Curing Chemo Curl

September 31, I'll be six months post-chemo. My hair is almost three inches long. The color is gray, but it's a pretty, silvery gray. I'm not used to it yet - I still don't know who that woman is when catching a glimpse of myself in a store window. I'm not certain I'll keep it this color or not, but for now the color wasn't my main concern.

The curl was.

Unfortunately, I have hit the point where the famous and dreaded chemo curl reared its ugly head, pun intended. The curl first started around the bottom, and then like a fungus, began creeping up. It got to the point where it was very wavy on the top and super curly below the ears. Had I kept my original red dye-job, I would have been mistaken for Bozo the Clown's sister. As it was, I was on my way to looking like a sheep. Or, Betty White.

Each morning I woke up to a head full of dandelion frizz, so I'd mist it and use spiking glue to try and tame it.

I'm a woman. It doesn't matter what I've been through. It doesn't matter that estrogen is not allowed in my body anymore. I'm a female, and that means I'm genetically incapable of liking my hair. The fact that I had spent six months this year bald means nothing in the face of that truth.

Photos of women with short, cute, spiky straight pixie cuts kept finding their ways into my magazines, and into my consciousness.

So, I decided to relax it. I know that my African American sisters have had much success with chemical straighteners, and my own sister has done the Brazilian and Japanese straightening treatments - so I figured it was my turn.

I made an appointment for Friday, excited at the thought of smooth, silky hair so straight that it would appear longer.  And, that was a big part of my desire to straighten it - I wanted bangs.  The longer my hair got, the more it curled and it wasn't ever going to cover my forehead, I felt.

Well, you can guess what happened. I got the exact opposite of what I'd hoped for. I have thin, impossible to style hair now which sadly is still curly on the bottom. My scalp feels scarred and the hair feels like dental floss. I used hair glue before to contain the curls - now have to practically pour it on my head so I don't look 90 years old with puffy sections sticking out everywhere. The straight hair is aging, doesn't fit my face, and weirdly, it looks shorter than when it was curly. If I don't slick it back, it puffs out in strange and straw-like ways.

One of the worst parts is that it smells. Horrible. Like burnt microwave popcorn. No amount of washing seems to get rid of that scent. It fills my tiny office and is giving me a headache.

Ladies, let this be a lesson to you. Chemo curl is better than starting all over with your hair. Chemo curl will go away on its own. Be patient!

Let me tell you this as well. A bad hair day after you have been bald is a much worse feeling that before. It seems so unfair.

Here are some photos for you:

See the Bozo curls near the ears?  No flatiron was strong enough to flatten it.

I've glued it to my head to prevent it from sticking straight out. Even so, you can see on the right temple where it does anyway

Not so bad but this is after a lot of work. The curls were there even under water.

Oh no, still not straight on the bottom.

I liked it much better curly.

Hmmm.....I wonder if I should do a perm?



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