Some TotalBeauty.com readers are using the power of social networking to help raise awareness and funds. Addie says, "changed my profile pic," to let her Facebook friends know about "A Crucial Catch" -- NFL's partnership with the American Cancer Society, which focuses on the importance of annual screenings, especially for women who are 40 and older. In fact, throughout October, NFL games will feature players, coaches and refs wearing pink game apparel and using pink ribbon clad footballs -- all to help raise awareness. And all this pink stuff will be auctioned off at NFL Auction, with proceeds benefitting the American Cancer Society and team charities.
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Dressing for the Cause
TotalBeauty.com readers are dressing themselves and their pets in pink this month. Cindy says she's "wearing lots of pink!" And aside from donating money, Julie says, "my dogs sport pink collars!"
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Kissing Breast Cancer Goodbye
Reese Witherspoon is using her star power to plug the cause. She teamed up with The Avon Foundation for Women Campaign to launch �Kiss Breast Cancer Goodbye� -- a global mission to raise funds and awareness about breast cancer. Avon and Reese are asking women to �Pass The Kiss On� through a fun, customizable online widget that lets users send personalized messages (spoken by a pair of talking lips) to family and friends. And if you purchase a Lips for Life tote (which has a really cute, Valentine-y design, BTW -- see photo), 100 percent of the proceeds go to support the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade.
And one TotalBeauty.com reader is giving an important cause some lip service: "I am advertising the Pink Ribbon Products for sale on my website, which 100 percent of the profits are donated to the Avon Breast Cancer Crusade. (Hope to see a lot of money raised for such a great cause that is very near and dear to my heart.)" -- Shana
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Mammogram Reminders
Mammograms are no fun, but they're necessary preventative medicine so to speak. TotalBeauty.com reader, Bobbie says, "I have been reminding my friends to get mammograms and other cancer checks done." So remind your friends -- and don't forget to make that appointment for yourself.
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Curling for a Cure
Ouidad, salon owner and hairstylist (who specializes in curly hair), was diagnosed with breast cancer eight years ago -- the same disease that took her mother's life. Fortunately, she was treated and made a full recovery, but that wasn't the end of her battle �
She created Curls For A Cure, which matches any donations that are given, dollar for dollar. Clients can donate at her salon in New York City and anyone can donate online. All the money raised goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. BTW, Curls for a Cure has raised almost $300,000 since it started four years ago.
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.
