XI. Lotions and Potions

My amazing boyfriend painting my nails with the Organica serum as I lay in bed (like the Queen I am) with my hair cap on!

I have always been a huge fan of trying out different beauty products! Ever since I was young, I would invest in the newest skin care and makeup products. So when I was diagnosed with cancer, I knew I had to try out different products that could help me combat some of my chemotherapy side effects and symptoms. Now, you may be someone who's not going through chemotherapy yourself and that's totally fine. Most of the products I have listed here can be used by anyone (not just chemo specific)! If you have any questions about how much they cost, where to buy them, or how to use them feel free to message me :)

1. Coconut & Castor Oil Mix - Throughout my treatment I used coconut and castor oil on my scalp, eyebrows and eyelashes to help combat hair loss. I'm not sure if it totally worked, but I like to tell myself it did! I never lost ALL the hair on my head, but I did loose an obvious amount (I resembled a Chia Pet figurine for most of my treatment time). My eyelashes and eyebrows definitely thinned, but much like my head hair they never fully fell out! My mom actually had the brilliant idea of buying an empty mascara tube and filling it with a mixture of coconut and castor oil. Each night I would coat my eyebrows and eyelashes with it! I also massaged the oils into my scalp each night and covered my head with a hair cap so the oils didn't get on my pillow. Both of these oils are super cheap and can be purchased at any drug store!

2. X Scar Silicone Lotion - Over the past few months, I have truly learned to love my scars and am proud of what they signify. Every day I see them, and they remind me of how strong I am. With that being said, I have been using this lotion for the scar on my neck, to help smooth the surrounding skin and reduce redness. During chemo the scar was very red, but my oncologist reminded me that my body was not healing as quickly (due to my low white blood cell count), and that once I finished treatment the scar would begin to slowly fade in color. It has only been a little over three weeks since my last treatment, but I have definitely noticed a difference. I apply a small bit of cream to the area 3x per day for 3 minutes as directed. This product is a bit pricey, but I would say it's definitely worth it and I plan on using it on my port scars once Cathy Porter is removed!

3. Organica Nail Guardian - I don't think I mentioned this in my last post, but my nails (toes and fingers) became very weak, brittle, and thin during treatment. I also developed white lines on my fingernails after each treatment, that would come and go following each infusion. My mom and I found this awesome product that you can purchase on Amazon for about $32. Similarly to my coconut and castor oil routine, I would paint a thin coat of the serum onto my nails each night before I went to bed. This product absolutely helped my nails stay stronger during treatment - plus it's natural and vegan and has a bunch of delicious-smelling oils in it!

4. ChapStick - Literally any kind of lip balm does the job! My lips became extra dry during chemo, so I always made sure I had lip balm on me wherever I went. I'm a huge fan of Bert's Bees and Carmex.

5. Garden of Life Women's Multivitamin - I wasn't the best at taking vitamins during treatment, but since my last chemo I have been really loving the MyKind Organics vitamin. I take it twice daily with food (morning and night). This is also organic, non GMO, vegan and gluten-free!

6. Now Biotin (5,000 mg) - Along with my multivitamin, I also have been taking a biotin supplement to help promote hair growth post chemo! I have only been taking it once daily for about two weeks and have noticed some serious hair growth!

7. PiperWai Deodorant - Ok, this has been a TOTAL game changer and I probably should have put this as #1 on the list! This might be TMI, but I have always been a sweaty gal. I definitely suffer from nervous sweating and also just sweating in general. My mom has been bugging me to try this brand of deodorant for quite some time now (after hearing awesome reviews from a few friends). Prior to my diagnosis, I had been using pretty terrible deodorants filled with toxic ingredients such as Aluminum compounds, Propylene Glycol, and Parabens (which can be extremely harmful to the lymphatic system). PiperWai is an activated charcoal deodorant that is all natural and aluminum-free - plus it has a gender neutral scent so anyone can use it! I promise you I have never smelled better!!!

8. Mouthwash - During two of my chemo treatments, I developed pretty painful mouth sores. I usually combated this by sucking on ice chips during the "red devil" infusion, to help freeze the cells in my mouth and avoid developing mouth sores. However, a couple of times I forgot to do so and totally paid the price! My oncologist wrote out a prescription for "Lido-Diphen" (Lidocaine-Diphenhydramine), which a lot of chemotherapy patients refer to as "Magic Mouthwash". It's basically an anti-inflammatory and numbing liquid that you use like typical mouth wash. To be honest, I actually only used this once. I found that gargling with salt water or using a zero alcohol mouthwash worked equally as well, if not better!