Making soap lotion etc… for Woman in chemo for breast cancer… help

[Leesa86]

I have an avocado and cucumber melt and poor base it’s incredibly moisturizing. I realize I can’t put fragrance oil in but what about other additives Jojoba, coconut oil, Shea butter, cocoa butter, a couple others I can’t remember… I’m wondering if this is even a base I can use or if I can put additives in it…. Also a cocoa butter and coconut oil whipped body butter or something along those lines just two natural ingredients without additives Would that be OK? I’ve done a little research but conflicting results and I would appreciate somebody that knows these things by trade or just education or or just knows what they’re talking about to help me out here I am a beginner a a dabbler I’ve been getting more into it though lately I don’t microwave well that’s a lie I do but when I really want it to turn out nice I double boil cause I recently got into candle-making as well, so also I would think that maybe a lemon scented candle for nausea or I don’t know somebody that knows something about cancer patients chemotherapy, and what they can and can’t use.. I’m trying to put together a gift basket for An amazing woman and phenomenal nurse that works at the methadone clinic I go to, if you don’t know anything about it don’t judge me and know that you’re not better than me and you don’t know more than me when it comes to life so if you’re gonna comment on that at all, don’t comment at all please and thank you… nurses are underpaid They work hard and deserve what the doctors get more than the doctors do. They’re a real doctors reall so I wanna do something nice for her before she needs to stop working. I am not financially flush right now but I can make a lot of different kinds of things and I have a food stamp card so I can get her some. You know some candies that I heard Help and I just like to give her a nice basket of things that she could really use and if I can hand make some of it i’d love her to know that I was thinking about her enough to do so…. If you can help me help me out here from one soaper to another I would appreciate it more than you know… thank you for taking the time to read this. Have a blessed day.

 

[Relle]

First of all, soap is not moisturising as it's a wash off product, you can add those oils to the M&P base, but only 1 teas per lb of base (advice from brambleberry), which wouldn't do much. As for the base, unless you know what's in it I wouldn't be using it to make soap for someone with cancer. The whipped body butter with coconut oil would be too striping for the skin and cocoa butter is very expensive at the moment, so I'd stay clear of that. People are very sensitive to smells so I wouldn't be making anything scented like the lemon candle.

If you want to give her a basket of things she could use, maybe a lovely face washer and handtowel you could embroider, a book to read, magazines, crossword or sudoku books, plastic water bottle (stay away from metal) to stay hydrated, some soft socks or if you crochet or knit a beanie with soft wool or scarf, herbal tea, adult colouring in book with pencils. Also, it would be best to stay away from lollies as it could be too much sugar.

Hope this helps.

 

[bookworm42]

Most people I've known with cancer have to be careful of what they use on their skin. Chemo can cause a lot of skin sensitivity and fragrances are often a bad idea for them.
Personally I like the idea from @Relle of a handmade crochet/embroidered object or some activities. That wouldn't be too hard on the budget.
A hat would be great since a lot of patients can lose their hair and it will help keep them warm. My mom made a lot of crochet hats for my aunt when she went through chemo.
If you wanted to make soap for them I'd recommend a CP soap so that you can control the ingredients.

 

[artemis]

If you wanted to make soap for them I'd recommend a CP soap so that you can control the ingredients.

Actually, I wouldn't recommend that to someone who is so very new-- learning the process, testing the results, waiting the 4 week cure time...

I would skip the soap for the previous mentioned reasons and look at other homemade items.

This is a great time of year to pick up cozy items at a discount price. All the slipper socks, hats, small throw blankets, are going on sale now that it's the end of the season. I'd check Walmart. Dollar Tree would also be a good place to look. (Edit: I was just at Walmart today and they still had a few throws left for $4.50.)

For a similar situation, a friend on a budget bought fleece in contrasting colors and knotted them together to make a cozy throw blanket. She bought the fleece from the sale section of the fabric store.

Like this:
https://www.goodhousekeeping.com/home/craft-ideas/a44628176/how-to-make-fleece-tie-blanket/