I’ve had a lot of questions about how my hair is growing in, if I’ve dyed it, cut it, etc. SOOOOOO… Today, I take you through: The History Of Mama Brehm’s Hair.
I’ve always considered myself “blonde and blue” because, well…
I’ve done the curly hair thing {and braces. For 4+ years. Thank you mom and dad}.
I had “big hair don’t care”…
And as I grew my hair naturally got darker…
I’ve chopped it short. And bleached it as blonde as I could get it.
And did the sort of early 2000s “stack”.
I then tried to grow it out and would wear it straight sometimes.
And then, after the Oldest was born, I just let it grow. Because it was too much work to go in for a hair appointment every month.
I would wear it straight…
Or do my fave “Farrah Hair-a”…
I then, went darker. Because it was even easier to maintain. And made for less appointments after two babies.
And then, just let it grow. It was always fine but thick. Had good body. And was pretty agreeable.
But I missed the blonde. So I lobbed it off. And went for the gold again.
And after three kids, I let it grow again. So I could do the whole Farrah hair-a, again. And be able to just throw and go when necessary. Messy mom bun central. And not the cute kind.
Then, I lobbed it AGAIN. And I really dug this cut.
This was right before my first cut before I started chemo…
I did, what I refer to as, “my preemptive pixie”.
And then, 13 days after chemo, my hair started to fall out in my fingers. And we decided, time to shave it off. So we had a little party. And said “peace out, pixie”
I mostly did scarves…
Or bald eagle.
And every once in awhile I’d have some old man fuzz.
I tried wigs for fun. But not for my every day.
And rang in the New Year, 28 days before my final chemo, with no locks to show.
My last chemo, I had henna on my dome.
And on February 25th, this was my head as I went in for my double mastectomy.
This is out of order, but here is the Henna by Hollie. It was BEAUTIFUL. A spiritual experience, really. Celebrating the beauty of bald.
But mostly, through the winter, stocking caps covered my head.
Post-surgery…
And then it started to come in. Even. And dark.
So my friend, Kayla, helped me dye it pink for a brief stint.
And then, I dyed it blonde with a box dye and called myself Eminem, the Real Slim Shady, and so on. {This was Easter weekend… about 6 weeks post last chemo}
Then… I ALMOST had the Ellen. #hairgoals
My last radiation… June 1st. Basically 4 months post-chemo.
I let it grow. A friend came and helped me shave my neck once. And then, I felt ready to get back to my gal, Lynley, develop a grow out plan, and get something other than a box on it.
So, 5 months post last chemo, here is my hair! It is curlier, thicker, courser, and darker {underneath it all, of course} but it has grown in reallllllly evenly and really nicely, from all accounts. Some people don’t get it cut at all and just let it grow. I totally get that but I was never emotional about the hair loss or the being bald so I just figured, if it was shaggy, I might as well get back to the grind. She didn’t actually cut it, except my neck. And we talked strategy of growth.
It will take time and patience, but most things worth it do. So, for now, I’m rockin’ the ease of the pixie and enjoying not having to have a hairdryer or straightener or curling iron in sight. I wear hats often when I’m outside. To protect me from the sun. And I get lots of compliments on the current style so I figure it must not be too apparent that it’s a chemo cut… or maybe it is. Either way, I don’t really care. I’m just happy to have some hair back on my head and the cancer outta my bod. That’s the good stuff. And the low-maintenance style is just a bonus.
