In Western astrology, people with a Cancer Sun sign are those born between June 22nd and July 22nd. Cancer Suns tend to be sensitive, loving, loyal, intuitive and highly nurturing. Cancer is the crab archetype, with the soft, vulnerable and sometimes moody interior, and the tough outer shell that can sometimes be defensive.
What should I know about Cancers?
Cancers can get self-conscious about how vulnerable their emotional depth makes them feel, so if they let you in past that outer shell, you know you really mean something to them. Some Cancers wear their hearts on their sleeves, whereas others work hard to hide their mushy side.
Aside from moodiness and occasional defensiveness, Cancer’s downfalls tend to be stagnancy, uncommunicated resentment, gullibility and an avoidance of conflict.
How do I choose a gift for Cancer signs?
In light of the above tendencies, gifts that challenge Cancers to maintain growth, momentum and communication in their lives are as valuable as gifts that make them feel warm, cozy and comforted.
Cancers can also be very practical, which no one talks about: Cancerian Shop TODAY deputy editorial director Ali Deabler explains, “I am a very pragmatic gift receiver — I only want things that meet a need/solve something. I don't want tchotchkes.”
According to Shop TODAY editorial assistant Shannon Garlin, Cancers can be the first to say, "Don't get me anything" — but whatever you do, don’t listen to that.
Cancers are sentimental and very oriented towards the home — they’re known to be homebodies, so gifts they can enjoy at home are a great bet. They love predictability and comfort.
Self-care also plays an important role for Cancers, because they can often fall into the trap of taking care of others at the expense of themselves. In order to avoid the resentment that comes from self-martyrdom, it can be a game changer for any Cancer to create routines and rituals of nurturing oneself.
Lastly, Cancers want to know you care, so don’t hold back on the corny, the comforting and the sentimental.
With all that said, here are all 29 of our curated picks for the multifaceted Cancer in your life. Continue scrolling or use the links below to jump to a gift category.
Self-care gifts | Home gifts | Wearable gifts | Food & drink gifts | Active gifts | How we chose
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Best self-care gifts for Cancers
Reconciliation by Thich Nhat Hanh
Whether your Cancer loved one is into self-development or not, this book on inner child healing is gold. It’s a quick and easy read, but incredibly practical and actionable. It offers specific meditations and exercises for connecting to your younger self and healing some of the deep, longstanding stuff that originates with that part of you. It was written by Vietnamese Buddhist monk Thich Nhat Hanh, and it’s perfect for Cancers to avoid getting stuck in emotional ruts and unhealthy patterns.
Full Moon Candle from House of Intuition
Cancer is ruled by the moon, and full moons are all about action — whether that’s action to intentionally let things go, make things happen and so on. This theme is incredibly helpful for Cancers to ward off stagnancy. This particular candle is to commemorate the full moon during Cancer season: the full moon in Capricorn on July 3, 2023. It’s made of an all-natural, sustainable palm wax and comes already dressed and ready to burn: Just set your intention, clarify your action steps and light it during your season’s auspicious full moon.
Te+ Facial Serum from Riverstone Naturals
This is another great choice for all aesthetics and all skin types. Cancers need quality skin care products, and this serum comes from a small business that’s serious about evidence-based formulation. Featuring bakuchiol and rosehip oil, this serum combats aging effects without the irritation or contraindications of retinol. Whether your Cancer loved one has a multi-step skin care routine or just needs one or two reliable products, this serum features a stellar ingredient list for a reasonable price.
Rose Water Hydrosol by Jam Haw Herbals
I don’t care who you are, what your gender is, what your aesthetic is — if you are a Cancer, you need this. Spritz it on your face as a refreshing toner, or in your space anytime you’re feeling overwhelmed. Big emotional waves can make Cancers feel uneasy, and this rose water helps bring a sense of peace. It’s handmade and slow-distilled in small batches by a renowned herbalist based in California.
Undated Lifestyle Self-Care Planner
Shop TODAY Associate SEO Editor Kamari Stewart, whose good friend is a Cancer, says these signs are “all about practicality and organization, so they always take the time to find a good planner.”
Sometimes Cancers want to be organized but struggle to make it happen, so a well-structured planner is key for maintaining clarity and momentum. This planner has plenty of space for to-do lists and events, but it also includes all kinds of prompts for goal-setting, mindset and growth. There is also a digital version.
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Best home goods to gift Cancers
Cuisinart 7-Inch Santoku Knife
Cancers often love to cook for their loved ones, and as a former professional chef, I can tell you that one solid chef’s knife — rather than a whole expensive knife set — is the MVP of any kitchen. This santoku knife is so affordable, but hand to heart, I’ve sworn by it for years and recommend it for beginner and advanced home cooks alike.
Bright Black Kingston Candle
Stewart says Cancers are “big on candles to set the mood in their homes,” and she’s absolutely right. We’ve recommended Bright Black Candle before because their scented candles are so comforting and made with so much care. The Kingston candle is perfect for Cancer season with its warm scent of rum-spiked, grapefruit-flavored Ting and sugar cane. The 10-ounce handcrafted candle offers 70 to 80 hours of burn time.
Gift Card for House Plants from Lively Root
Like Pisces, Cancers tend to love house plants. This gift card allows them to pick the plant(s) of their choosing based on what best suits their space, climate, plant parent experience and desired level of maintenance. Lively Root carries a huge selection of plants to choose from, including many that are pet-friendly for homes with fur babies. All plants come with detailed care instructions.
Shutterfly Custom Photo Blanket
According to Stewart (and the objective truth of the universe), Cancers are big blanket people. This pick combines Cancers’ love of coziness with their sentimentality: It’s a comfy fleece blanket that can be customized with the text and photos of your choice. If you want to make a Cancer cry, this gift is extra thoughtful and personalized.
Labend Home Crescent Moon Shelf
If your Cancer loved one has a little bit of that witchy aesthetic, this shelf will be perfect for their home. It’s got three compartments for plants, photos, sentimental items and more. It’s sturdy and easy to hang, especially since all the hardware you need is included.
Firebelly Tea Stop-Infusion Travel Tea Mug
Shop TODAY Associate Editor Fran Sales says, “This is my new favorite portable tea mug!” This travel mug is incredible because it not only allows you to brew hot or iced tea on the go, but it lets you stop and restart the infusion process at any time, so your tea turns out exactly as strong as you want it.
It’s leakproof, well-insulated, free of BPA and other bisphenols, and comes in six color options. This mug is sleek, uncomplicated and convenient for bagged or loose-leaf teas.
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Buffy Body Pillow
Body pillows are not just for people who are pregnant — they’re also for Cancers. This one from Buffy is supportive, luxurious, eco-friendly, allergen-free and cooling, and it’s great for folks who like to sleep in all positions, particularly side sleepers. For an even more supportive body pillow that wraps around to support you on both sides, Buffy’s Wiggle Pillow is another great choice.
Homefilos Portable Inflatable Bathtub
Cancer is a water sign, and Cancers tend to love baths more than anybody. Deabler says, “I love laying in warm bodies of water,” and remarks that a portable tub was one of the best gifts she, as a Cancer, has received.
This portable, inflatable tub is great for spaces that don’t have bathtubs, as well as for folks who have disabilities that make it difficult to stand in showers. I got this particular model and found that for a reasonable price, it works really well, and it's easy to use and keep clean in small apartments. It also comes in a larger size.
Cozy Earth Linen Sheet Set
A Cancer’s home is their favorite place to be, and their bed is the highlight of their home. Cancer is the most likely sign to cancel plans to stay in bed, so they can’t skimp on cozy bedding.
Quality sheet sets are expensive, and these are no exception. But Oprah's a long-time fan of Cozy Earth's bedding for a reason: their unfailingly high-quality materials. This particular set is eco-friendly and breathable, made from a pill-resistant bamboo viscose-linen blend that gets softer and cozier after each wash.
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Best wearable gifts for Cancers
Harmony Lipgloss from Cheekbone Beauty
Cancer often likes to keep things simple and not too flashy, and this high-quality lip gloss gives the perfect pop of color and moisture with minimal effort. It comes in six shades and is vegan, cruelty-free, sustainability-oriented and refillable, so you save money and packaging by just buying it once and getting refills after that. As opposed to most lip glosses, this one is made with high-quality ingredients like shea butter and rosemary extract.
Empathy Grown Handmade Clay Earrings
Cancers love gifts that are made by hand with love, care and attentiveness. These stunning earrings are soulful and stylish, easy to dress up or down, and they just perfectly exude the Cancerian vibe. They’re handmade by a local artisan in Denver, Colorado, and they’re shipped in compostable packaging.
Pargarita Polo from Waggle
This is for the Cancers with Golf Dad energy. These shirts are the perfect blend of quirky and practical, and people (namely my partner with her Cancer-Venus dad vibes) are obsessed with them. They’re very comfortable and easy to dress up or down, and they come in sizes small through 3XL. Since Cancers are summer babies, they appreciate clothes that don’t overheat them, and these polos are cool and breathable.
Jersey Sleep Set by Universal Standard
Again, Cancers love lounging in bed, and they love cozy around-the-house vibes. This sleep set from Universal Standard is super lightweight and comfy but still cute, and it comes in sizes 00 to 40. This simple, sustainably made set is Cancer energy embodied.
Bond Touch Heartbeat Necklace
This is for the unapologetically cheesy and sentimental Cancer; it’s a necklace that allows you to store and feel the heartbeats of your loved ones. It comes with a loop and chain, the heart itself and a charger, as well as an app to keep a library of all your loved ones' recorded heartbeats. You can only have one heartbeat on the necklace at a time, but you can switch them out as you like from the heartbeat library on the app.
The Magician Tarot Charm Necklace
The Magician card in the tarot is a beautiful message to keep away stagnancy, which is Cancer’s biggest downfall. The Magician reminds us that we have the power to take action and make things happen for ourselves, but we have to be willing to identify and take the steps that are within our realm of agency to take. The necklace is engraved with the traditional imagery from the Rider Waite Smith tarot deck, and it’s available in both gold and silver.
Eberjey Charles Washable Silk Short PJ Set
If your Cancer loved one has a more masculine aesthetic but could still use some extra-comfy pajamas, this set is the most worthwhile splurge. Perfect for all seasons, this luxurious set is made of eco-friendly and machine-washable mulberry silk. The henley top can even be paired with jeans and worn out of the house (yes, some Cancers do leave the house sometimes).
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Best food and drink gifts for Cancers
Good Planet Smoked Gouda Snack Packs
Cancers are sensitive, and they often have sensitive tummies that are sensitive to dairy. Good Planet makes amazing dairy-free cheeses (their parmesan shreds are easily the best dairy-free parmesan I’ve ever tried), and these snack packs are perfect. They’re delicious, convenient, comforting, nostalgic and not typically aggravating for folks with IBS, lactose intolerance or general tummy troubles.
Hand-Spun Cotton Candy from Wonderpuff
The fact that this nostalgic sweet treat is all-natural, vegan and made of organic cane sugar is one thing, but what I need to tell you about are the flavors: Raspberry Mojito, Salted Caramel, Rose Lemonade and Honey Vanilla.
The shippable cotton candy tubs come with optional toppings like sprinkles, pop rocks and chili lime flakes, and they’re spun by hand by a small business in North Carolina. They also carry Wonder Bombs, which you add to any drink to infuse it with color, edible glitter and a natural honey-vanilla flavor.
andSons Chocolatiers Artisanal Chocolates
Boxes of chocolates often taste artificial and low-quality, but this handmade assortment from a family-owned chocolate shop is the perfect Cancerian sweet treat: They’re silky, rich and just perfect. They do contain dairy, though, so if your Cancer loved one is dairy-free, I highly recommend a box from fellow small-batch chocolate artisan Lagusta’s Luscious.
Love Tea from Sacred Vibes Apothecary
When a Cancer is feeling moody, this is the herbal tea to reach for; it doesn’t shut down their emotions, but aids in relaxation as the feels are felt. The blend of spearmint, lemon balm, damiana, rose, jasmine, orange peel, cloves, cardamom, licorice and ginger is delicious and uplifting. Plus, due to the damiana, the tea has mild aphrodisiac properties. This blend comes from a small-batch apothecary in New York run by renowned Master Herbalist Karen M. Rose.
Beso Mi Vino Organic Canned Rosé & White Wine
Perfect for laid-back summer picnics, these canned organic wines are convenient, refreshing and not too sweet like so many whites and rosés are. They’re low in sulfites, for those who are sensitive to wine headaches, and unlike most wines that use animal products (like fish swim bladders) to refine their wines, these are vegan.
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Best activity-based gifts for Cancers
Where Should We Begin Conversation Cards By Esther Perel
Similar to We’re Not Really Strangers, which we’ve recommended before, this is a game to start important conversations and deepen interpersonal relationships. For Cancers, this is extremely valuable because facilitating more communication helps to prevent resentments from accumulating, whether those resentments are uncommunicated or completely unconscious. The game is very easy to learn, can be played with two to six players, and features 280 thoughtful cards.
Cooking Class with YesChef
If your Cancer loved one is interested in improving their cooking skills, these online classes are dynamic, convenient, and so fun to take by yourself or with others. The diverse library of classes is taught by experts and can be taken anytime and from everywhere. Whether your loved one wants to learn to cook Jamaican cuisine, Korean cuisine, Argentine cuisine or Palestinian cuisine, these classes are fantastic.
Coleman Two-Burner Propane Camping Stove
For the Cancer who loves camping, this stove is a reliable crowd favorite. It’s lightweight, easy to set up and pack out, and perfect for cooking meals and making coffee, whether or not you can make a campfire. The side panels shield the burners from the wind, and the stove puts out up to 20,000 BTUs of cooking power at a time.
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How we chose the best gifts for Cancers
Katya Weiss-Andersson is a professional astrologer who specializes in Saturn returns and birth chart readings. With the help of Shop TODAY associate SEO editors Kamari Stewart and Fran Sales, Shop TODAY deputy editorial director Ali Deabler, Shop TODAY editorial assistant Shannon Garlin, and several trusted Cancers, she picked these gifts to speak to the different facets of the Cancer experience — because Cancers are simultaneously simple and multilayered creatures.
Katya also made sure to cover options across a wide range of price points, aesthetics and interests while staying true to the core Cancerian essence.
