Box Clever

My recovery programme has involved a truckload of therapies: chemotherapy; radiotherapy; adjuvant therapy; massage therapy; green juice therapy; brown rice therapy; psychotherapy… to name but a few. The therapy that has undoubtedly been the most fun is my patented Product Replacement Therapy. 


PRT* involves replacing all of my toxic cosmetics and beauty products with superior natural alternatives. Good Glamour is a subject that has become as dear to my heart as it is to my wallet. I’ve said it before: natural cosmetics are the new crack!


I do know, from experience, how dizzyingly confusing this whole subject of non-toxic beauty can be. I have kissed numerous organic frogs on the path to finding my Good Glamour ‘princes’. Mistakes are undoubtedly costly.


So I’m really impressed with the people at Amarya who have come up with a cunning plan to get you hooked on natural cosmetics. It’s called the Amarya Beauty Box. So simple: for £10 a month they send you a box containing a wonderful full-sized product plus samples of what’s hot on the market. Try before you buy.


Inside my Beauty Box I found a tube of Dr Hauschka Rose Day Cream (30ml – normal price £23.95) plus a trial size of Caudalíe Gentle Cleanser (30ml) and a sample sachet of John Masters Organics Vitamin C Anti-Aging Face Serum (2ml). Reviews to follow - stay tuned. That’s gotta be £10 worth in anyone’s language!


Amarya don’t insist that you sign up for a year but, if you do, they chuck in some extra freebies!


The Beauty Box is going straight onto Chemo Chic’s list of top pressies to give to a woman who is going through cancer. The prospect of having such a delightful surprise drop through the letter box each month certainly fills me with cheer.


*Don’t forget: Product Replacement Therapy – Live! Tell me which beauty product you can’t live without and I will suggest a fabulous non-toxic alternative that will soon become your new must-have. Join in on facebook, tweet @itsjessyjones with the hashtag #PRT or leave a comment below.

Talkin' About Hair Loss Baby!

Product Replacement Therapy - Live!

Almost three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I dived head first into researching and informing myself about every possible cure and contributory factor, no matter how insane. 

Once I'd calmed down a bit, I realised that there were about five areas where I could make fundamental changes in my lifestyle that would improve my outcome and, ultimately, my life. These were: 

1. diet

2. exercise

3. spiritual practices

4. getting and giving help

5. possibly the most tricky - beauty products. 

When I began to find out about toxic ingredients in my everyday cosmetics I was deeply confused. In fact, I did not want to know. It all seemed like too much information. I had other things to worry about. Yet the seed had been planted... Gradually, I began to understand what some of the issues are, what the alternatives are, which products actually work and where to get them. As my studies unfolded I became more and more horrified by what I learned. Over time I have replaced every single expensive lotion and potion in my bathroom with a safe - and superior - alternative. And, I promise you I do not miss those old 'friends' at all. 

You too may be concerned about what’s in your beauty products – yet feel overwhelmed at the prospect of digesting all this confusing technical information about ingredients, carcinogens, hormone disruptors and the rest. 

Do not despair – Product Replacement Therapy is here to help (see point 4, above).

Just tell us which beauty product you can’t live without and we will suggest a fabulous non-toxic alternative that will soon become your new must-have.

Leave a comment below or tweet your product to @itsjessyjones with the hashtag #PRT.

And More Good News...

My book, The Elegant Art of Falling Apart, is to be published in the UK this Spring. Based on this very blog, the book tells the story of cancer, a bad boyfriend and good friends. Only with a lot less waffle.

If you read the papers or listen to cultural shows on the radio or indulge in any kind of communication with the big wide world beyond facebook, you may be aware that the publishing industry is going through seismic shifts at the moment with old monoliths of the book world crumbling at an alarming rate and new publishing models erupting all over the place.

Unbound is one such innovative venture and I am excited to be a part of it. Here is how it works: go to the Unbound website, there you will see pitches for a gaggle of books by a gamut of interesting authors. Select the book or books that grab you (I do hope that you will select mine), peruse the pitch, watch the video and read the excerpt from the book. Then pledge to the project that inspires you: £10; £20; £100; £10,000,000,000,000,000,000,000… it’s up to you.

In return for your pledge you will not only get the soul satisfaction of supporting a book that has taken two years of my life and a large chunk of my sanity to write, but you will be personally thanked by the publishers who will inscribe your name into the book for posterity. The more you pledge, the greater your rewards: signed hardbacks; bags of sumptuous natural beauty products; signed flower portraits and afternoon tea with the author are on offer (hey – why stop there?) Of course, your ultimate reward will be in heaven.

Please pledge and help to bring The Elegant Art of Falling Apart to British shores.

“More life-affirming (and funny) than any self-help book” – Grazia

Airborne Glamour

So now you know that I am in sometimes-sunny Sydney. Obviously I got here on 
an aeroplane but unless you’ve ever done it yourself you may be unaware of just 
what a long and arduous flight it is from the UK to Australia… even for brats like 
me who insist on spending every penny of their hard earned cash on a business 
class ticket (best deals: Trailfinders). Which was just as well because after 
Royston drove me to the airport at 99 miles and hour with AC/DC’s Highway To 
Hell blasting at five thousand decibels I needed a bit of a lie down.


But Lily is not one to be idle for long. After reading the in-flight safety card, the 
in-flight menu and the in-flight movie programme, I put my time on the twenty-
four hour flight to work on your behalf researching in-flight beauty. 


For several years now our travels have been blighted by airport restrictions on 
what and how much we can take aboard planes in liquid, gel or lotion form. So 
packing the right products for a long flight takes meticulous planning.


After a great deal of deliberation about what I couldn’t live without for a whole 
day I have devised the Chemo Chic In-Flight Beauty Bag:


Products classed as liquids that must be carried in a clear plastic zip-lock bag.

• Pai Macadamia and Rose dry skin cream: this is a richer moisturiser so works well to combat cabin-air dryness.

• MV Organic Skincare Energizing 9-Oil Cleanser: the queen of cleansers, it is stuffed with nourishing and beautifully scented oils.

• Pai Lotus & Orange Blossom Bio Affinity Toner: soothing, hydrating and it smells divine - spray on face, neck and hands every two hours.

• Pai Rosehip Bioregenerate facial oil: mix a few drops with the moisturiser for extra richness. Because of limited space I use the moisturiser/ rosehip oil mixture on my hands as well, rather than taking a separate hand cream.

• Comvita Propolis toothpaste: try to save an almost exhausted tube so you can roll it up and it won’t take up so much space in your zip-lock bag.

• Sample size of Organic Glam Oud perfume: Oud is the classic scent of North Africa. It’s intensely evocative of exotic travel so one squirt before landing will do the trick.

• Hurraw Night Treatment balm: with blue chamomile to keep lips soft and supple.

• Ilia Bang Bang red lipstick: a sheer lippy to restore some colour to the face on arrival. Can also be used as an emergency blusher.

• Vapour Organic Beauty concealer stick: in case of in-flight breakouts, blotchiness and the inevitable dark under-eye circles.

• Organic Glam black mascara: always essential.

Products not classed as liquids.

• Inika eye pencil and brow pencil: for a two second eye glammafacation.

• Crystal mini mineral salt deodorant stick.

• Silk eye mask (the aeroplane ones tend to be plastic backed and scratchy).

• Ear plugs.

• Soft scrunchy (for keeping hair tidy whilst sleeping).

• Pair of knitted Afghan socks with leather soles for padding around the cabin.

• Mini microbead pillow: squishes up to nothing.

Congratulations!

First bit of good news that I've been meaning to tell you about:

To: Canalily

Subject: Congratulations!

Hello,

I’m writing with some exciting news, which is that Chemo Chic has made

it into 4Beauty’s round-up of the best health blogs:

http://www.channel4.com/4beauty/wellbeing/womens-health/best-health-blogs

We love your blog and are so pleased to be able to feature it on the

site.

Congrats again and Merry Christmas from the 4Beauty team.    

I am beyond pleased to be featured on their site. Channel Four's 4Beauty isn't just any old beauty website. It is, if you like, the Delia Smith of beauty sites - a gold mine of really useful basic information: make-up videos; fashion tips; how to wear lipstick and guides to creating glamorous hair styles. This is the kind of stuff that fashion magazines just don't tell us, the kind of stuff that I spent years figuring out.

My pick of the day from 4Beauty is How to Apply Mineral Makeup, something I've been meaning to write about but haven't quite found the time to do. I suggest that you read it immediately and save me the bother of writing a similar piece.

Best mineral foundations:

Inika Mineral Foundation

Jane Iredale Amazing Base

Ecotools retractable Kabuki brush

Oh My Goodness Is That The Time Already?

I know! I have abandoned you and I’m sorry. Every day I intend to write a piece 
for Chemo Chic. And every day the beach and the sunshine beckon me away from 
my laptop. By the time I return with my hair full of salt and my brain befuddled 
with bliss it seems that the only realistic course of action is to lie on the couch 
and languidly eat a mango whilst Samantha makes us a nice cup of tea.


I’m in Australia, in case you hadn’t twigged. In a way, I’m having the holiday that I 
missed out on two years ago when Nick did the dirty and our 'dream vacation' all went lurching hideously sideways. I’ve spent time in Tasmania, visiting Mum, Aunty Noni and my cousins Fay and Matilda. The weather was sublime. We swam every day with the giant 
stingrays in the aquamarine water of the bay. Stingrays are gentle souls really, as 
long as you don’t step on them. They hear you coming and just glide ahead like a 
guard of honour. I spent a lot of time standing on Mum’s verandah watching 
them moseying around on the sand, doing their stingray thing. Tasmania is rightly 
famed for its food. We did all the usual being attacked by catching fish from Noni’s boat, collecting mussels and samphire from the rocks and raiding Mum’s garden every evening 
for salads, beans, peas, zucchini, potatoes, corn, kale…

Then it was back to the city to catch up with all my Sydney friends: Mandy and 
Tony, now deep into married life; Lulu; Jimmy and of course Samantha, Lyla, Lily, 
Felix the cat and Lola the one-eyed pug. Living in Watson’s Bay is as bonkers as 
ever. Thank the Lord.


And now so much time has passed by I’m at a loss as to where to begin the catch-
up. So I’m just going to start posting up snippets, going back and forth in time to 
try to fill in some of the details of the past six or seven weeks. 

ila Put a Spell on You

Review by Jessica Jones


I am under the spell of ila. To say that ila is a range of utterly sumptuous home spa 
products would be completely underselling the whole thing. 


From their website...


“...by embracing the utmost ethical integrity that we can harness the earth’s highest natural 
vibrations: vibrations with the power to reach beyond the physical to nourish emotional and spiritual well-being too.”


Well - I’ve gotta get me some of that. 


Spiritual well-being aside, there’s nothing like a bit of luxury packaging to make me feel special. I savour the jewel-coloured boxes for a moment before ripping them open to 
get at the heavy, white glass jars nestled inside their golden cardboard linings. Following 
instructions from Denise Leicester, ila’s founder, I dump a handful of Himalayan bath salts 
with Damascena Rose Otto and Sandalwood into the tub and turn on the hot tap. Whilst 
the bathroom is steaming up I fold a fresh white towel, roll up some face flannels and place 
them neatly on the rim of the bath. Just like they do it in a real spa. Next I switch off the 
light and spark up my tuberose and rose candle. By now my tiny bathroom could be 
mistaken for  Sheherazade’s chamber. The bath is brimming so I top it off with a scattering 
of rose petals (not organic) and leave those to steep whilst I strip and rub my pale body 
down with Blissful Body Scrub - a heavenly concoction of Himalayan Salt Crystal, 
Damascena Rose Otto, Jasmine and Organic Rosehip seed oil. Then it’s simply a matter 
of sliding into the hot, scented water and lying there is a state of bliss and emotional 
nourishment for twenty minutes with a warm flannel over my eyes. Oh damn - I forgot the 
whale music. No matter, I can sing “Frosty the Snowman” and other hits from “The Phil 
Spector Christmas Collection” that Sheldon gave me last year. I mean, who is going to 
stop me?


So here is my first resolution for 2012: I’m going to be this good to myself at least once a 
week. I grant you permission to do the same.


And if you’re wondering what to buy as a Christmas treat for yourself or for a friend who is 
unwell, ponder no more.


ila Essence of Peace gift box, £74
ila Tuberose and Rose candle for inner peace, £45.94


Body Scrub for a Blissful Experience ingredients: Himalayan Salt Crystals (Sodium Chloride), Wild-Grown Argan Oil (Argania Spinosa Kernel), Almond (Prunus Amygdalus Dulcis), Rosehip Seed Oil (Rosa Canina Fruit), Sandalwood (Santalum Spicatum), Rose Otto Oil (Rosa Damascena Flower Oil), Jasmine (Jasminium Officinale), Patchouli (Pogostemon Cablin), Vitamin E Oil (Tocopherol Extract), Wild Poppy Essence, Naturally Occurring Citronellol, Geraniol.


Bath Salts for Inner Peace ingredients: Himalayan Salt Crystals (Sodium Chloride), Essential Oil Blend: Rose Otto Oil (Rosa Damascena Flower Oil), Sandalwood Oil (Santalum Spicatum), Jasmine Oil (Jasminium Officinale), Naturally Occurring Citronellol, Geraniol.


Tuberose and Rose Candle for Inner Peace ingredients: Beeswax, Jojoba Oil, Eco-soya, Essential Oils of Rose Absolut, Rose Geranium, Tuberose and Vetivert

Head BAM

Hooray! Our first contribution to the Chemo Chic Project.

BAM Bamboo Beanie - review by Sue Mercer

Since losing my hair I have tried a lot of different headwear. At first I wore 
scarves and practiced with tying different styles but I always had the nagging 
fear that the scarf would come undone and I would be unawarely walking 
around with a half-exposed bald head - not a good look. After a while I learned 
to be bald and proud and had no difficulty in walking around with a bare head  
- especially in the summer when the warmth of the sun felt particularly 
sensuous and healing. However there remained a fear of being 'caught out' 
unsuccessfully trying to conceal something deemed socially unacceptable. I 
likened it to a time in Bangladesh when I had gone out wearing a very 
modest, long pashmina, wrapped around me like a skirt, only to catch it on a 
wing mirror and end up standing in the crowded street desperately trying to 
conceal my legs amidst assorted children, cattle, amputee bands and 
rickshaw drivers whilst my teenage son accused me of turning it into a circus. 
However, I digress ... 


I tried a couple of beanie hats that were ok, in that they stayed on my head, 
but I always thought that they made me look vaguely like a channel swimmer 
and I am someone who can swim without getting her hair wet anyway. 
Ordinary hats were not suitable at all; my head had strangely shrunk since 
losing my hair, so the hats tended to fall down over my eyes. 


Now the BAM is cool! It's more generous than a regular beanie. It looks stylish 
and I can dress it up with a fancy pin. I would actually go so far as to say it is 
elegant - certainly not a word I would use to describe a regular beanie. Mine is 
a lovely grey colour and well made. It is double layered and stretchy. I can pull 
it down over my eyebrows if they are looking particularly werewolfy (no-one 
ever told me that when your eyebrows grow back they can grow a little curly 
and in my case with white stripes) and it still looks good. It's generous enough 
to be able to turn up the brim or pull up at a jaunty angle that I like to think 
looks very 1930s movie star. 


The hat is made in Turkey of 68% bamboo, 28% cotton and a bit of stretchy 
elastane. Bamboo is a natural fibre that does not damage the environment 
and most importantly does not add any toxic chemicals to my delicate head. It 
is very soft and warm and does not make my head feel stifled. 


Mine is a lovely grey colour. I am very pleased with my BAM beanie and will 
be keeping it to wear even when my hair comes back. 

Sue Mercer was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia in December 2010.  She underwent three rounds of chemotherapy and then went on a 3 week healing retreat at Hippocrates Health Institute, Florida before having a bone marrow transplant on July 1st 2011.  She is now recovering well.

Editor's note: The BAM Bamboo Beanie is now on sale at only £7.50

The Chemo Chic Project is Born

With the publication of my memoir The Elegant Art of Falling Apart, I feel that my personal Chemo Chic story has been told. 

It is time for Chemo Chic to take a new direction.

When I was diagnosed there was so much I did not know. I still don't know a great deal - but everything that I have learned along the way I have shared on this blog. And to me, that is the point: Chemo Chic is not about me, its about sharing what I've learned. 

Now I am asking you to do the same. 

The Chemo Chic Project has commenced and has already recruited two fantastic experts to the panel: fitness angel Melanie Metcalfe and natural beauty guru Imelda Burke. More will be joining soon. Our vision is to recreate Chemo Chic as a brilliant resource for anyone going through the trauma of cancer. If you feel you have a story that can inspire others, or just some good practical advice, then we would love your contribution.

We are looking for guest blog posts which are:

• Useful
• Practical
• Positive
• Well written
• Well researched

You may be going through cancer yourself. You may be a partner, friend or family member of someone who is going through it. You may have had cancer in the past. You may have unique insight as a doctor, nurse, nutritionist, therapist, chef or hairdresser. Your story might be about a day in your life; any aspect of your cancer journey or your experience as a partner, friend or family member of someone going through cancer. You could include photos, illustrations, videos or links. No story is too small but it has to be yours. 

Chemo Chic is about living well in the face of cancer. We are particularly interested in posts that cover the following areas:

• Recipes and food 
• Natural beauty and cosmetics
• Wigs and hair tips and stories
• Clothing, hats and scarves
• Fitness and exercise
• Complementary therapies
• Relationships with partners, family and friends

What we are not looking for:

• Advice giving (but do relate your own experiences)
• Medical advice (unless you have specific expertise in this field)
• Miracle cures (unless you have genuinely experienced one yourself)

Send your proposals and submissions to chemochic@o2.co.uk. Please share this with anyone who you know who you think has a great story to tell or a useful tip to share.

Many thanks and looking forward to reading your posts. Now get writing!

Jessica Jones

‘Canalily’