Psssssst

After my 2nd cycle of chemo, my hair did indeed start to fall out. Not in big clumps, it was more like every time I ran my hands through my hair, I would have a bunch of strands between my fingers. I noticed that getting my hair wet when taking a shower only made more of it fall out, especially after washing it. So I decided to try using dry shampoo. I found a great one called Psssssst: Instant Spray Shampoo. No joke! No water needed! It looks like it's straight out of the 70's, but it works. So instead of washing my hair with water, I used Psssssst. I really feel like it helped my hair stay intact for as long as I could possibly keep it (4 cycles). This might not be for everyone, but hey, it's definitely worth a shot. (Note: only using Psssssst for 2 months and never washing my hair with real shampoo & water did leave a yellowish residue on my scalp. Needless to say, after shaving my head, it felt incredible to scrub my scalp and the residue came right off).

Hair Ties

Photo courtesy of Cheri Messerli

Probably one of the scariest things when one first hears the word chemo is the immediate thought of losing one's hair. Our hair is such a big part of everyday life, such a big part of our image. However, don't run out and shave your head immediately. First of all, hair lost is not mandatory. It doesn't affect everyone. My friend Jason went through 4 cycles of chemotherapy and got away with only slight thinning of the hair (barely noticeable). I did go out and get a cute short haircut that I always wanted to try during my 2nd cycle, however, because I figured if I did lose my hair, I didn't want to lose long locks of it. I could handle short pieces of hair falling out much better! So go out and have fun! Get a wild short haircut! After my 4th cycle of chemotherapy, my hair was really thin (again, it took 4 cycles to thin it out to the point of considering shaving it), so my amazing boyfriend and I decided to go all the way and shave both of our heads (did I mention how incredible he is...he had 12 inches of hair)!! And you know what, it was liberating!! We had so much fun, and the fact that he did it for me and with me made me feel that much more powerful. Honestly, I love it (it's still shaved right now). It feels so incredible to take a shower and scrub my scalp. And riding my bike and feeling the breeze against my scalp is downright magnificent! And, I also bought a wig. You can get some really fabulous wigs made out of real hair for really reasonable prices, plus most wig shops will give you a discount if you mention that you are going through chemo. It's a win-win. Plus it takes a matter of minutes to get ready now. Pretty cool. Be proud of your shaved head. Carry yourself with the esteem of having overcome one of the biggest fears people can imagine. You have crossed over a threshold that many people in their lifetime will never experience. It truly sets you apart. And for those days that you don't feel like thinking of your shaved head, wear that fabulous wig and carry on, chin up!