Rave: Cancer Lesson #58: Prepare to be nicknamed Curly.

Great news! I’ve got hair! Okay, I admit, it probably only looks like that to me.  In reality, it’s more like this:

Apparently, it’s not uncommon for hair to grow back dark and curly. In my case, it’s definitely more curly (used to only be wavy), some parts darker, and a whole lot grayer (darn!).

I’m not complaining (well, maybe a little). After all, I have hair again. I just wonder if it will stay curly, go straight, or go back to being wavy like it was before. According to one discussion board, it could go, er grow, a variety of ways.  (http://community.breastcancer.org/topic/69/conversation/698807)

Funnily enough, I’m getting a lot of compliments on my hair these days. This is great, partly because I now have hair to compliment and partly because there’s not a darned thing I can do about the way it’s growing.

However, there are several articles online about how to care for “after-chemo” (such a nice phrase) curls. http://breastcancer.about.com/od/lifeaftertreatment/a/chemo-curl-care.htm will link you to About.com’s advice, and there’s a whole website called Naturally Curly.com (www.naturallycurly.com) with hints on handling curly hair. I learned about plopping, and I’m going to give it a try just as soon as my locks are long enough to plop.
http://www.naturallycurly.com/curlreading/curl-products/to-plop-or-not-to-plop

I’ll keep you posted! Meanwhile, I’m getting used to looking like Little Orphan Annie. Hmmm … do you think I should dye my hair red?