How to care for your skin during Chemo

Cancer treatments vary depending on what stage your cancer has reached. If your treatment program causes you to lose your hair there are steps you need to take to care for your scalp, face and body. There are many products on the market for caring for your hair, your face, and your body, but after your hair comes out you forget that there is a great need for oils and nutrients for your skin. Chemo and radiation are very damaging to your skin. Here are ways to combat the effects of Chemo and Radiation treatments.

Difficulty: Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Olive Oil
• Mayonnaise
• Vitamin E Oil
• Pre-Natal Vitamins
• Milk

1. The first thing you will notice with your treatments is weight loss. In normal life that would be thrilling, but this is not normal life and the weight loss is conditional to your hair loss, wrinkles, crepiness, soreness, and sensitivity to touch. The skin becomes thinner as the nutrients needed to support skin structure is depleted. The first defense is for your scalp:
   Before beginning treatments, begin a regimen of scalp treatments using Mayonnaise. Not diet mayo, but the real mayo with all the fats and oil included. The blood supply that usually feeds the hair root system will be already in the process of being depleted due to the cancer. Your body will be unable to produce them so you must add them, much like your daily vitamins add required daily nutrition because you cannot eat enough to get what you need. So it is with your skin and hair. You must add the oils, the vitamins, the calcium, collagen and more externally.
   
   On a clean head apply 1 -2 tablespoons of mayo to scalp and hair. Massage gently. The scalp and hair will absorb as much as it needs. Cover head with shower cap or Saran Wrap to keep heat in. Leave on for 20 - 30 minutes. Shampoo off. If you are using my special soap (created for my clients)as a shampoo and body wash then no conditioner is necessary.

2. 
    
   Scrape gel from Aloe plant

   Your face: wrinkles, fine lines, crepiness, dry patches, etc., are all results of chemo and radiation. Combat these effects early with daily oil and moisture treatments to your face and body. A mixture of Vitamin E oil and Olive oil is very nourishing to parched skin. Aloe Vera plants should be a staple in your home if you are taking radiation treatments.
   Instructions: Pinch off a small stem of Aloe and add it to a teaspoon of olive oil (Extra Virgin) and small amount of Vitamin E oil (about the size of a butter bean)in cup and mash. If you like you can make larger amounts in a blender and use for your entire body. Massage into skin. Towel off excess.
   
   drinking aloe juice (made from the pure Aloe Vera gel without the useless "rind" or so called, "whole leaf") provides your body with 200 health promoting compounds, including 20 minerals, 18 amino acids and 12 vitamins.

3. 
    
   A blender that processes one cup at a time is perfect

   Add Milk (whole)to your bath. One can also enjoy a milk and honey bath, by mixing them in equal quantities. The combination is used in various spas throughout the world.
   Preparation: Add 1 cup of whole milk or cream added to 1 cup of natural honey in a blender and mix. Pour into warm bath water. Soak and relax with a good soundtrack softly playing in the background. Soothing to the soul.

Tips & Warnings

• some of my clients have had success with Prenatal vitamins.
• B-12 dots are easy to take, do not nauseate and help with stress.
• Baby Shampoos were created to cleanse cradle cap from babies scalps. You do not want to use this.
• Check with your Doctor before drinking Aloe Vera juice while taking treatments.
• Some shampoos and conditioners as well as soaps will leave a film on hair and skin. I make a special blended soap for my clients that are detergent, fragrance and wax free.