Your body is about to go through so many changes, from hair loss to weight gain to drying out like a god dam raisin .Chemo will strip you of your ability to feel beautiful but there are things you can do before you start and ways to help you feel more human along the way.
Gurrl get them Eyebrows on fleek pronto: There’s something so creepy about a face without brows, they are the curtains to your peepers after all and if your one of the unlucky ones who loses their lashes too it can be all the more harder to resemble anything other then an alien. So beat that bastard chemo to the pip and tattoo/microblade or learn how to pencil like a pro (Kaz from WIGS FOR HEROES has done some ace tutorials on this) because having those brows on your boat will definitely make you feel so much happier when you look in the mirror each day. I had mine microbladed and it was the best thing I ever did!
Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate!: I know im repeating myself but this one's a no brainer. Your skin is going to dry out and no amount of moisturising is going to work unless you are hydrating from the inside too. Up your water intake! Try mixing it up with fruit, squash, even mint and cucumber, whatever you fancy to help guzzle that moistness down.
Skin: At some point or other your skin is going to get rough as a badgers chuff (one of my fave Cass phrases). It's ok, don’t panic, I went through this and came out the other side. Your skin might become more sensitive from all the drugs circulating around your body, so limit perfumed or highly chemicalised moisturisers if you find yourself reacting to your normal products. If you do become more sensitive or start to have break outs then you can try switching to PH balanced creams. You can add some more moisture throughout the day if need be, just keep it simple.
Prepping the base: And when I say base, I mean body and face. Losing your hair, getting dry skin and pilling on the podge are gonna make you feel shit babes there’s no way to sugar coat it, but if there’s one thing I know, getting that summer glow on can at least help you look less Casper the Cancer Ghost and more on your way to feeling like a Boujee Babe. Just be careful with this as fake tan can be harsh and dry out your skin so do your research.
I got on the Isle of Paradise Tanning Drops bandwagon because it meant I was topping up my tan daily whilst applying my daily moisturiser.
Face: Up your slap on the face pace my loves. You got to take care of your boat big time! Hydrating will help but so too will gentle exfoliation (sensitive and non perfumed products if your skin has become sensitive) face oils PLUS moisturiser are key. I got very dull, flaky skin after Round 3 and it was really disheartening but luckily I was given some beautiful Trilogy face oil by my babe Kaz Foncett that literally transformed my skin. I applied it day and night under my face moisturiser and it brought my skin back to life, I’d definitely buy it again.
I also found an amazing daily glow mask by Sanctuary (pictured above) that really helped upped my glow stakes, these teamed with Complete Comfort Care moisturiser from Mac made me feel all kinds of nice:
Look Good Feel Better Workshop: These are voluntary run make up workshops hosted all over the country. You share a class with other Cancer babes, get given a smashing big bag of free make up and take part in a make up tutorial session run by some very kind professional make up artists. I had a lovely time on mine and would highly recommend signing up to one. Don’t be scared to say if your bag has the wrong kind of colours in it as they get a limited amount of donations but can sometimes swap yours if they have another colour that will suit you better: https://www.lookgoodfeelbetter.co.uk/