100 Perks of Having Cancer: Plus 100 Health Tips for Surviving It (12 page)

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

presented might cause you to have flashbacks to a film you may have viewed

in your eighth-grade science class, only there will be no quiz when it’s over

and you’re free to pass notes if you wish.)

Hair, and its growth cycle, is really quite amazing. There are three phases

of hair growth: anagen, catagen, and telogen.

The anagen phase is the growth phase, and the one involved with new

hair production. In this phase, the hair follicle (the “root,” where hair keeps

its own personal blood supply) grows down deeper into the skin to get

proper nourishment as the hair cells divide rapidly to push the hair shaft

(hair as you know it) out of the pore and onto your head. The anagen phase

is why we need to get a haircut. This phase lasts from two to seven years, is

your “living, growing hair,” and makes up most of what is on your head.

Some chemotherapy agents love to target and destroy rapidly dividing cells

and so the rapidly dividing hair cells make for a perfect target.

The catagen phase is a transitional phase where the hair stops growing,

stops getting nutrients from the blood supply, and prepares to detach. It

lasts two to four weeks.

In the last phase, the telogen phase, the hair rests for two to four months,

completes the life cycle, and the follicle prepares once again to enter the

anagen phase and grow a new piece of hair. As it does, the old hair is forced

up and eventually falls out. We normally lose about 100 hairs every day

from this process. Some forms of stress can force your hair into this phase

prematurely.

The lengths of these phases are determined by heredity and genetics.

Okay, class, the film is over. Bobby, would you please turn on the lights?

When you finish chemo, and there is nothing to suppress hair growth,

your hair will enter these phases once again. The first thing you might notice

is that you begin to “get fuzzy.” This happens because the growth of the cells

that produce melanin, the substance that gives hair its color, lag behind the

growth of the hair shaft. The initial fuzz you see will usually have no color

and look white. (Although there are exceptions to the rule.) In this rebirth

stage, all your hair is in the anagen phase, relying on the dermal papilla, or

hair follicle “seed,” to rapidly reproduce and push the hair shaft out. As the

hair grows, it is coated with keratin, a protein coating, to strengthen it.

Notable, too, is the effect of Tamoxifen or other drugs on hair growth,

Perk #8: I Didn’t Have to Wax My Upper Lip

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The “curly white/gray fuzz” that appears after chemo does not have all

the components it needs to grow hair with color or substance.

as some will find regrowth difficult or have bald spots or thinned hair while

taking certain medication.

Once construction is underway, your hair will continue to thicken and

fill in. During this time, you’ll want to do everything in your power to insure

that you stay on the “mane train.”

Diet

A healthy diet is crucial to healthy hair production. Protein and omega-3

fatty acids are key players in restoring hair growth.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Protein is found in virtually everything you eat, from apples to zucchini.

Meat and dairy contain a lot of protein, but high protein animal-based foods

are not always the best choice. You can easily meet your protein require-

ments by eating servings of protein-rich nuts, nut butters, seeds (especially

hemp), lentils, quinoa, beans, and fermented soy products like tempeh.

(Check with your doctor’s recommendations on specific soy-based foods.)

Avoid protein powders or shakes as they usually contain unhealthy soy frag-

ments called isolates and are completely unnecessary if you are eating a bal-

anced diet.

Omega-3 fatty acids are dietary fats that provide the body with the tools

for growing beautiful hair, but they are also needed for general health.

Omega-3s prevent inflammation, which is the root cause of many chronic

illnesses like heart disease, arthritis, and cancer. You can find omega-3s in

foods such as walnuts, flaxseeds, chia seeds, salmon, and dark leafy greens

like spinach and kale. If you aren’t getting enough omega-3s from your diet,

look for quality omega-3 supplement capsules, as they are an easy, quick

option for making sure you’re getting the omega-3s you need, keeping in

mind that dietary sources are preferred over supplementation.

Be Chemical Free

Your hair, like the rest of your body, doesn’t respond well to chemicals

and harsh preservatives. Watch out for shampoos and sprays that can dry

and damage your brand-new hair with ingredients like alcohol and poten-

tially cancer-causing substances like sodium laureth sulfate, DMDM

hydantoin (formaldehyde), and preservatives like parabens (look for

“paraben” in the name—for example methylparaben). Artificial colors and

DEA (diethanola mine) can also be harmful. There’s a lot to look for, but

there are wonderful companies out there that are making hair-care prod-

ucts for health-conscious people like you. Avalon, Aubrey Organics, John

Masters Organics, and Lavera are some good companies that value nature

and what it has to offer your hair. Lavera’s Orange Milk Volume Shampoo

for fine hair might be just what your hair needs when it’s in that starting-

over phase. Visit www.lavera.com.

Perk #8: I Didn’t Have to Wax My Upper Lip

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Magic Potions

If you want to help soften and reduce breakage on that new hair you’ve

grown, you can make a wonderful mixture of oils that work specifically on

your hair to strengthen and nourish it. You will need equal parts coconut

oil, castor oil, and jojoba oil. Coconut and castor oils can be found in most

grocery stores, and you can usually get jojoba from health food stores or

online. (You can sub out the pricey jojoba oil for olive or almond oil if you

can’t find it.) Mix one ounce (two tablespoons) of each oil in a ceramic

microwave-safe bowl or glass measuring cup. Gently warm the oils in the

microwave for 30 seconds on high, stirring after 15 seconds until all the oils

are combined and the coconut oil is melted. (Coconut oil is solid at room

temperature.) The mixture should be warm,
not hot.
If you want to, add 10

drops of peppermint essential oil (not peppermint extract or flavoring) as

peppermint can increase scalp circulation, smells really nice, and can lift

your mood.

Essential oils can be found at health food stores or online.

You can help your

Make sure you’re buying “essential oil,” which is an oil taken

hair back to life, just

directly from a plant and not a synthetic fragrance oil, which

be kind and gentle

is a chemical substance made to smell like a plant. Try to get

and keep it natural.

an oral-medication dosing syringe from your pharmacy for easy

application to your hair or use a plastic “hair coloring” type

bottle with a tapered tip and available at most beauty supply stores.

Apply to your scalp in sections, and then work the oils through to the

ends of your hair (or fuzz) saturating the whole strand. Apply a shower cap

and let those nourishing oils soak into your scalp and hair for fifteen min-

utes to one hour. The longer you leave it on, the better your results will be.

Then wash the oils out with a mild organic shampoo. You may need to wash

twice to get the oils completely out of your hair.

Save any leftover mix in a sealed bottle at room temperature. You can

use the oil treatment once or twice a week to keep your new hair soft

and flexible, and continue to use it well into your “luxurious locks” phase.

This mixture will help your hair strands and will also help to condition the

scalp, allowing you to provide a healthy “growing field” for your precious

little sprouts.

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100 Perks of Having Cancer

Washing

Don’t wash your hair every day if possible. When that fuzz showed up I

couldn’t wait to go out and buy ten different shampoos and matching con-

ditioners so I could actually wash my “hair” (to use the term loosely). But

your shampoos can’t compete with the natural oils that your scalp produces,

as they are the number-one best oils to nourish your scalp and hair. If you

wash your head every day, you will be stripping those beneficial oils away.

Let’s face it: how dirty can peach fuzz get anyway?

Brushing

Only brush your hair twice a day using a soft brush or wide-toothed comb.

Frequent brushing and tugging might be pulling out hair that isn’t ready to

leave your scalp. And that’s just plain mean!

Yes, having your hair back is very exciting, but take it slow and treat it

right. Baby your baby hair, baby. Those tender first strands will grow up to

be hair that would make even Rapunzel jealous. (Note: These healthy hair-

growing tips are meant for HEAD hair only.)