It took me a while to compile this guide (which first appeared on 13 August 2012)…and I’ll be adding more in January 2020. I hope it’s helpful, informative and inspiring and feel free to share it!
It’s all in sections, 1-8, from RESOURCES/HELP to NATURAL BEAUTY BRANDS and FATIGUE FIGHTERS to ESSENTIAL READING and HAIR LOSS SOLUTIONS.
First, quickly, new additions:
Jennifer Young’s BEAUTY DESPITE CANCER book, which has rave reviews on Amazon and is packed with practical advice on how to regain/restore your looks when cancer, and cancer treatment, can radically alter how you look, let alone feel. Find it on Amazon.co.uk HERE
…and NOT ANOTHER BUNCH OF FLOWERS, which includes a chemo gift section with gift treats from eye masks to PJs to beauty sets by brands like Burt’s Bees and Green & Spring.
Suburban Turban, hats for hair loss
see: Section 7 HAIR LOSS SOLUTIONS
1. RESOURCES: HELP, SUPPORT, FUNDRAISING and RESEARCH
www.pennybrohncancercare.org – Bristol-based cancer care charity, special diet, alternative therapies and counselling
http://www.pennybrohncancercare.org/upload/docs/932/pb_eating__downloadable_072010.pdf Special diet guide
www.macmillan.org.uk – Great back-up, emotional, practical counselling, information, financial help
www.canceractive.com – The UK’s No. 1 holistic cancer charity
www.canceraction.org.gg Excellent site, with VIP patrons and delves deeper than most. Very “healing” and packed with info.
http://www.cancerrecovery.org.uk Discovered this via Suburban Turban hats – lovely people, very proactive cancer charity
http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/ – Great site – self-explanatory.
http://lookgoodfeelbetter.org/beauty-guide/makeup-step-by-step – Look Good’s make up tips
www.yestolife.org.uk – Complementary/alternative cancer therapies
www.nhs.uk/conditions/cancer/pages/introduction.aspx – NHS info on chemo and radiotherapy
www.sunsmart.org.uk – Skin cancer info/guidelines
www.breakthrough.org.uk – Very proactive, supportive and a great charity all round. Check out their 5 Signs of Breast Cancer info – Look, Touch, Feel. News updates about advances in new drugs, blood tests, etc.
www.maggiescentres.org – Free support for anyone affected by cancer
(And thank you to beauty icon Estee Lauder, for starting the Pink Ribbon campaigns in the first place!)
2. BEAUTY SHORTLIST SALUTES THESE “SAFE BEAUTY” BRANDS, GOOD CHOICES IF YOU’RE HAVING CANCER TREATMENT
Here are some of the brands we love – in no particular order. Safe, natural/organic formulas. Lots of good stuff, no (or very few) naughty bits! We’ll be fine-tuning this list into alphabetical order and organic/natural/95% natural later this year.
Green People, Weleda, Dr. Hauschka, Natural Wisdom, REN, Neals Yard Remedies, LisaLise Skincare, The Organic Pharmacy, Pai Skincare, Elemental Herbology, Balance Me, Barefoot Botanicals, Pinks Boutique, Tisserand, Live Native, Beyond Organic, Essential Care, Purity Skincare, Dr. Bronner, Dr. Alkaitis, Dr. Organic, Trilogy, Tisserand, Lavera, Balm Balm, Green & Spring…just for starters.
COMPREHENSIVE NATURAL & ORGANIC BEAUTY BRAND LISTINGS HERE AT NATURAL BEAUTY YEARBOOK 2013
And last but not least, Speziaorganics.com who are involved with http://www.madeforlife.org and do a lot of work to support breast cancer charities.
www.ewg.org – The U.S. Environmental Working Group’s cosmetics database – you can check what lurks (or thankfully doesn’t) in your skincare.
3. VASELINE RHYMES WITH GASOLINE. WE DON’T USE IT BECAUSE THE PETROLATUM BARRIER FORMS AN OCCLUSIVE BARRIER ON SKIN AND DOES NOT LET SKIN ‘BREATHE’. (IT COMES FROM OIL RIGS) BETTER ALTERNATIVES:
PAI SKINCARE’s Orange and Bergamot is a favourite – delicious and 100% organic www.paiskincare.com
DR HAUSCHKA Have just come out with brand new lipsticks…this brand has enormous integrity and we *love* them.
BADGER BALM, our new favourites! The Sleep Balm is calming and the Tangerine Breeze tastes delicious.
BURT’S BEES LIP BALM
EVOLVE ORGANIC BEAUTY – 2019 Beauty Shortlist Awards winner
INLIGHT ORGANIC BEAUTY another 2019 winner!
NEALS YARD REMEDIES – one of our all time favourites
ESSENTIAL CARE – pure and natural and they also do lipsticks, certified to Soil Association and Fairtrade standards: http://www.essential-care.co.uk/new-essential-care-lipsticks-2876-0.html
WELEDA – pioneering natural healthcare for years
4. ESSENTIAL READING
– CHRIS BEAT CANCER (US-based Chris Wark’s new book quickly shot to the top of Amazon’s listings, also check out his interviews with people with all stages and types of cancer who survived (including 4) by using his protocol or combination therapies. The way he eats is SUPER healthy – plant-based. I tried it for a week after a minor operation and felt amazing. I need to stick to it (more often).
Other doctors I absolutely trust:
DR MARK HYMAN (his YouTube interviews are very, very good and enjoyable to watch), DR ERIC BERG (chiropractor/nutrition, YouTube) and Dr Josh Axe and Dr Jockers.
Your belief system is so important too – so many who got and get well despite a sombre (maybe just a few months) diagnosis really believed they WOULD get healthy again – sometimes baffling doctors (a few who said “oh it was a misdiagnosis” – I’ve watched and read a lot of these stories). And get a 2nd or 3rd or 4th opinion. There are solutions in unexpected places & people.
– Anti-cancer: A new way of life, by David Serban-Schrieber. Author David-Servan Schreiber is an academic physician with a wealth of experience in the field of integrative medicine, a lovely man, who battled brain cancer himself and evenutally passed away, long after surviving a pessimistic diagnosis for a whole 19 years in July 2011. His book, which is now his legacy, is a must-read and wonderfully empowering.
– The Elegant Art of Falling Apart by Jessy Jones (a witty and down-to-earth must-read if you’re feeling down or need some inspiration, by Jessy who’s been through it all herself)
– Cancer: The complete recovery guide, by Jonathan Chamberlain. Really comprehensive book highlighting all the options and treatments out there, an empowering read.
– Foods to Fight Cancer, by Richard Béliveau and Denis Gingras. All about green tea, curcumin, berries, the omegas and other superfoods to boost the immune system.
– No More Bingo Dresses by Rosie O’Hara (How to cope with cancer and other people using NLP) A humorous account of the author’s own journey and how NLP helped her.
NEW! ANTI-CANCER and PERSONAL BLOGS
VERITY’s LIFESTYLE http://www.verityslifestyle.com/my-anti-cancer-toolbox
CHEMO CHIC http://chemochic.blogspot.co.uk
MIKE BAKER’s CANCER BLOG http://www.mikebakereducation.co.uk/beatingcancer
ALI’s PANCREATIC CANCER BLOG http://pancreaticcanceraction.org/about
ANTICANCER www.anticancerbook.com (not a blog really, but lots of interesting articles, videos and research by Dr David Servan-Schrieber who wrote the best-selling Anti-Cancer Diet Book)
5. BEAUTY ON THE INSIDE, FATIGUE FIGHTERS AND ARE YOU TOP OF YOUR TO-DO LIST?
IF YOU ONLY DO 5 THINGS:
- Put yourself FIRST on your to-do list.
- SAY “SAYONARA” TO SUGAR – and mean it. Sugar feeds cancer cells and creates disease. Never mind what it does to our energy levels, blood sugar, teeth, skin, etc. Agave syrup or honey are better options.
- TRY ADDING SUPERGREENS to the mix. They may not all taste great but supergreen powders with spirulina, chlorella, alfalfa, spinach, seaweed and other “green” extracts can really make a difference to how you feel, and help offset the effects of radiotherapy (which is really radiation, let’s be blunt). Greens help alkalise the body and it has been proven that the closer we are to perfect alkaline levels, the more resistant we are to illness. Many say cancer cannot grow in a perfectly-balanced alkaline environment but shockingly, most of us run around being too acidic, due to eating too much wheat, cheese, because of stress, our often chaotic lifestyle but most of all the way we eat.
- DON’T FORGET THE MIND-BODY CONNECTION. Worry feeds illness, happiness and peace of mind boost health.
- EAT FOODS DESIGNED BY MOTHER NATURE (not transformed into something different on a supermarket shelf).
Try TERRANOVA’s Living Multinutrient Complex. Not only does it contain many supergreens, its star-studded cast of ingredients makes it our all-time favourite multivitamin. See the ingredients here:
http://www.terranova-nutrition.com/page11.htm and buy here:
http://www.victoriahealth.com/product/Living-Multinutrient-Complex/8803/0/
VIRIDIAN’s Gentle Adaptogen Complex – helps support health during periods of stress http://www.bodykind.com/product.aspx?page=product&previd=2429&productid=2430
PUKKA HERBS – Vitalise Bio-Nutrients (with curcumin, a known cancer-fighting spice) http://www.pukkaherbs.com/health-store/organic-bio-nutrients/vitalise.html
BALANCING BLOOMS– available at Boots, an affordable range of flower remedies that can help rebalance your mindset/mood – Let Go, Cheer Up, Confidence, Peace, Get Up & Go, Sensuality, Crisis and Focus: http://balancingblooms.co.uk/
BACH REMEDIES – at Boots, etc.
HOMEOPATHY – pls get in touch as we can recommend homeopathic specialists or resources for you
6. GOOD PLACES TO SHOP
www.beingcontent.com – natural beauty
www.cutecosmetics.co.uk – lovely site, lots of our favourite there
www.lovelula.com – great site, lots of lovely natural treats
www.thepureemporia.com – nice brands, and natural!
www.soorganic.com – natural beauty
www.wholefoodsmarket.com – good food
www.bodykind.com – supplements and supergreens
www.terranova-nutrition.com – Terra Nova’s super supplements – better because…? Of the fresh freeze-dried botanicals, intelligent formulas, ethical sourcing and more.
7. HAIR SOLUTIONS – TREVOR SORBIE
The amazing Trevor Sorbie has dedicated loads of his time to helping chemo and alopecia patients. He has a team who’ll re-cut wigs and can help with hair solutions. Find out more here at Trevor Sorbie/My New Hair www.trevorsorbie.com/consumer/about-us/my-new-hair
Suburban Turban is run by milliner Nicky Zip, famous for her glamorous Ascot hats. Nicky’s come up with some clever solutions for hair loss, including these super light cotton organdie “Mila” sun hats. Lots more scarves, headwraps and clever cover-ups, the rest of range is here: www.suburbanturban.co.uk
A cool new style for autumn 2013 – we love “Poppy” this quilted shower proof cap from Suburbanturban
8. PERMANENT MAKE UP
Celebrity permanent make up artist Tracie Giles www.traciegiles.co.uk can also help with anything from permanent eyebrow make up to permanent make up breast repigmentation. She now has a brand new salon in Knightsbridge, London.
Also have a look at the video in section (7) by Carol who models for Suburban Turban – she has alopecia and has come up with some brilliant beauty tips including how to apply lashes if you have none of your own, creating the perfect eyebrows and the easiest way to tie a long headscarf. Ingenious and you can watch them all here: http://www.youtube.com/user/EyelineHerBlog