Some TotalBeauty.com readers are wearing their cause on, er, in their hair:
"Have pink in my hair, attending a walk for breast cancer, buying pink ribbon products and supporting friends and family who have had cancer." -- Gwendolyn
"Wearing pink, buying pink ribbon products and cut off 12 inches of hair and donated it." -- Genevieve
See another reader's Locks of Love hair makeover. She shares her dramatic transformation and what she gained from giving.
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Buying Products Dressed in Pink
TotalBeauty.com readers use the power of their dollar to purchase pink products where a percentage goes to breast cancer research:
"I bought a brush set and eyeshadow trio from Sonia Kashuk. I bought a pink flat iron from Conair. It's not a beauty item, but I bought Sun Chips in a pink bag too (lol)." -- Ter
"A pink Snuggie." -- Polly
"A little pink teddy bear, water and I want to get the pink umbrella, but I don't know where to buy it! -- Cynthia
According to the American Cancer Society, about 1.3 million women will be diagnosed with breast cancer annually worldwide and about 465,000 will die from the disease, so whether we like it or not, we're still forced to think pink throughout October. From Snuggies to hair straightners, everyone and their mother jumps on the pink bandwagon to create beauty products and beyond that, donate a part of their proceeds to breast cancer research and other organizations that support women dealing with breast cancer. Now don't get us wrong, we're all for it and we've even been doing a pink beauty products blog series -- a roundup of some of the best products we think you should snag that support the cause. But, we're also curious what you're doing beyond buying BCA beauty products. So we put out our Facebook-feelers to see how friends, real women, companies and celebrities alike are helping to save the ta-tas this year. From literally racing for the cure to dying your hair pink, you're proud to share what you're doing -- and we're impressed.
And for those of you who have been directly affected by breast cancer (or know someone who has), here are some helpful tips and beauty advice from salon owner and breast cancer survivor, Ouidad, on how to look and feel good while you're fighting breast cancer:
Tip 1: Skin will have a yellow tint from chemo, so use a bronzer with a pink tint to balance your skin color. Tip 2: Hair tends to lose pigmentation, often growing in gray and curly. Wait at least six months post-chemo to have a color treatment done to prevent damage of new growth. Tip 3: Visually prepare for hair loss by cutting hair shorter to minimize the drastic effect of losing hair. (See 13 ways to style short hair.) Tip 4: With new hair growth, do deep treatments every two weeks to feed and strengthen hair. Frequent deep conditioning is necessary to replenish nutrients, allowing each strand to regain its internal weight and body.
So, even if you haven't been as proactive as the ladies on this list, we're pretty sure that you'll be inspired to help the cause after you see how people are giving back this year.
