will make my hair fall?
Answer:
YES IT DID!
What product (knowing I had 3 cocktails - see post 6 )?
TAXOL
How/why?
Because some chemo cocktail attacks all cells, and I mean ALL of them, including the bulb of the hair...
This is why my infos aren't universal nor 100% reliable, it's more like a lottery. Actually I still don't know if it was just luck or all my effort to keep my hair that works the best…
After measuring the "risk" of falling hair, let's attack.
The plan is in 6 steps:
1 / THE ICE HELMET *: renamed Mister Freeze
during chemo: Taxol for my K
Let me introduce you to the famous Mister Freeze :) (so cooooollllldddd...)
I heard that in the oncology services you were offered the icy hat option to freeze you:
1) the bulb / root
2) neurons ;)
you can discover all the preparation in my first tip kit in post 4: D-Day and after chemo, click here ☺
FYI, there is also the option Misses Freeze for hands. It is the same principle as the helmet. They are like gloves, made to avoid the risk of loss of nails.
2/ TRACKING HAIR DREAM / EYEBROWS SUBSTITUTE
has. the wigs
At that time, when I wasn't yet sure that my hair would resist, I made a complete shopping investigation to find THE perfect wig! I looked through ALL the wig brands possible.
(I even looked for the official supplier of Beyonce, but far too expensive!!)
It was also the first time I started to read about my cancer, to be honest.
After 60 fittings of wigs from different suppliers, I have to admit that the best one was:
the leader of the hair in France. The wigs I tried were even more beautiful than my real hair. In the end, I settle that I wouldn't buy anything until my hair started to fall.
See also at Elite
Picture of the winning rug:
“Because we are never as well served as in front of garbage…”(picture credit… uh…. far from Helmut Newton...)
b. The eyebrows
yes eyebrows are as important as hair, they can change your face.
As I already made my tracking "thanks" to my mom a few months earlier, I intended to make an appointment with tattoo maker (yes it exists)! Moreover, it is really super well done. My mom, did it at “the workshop of the eyebrow”. The result is very natural.
For the "after" K use the wonderfull products from REVITALASH !!!
3/ SELF PHOTO SHOOTING
This part is the ultimate disgrace! But I decided not to hide anything and deliver all my tricks that might serve you ;).
The nice hair vendors told me that I could cut my wig identical to my original hair cut if I wanted to the day of the purchase. This is why poor P. was requisitioned for the whole evening, before my first chemo to take pictures of my hair.
4/ HAT - TURBANS - SCARVES
As I said earlier, I work in fashion, so I'm pretty concerned about my "look", and I love hats, which was very useful given the context!
* Remaining tidy and pretty during the K was one of my goal. I think that it is important not to give up taking care of your image, it's a way to fight the illness and it means you still want to fight life.
Hopefully my friend Z had just created her brand of beautiful scarves , which allowed me to be fashionable while fighting against my cancer. (I'll do a post for about the “look of the survivor”) to see her beautifull brand: www.zeldacitroen.com
Here is Zelda's turbans ;) (picture credit: Zelda Citroen Turbans)
I am on the left ;)
In addition, there are thousands of ways to tighten your scarf. You can find many tutorials on the internet if you wish to.
I immediately started to wear a hat or a turban, to let people get used to it. In that way, if I had to wear a wig under my hat, no one would notice a too big change.
5/ HAIR CARE
I tried to hardly ever brush my hair, maybe just once a week. When I had to brush them, I did it very very carefully and gently not to make too many hair fall. I was washing my head every 5 days , to damage as less as I could. And NEVER ever dry them!
Basically, I tried not to touch them.
Unfortunately, my hair is quite wavy if I don't dry it, so I looked like a puddle…
6/ EVENTUAL CUT
I started to pass my hand in my hair like neurotic. I was freaking out every time some hair, even if they were just a few, remained in my hand. I was already imagining myself bald. Therefore, I decided to cut 30 cm in order to prepare myself and not to be too shocked when the time would come. It was literally a torture, but it was meant for the best.
Photo before after..
(sorry for the bad quality, I am not a photographer, it's just to show you haha)
7/ HAIR CARE after chemo!
In April 2014, time when I finished my session of Taxol (the product, which needed the frozen helmet) life seemed far better. I hadn't to put 10 wool jumpers, 10 pairs of socks to wear the frozen helmet anymore.
It was time to make a revitalization of my hair, which had regained almost normal length, at my eyes meanwhile.
I went to a BIO hair care institute : HAIR BEAUTY INSTITUTE BIO: 2 Moss for a treatment, to revitalize hair.
The products were really expensive, but at least it worked perfectly.
*Your hair and nails have to get used to the product, which are quite aggressive and it takes about 2 months
I will develop this part: hair after treatment in a future post, Patience ☺
RECALL SHOPPING:
A/ wigs if necessary: Any d’Avray / Elite-Hair
o low cost: fake hair
o high cost: true hair
MY FAVORITE THEME
(LOOK'S TIPS - I'll develop it more in the 9th post ):
B/ Scarves (better to use soft natural material, it shouldn't scratch you. Jersey is a good one, if you want to do pretty bows. Watch tutorials:
- low cost: Zara / Monoprix / H&M /
- high cost: Marc by Marc Jacobs / JCREW / A peace Treaty / Net à porter
C/ hats / beanies:
- low budget: Asos / Urban Outfitters
- + big budget: Maison Michel / Borsalino / Stetson / Net à porter
D/ turbans:
my dear friend Zelda Citroen
C/ very soft shampoo the extra soft for all types of hair from Ducray is very good
D/ eyebrows (in France): the eyebrow workshop
E/ Ask your oncologist if you can take some natural plant pills I took Longo Vital for hairs & nails , but first you have to make sure it's good for you with specialist!
Thank you for your attention!!
Next post: B eautyKit
See you soon
Charlotte
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