Let’s talk about post chemo hair growth

This post contains PR samples but all thoughts are my own.

I lost my hair during my battle with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. I didn’t just lose it once though, because I relapsed I lost it twice. The first time I shaved my head just after finishing chemo for six months, I tried to keep it for as long as possible as my hair was very thick but I knew when the time was right and then the second time was about a week after I was told the cancer had come back, the chemo I had was a lot more intense so I lost it way quicker than the first time.

My plan is to keep growing and keep it as healthy as possible then I would love to be able to donate it to the Little Princess Trust. To all of you at the awkward stage of hair growth, it does get better and eventually your hair is going to look amazing, just be patient although if you want to do as much as you can to get your hair to grow I’ve got a few tips that may help it along.

Vitamins and hair volume supplements.

I left it about 3/4 months after finishing chemo before I started taking vitamin A, D & C. A couple of people recommended these tablets as they help recover your hair and they are also really good for you which is a bonus.

Oh & I have recently been trying out some hair volume gummies from New Nordic. They are an apple flavoured chewable that includes biotin and zinc. Thankfully they look and taste like a sweet so it doesn’t feel like your taking a vitamin. Biotin seems to have become one vitamin in everything hair related recently so that’s got to be a good sign. The gummies supply nutrients to the scalp and hair follicles where the hair is formed.

As I said before I’m trying to grow it as much as I can then I’ll able to donate so anything to help my hair grow and keep healthy I’m all for. I’ve been really impressed with these for the last few weeks, my hair seems to be more healthy and manageable and I have also seen a little growth which is amazing, I’m very excited to keep using these to see more results.

If you are still in treatment or just recovering then definitely talk to your consultant before taking any supplements.

Don’t over wash your hair.

I know it’s a little strange but making sure not to over wash your hair is important. Washing it as little as possible, 2 to 3 times a week is the best. Oh and dry shampoo will be your best friend..

Fast shampoo & conditioner.

Again, I got this recommend to me by a couple of other people who had just finished treatment and they said how amazing this shampoo and conditioner was and I was really intrigued so I decided it was worth buying and I am SO glad I decided to purchase even though it was around £30 which obviously isn’t cheap for shampoo and conditioner. My hair grew at such a rate and wether it was down to using these or just a number of things but I’m pretty sure this made a big difference.

Trim your new hair.

I remember when my hair first started coming back, I didn’t want to cut it because I was way too nervous for anyone to touch it, I just wanted it to grow but I did eventually get a trim because it was starting to resemble a mullet and no-one wants to see that. The best thing you can do is go for regular trims by cutting off the split ends. It’ll make it look so much tidier and you will feel so much better for it.

Oils are your best friend.

Every few days I would massage my head with oils, mainly castor oil because you can also use this on your eyebrows and eyelashes as well and it worked a treat. It increases the movement of blood to your scalp so helps stimulate growth. It also leaves your head feeling very soft!

Avoid straighteners.

It may be hard when you notice your hair getting longer and you want to try to straighten or curl but DON’T. You want to try and not damage it too early. My hair came back really wavy and I was so tempted to buy some of those tiny straighteners but I resisted and it was one of the best things I did. You really don’t want to use any harsh products on your hair until it’s grown to a point you are really happy with.

Some stages of hair growth can be very frustrating. Through some of the awkward stages I got to a point where I wanted to shave it all off and start again. It’ll take a long while for your hair to get where you want it to be but just be patient, it WILL get there.

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