Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy

"My doctors estimated that I had an 87 percent risk of breast cancer and a 50 percent risk of ovarian cancer, although the risk is different in the case of each woman," Jolie wrote. "Once I knew that this was my reality, I decided to be proactive and to minimize the risk as much I could. I made a decision to have a preventive double mastectomy."Jolie's mother, actress and producer Marcheline Bertrand, died of ovarian cancer in 2007 at the age of 56. Jolie is 37 years old."My chances of developing breast cancer have dropped from 87 percent to under 5 percent."

Read more: Angelina Jolie undergoes double mastectomy - CNN

Would you do have a double mastectomy if you knew your odds and had the opportunity to do so? 

"Is Your 'Natural' Hairstyle Preventing You from Getting a Job?"

 

Corporate America has a dress code and it applies to your hair. African-American women with natural hairstyles, men with dreadlocks and Baby Boomers with gray hair are not the only ones leaving job interviews questioning whether their hair just cost them a job. Men with long hair and anyone with non-traditional hair colors/hairstyles are looked upon with suspicion.

In the end, if you believe you will need to substantially change the way you look in order to obtain employment, it warrants seeking work outside of a short-sighted employer. You probably wouldn’t have liked working there anyway.

Read more: Is Your 'Natural' Hairstyle Preventing You from Getting a Job? - Forbes

You Asked, I Answered: Breakage

Over the past weekend, I received the following questions via twitter and since they are somewhat related, I will attempt to provide some guidance in one response. As always, I would love for you all to chime in, please leave a comment below!
 

....so I've been working w my hair myself lately & doing ok but now my edge r kinda breaking & I need a great shampoo. I just started using virgin coconut oil as a pre shampoo & read that I should get mizani bc it's less harsh, u recommend anything?

@HerBestHair so can you say 'breakage' which creates frizz, which creates SAD face! #help #askingEXPERT

Edges breaking
How is your styling? Are you do the exact same style every day? Wearing tight ponytails? Using headbands frequently? The edges can be sensitive and repeated friction/tension will wear them down fast.What we may consider as being snug, may just be too tight for our fragile edges. When caring for your hair, make sure you don't skip the edges.

Shampoo and products
Shampoo was the one product category that I could never find that one shampoo that would make me go "wow." I have tried a few and after a few weeks of using them, they just did not do it for me anymore. A lot of shampoos are loaded with sulfate and will strip every little thing they can find from your hair. Recently, I stopped using shampoo (See here: Evercreme Cleansing Conditioner). I prefer to spend my money and time on moisture rich conditioners (the products I use are listed under the My Regimen tab at the top). I also prefer to use as many natural products as possible (Shea butter, coconut oil, jojoba oil, aloe vera juice, and more) because my hair seems to respond better to those than it does to those lab produced products.

Overall breakage
When my hair was suffering from breakage, I adopted a technique for moisturizing & sealing my hair from Chicoro. I applied products in the following order from mid-shaft to the ends of my hair: Water-based, Oil-based, Heavy cream. After a few weeks I noticed a huge difference in my hair. If your schedule will not allow this, you will have to get creative. The increase of moisture did wonders for me.

I have learned the hard way that frizz means that your hair is dry. Your hair is drawn to the moisture in the air because it is thirsty. Now on ridiculously humid days, frizz is almost inevitable. Deep condition your hair regularly, try to avoid dry heat, and once your hair is styled, DON'T TOUCH IT! Manipulation also contributes to frizz.



Other things to keep in mind
How is your diet? What goes in, must come out. If you are frequently indulging in "crap," it will show externally. Make sure that you getting your necessary nutrients daily and also that you getting the right amount of water daily. If you have a hard time adding the right amount of healthy foods to your diet, look into taking a  mulit-vitamin. If you have tried everything and feel as if you have exhausted your options, visit your doctor just to get checked out and make sure that everything is functioning properly.

Tips for decreasing Breakage

1. Detangle well
2. Protection! Cover your hair at night and protect it from hard external elements (dry weather, rough clothes, etc)
3. Keep the hair conditioned. Conditioned well and regularly!
4. Trim your ends (long raggedy ends are not cute and will keep breaking)
5. Protein and Moisture balance - too much of either can lead to breakage. Watch your balance.
6. Handle your hair like fine silk. Roughing handling/combing will cause split ends and lead to breakage.
7. Patience - you will not see overnight results. Keep your regimen simple and consistent. Change will come. 
8. Drink your water. Good ol H2O!

So much can contribute to breakage and without actually seeing your overall day-to-day routine, it is hard to pinpoint the culprit. So, check your products, check your hair habits, and check your diet. Make sure all those are up to par before investing in those pricey "miracle" products that claim to eliminate breakage. 

Some good info!
Why is my hair breaking? Erm.......because you broke it!
Can You Really Have A Breakage Free Regimen?
Retaining Length: To Trim or Not to Trim Your Ends 

 

RIP Chris Kelly (and free "Best of..." download)

"80's baby....90s made me"

Kris Kross made (some of) us put our clothes on backwards, Jump until we could not breathe, and pray that we never Missed the Bus. If you have not heard or read the news lately, Chris Kelly was found unresponsive in his home on Wednesday. According to some media sources that I have read, it appears that drugs played a factor.

Rapper Chris "Mac Daddy" Kelly of 1990s' hip-hop group Kris Kross was pronounced dead at an Atlanta hospital on Wednesday evening. He was 34.

If anyone reading this post has a problem (or knows someone with a problem) with drugs or alcohol, please do not fall for the "that won't happen to me" mentality. That mindset is exactly  the one that the enemy wants you to have - it makes it easier to take you down when you are already not thinking straight. If there is not anyone in your life that you can talk to, please utilize some of the many free resources that are available here in the US.

The Partnership at Drugfree.org
Substance Abuse & Mental Health Services Administration
Understanding Drug Abuse and Addiction
Also, Google drug abuse treatment in your area for local resources

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Free Download - The Best Of Kris Kross • DJ QuickSilva

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List of Celebrities lost to drug related deaths - and this doesn't even begin to put a dent in the number of non-famous people lost daily to drugs. 

May is...

May

• Lupus Awareness Month
• ALS Awareness Month
• National Bike Month
• Asthma Awareness Month
• Celiac Awareness Month
• National Foster Care Month
• Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome Awareness Month
• Arthritis Awareness Month

Perms Rods and a Braid-out

Lately I have been putting perm rods on the end of my twists and loving the results. Braid-outs are one of my favorite styles but I have always hated the straight ends that I get from the braids. So, I got the idea to put the perm rods on the ends of my cornrows. My ends were not straight but I did not have the uniformed look that I was going for with the braid-out. However, I know that is because I did not do my cornrows neatly - a braid-out was not in the plans. Next time I will braid with the intent of doing a braid-out.

Earrings: IMI

Prior to cornrowing my hair I washed and conditioned my hair. I did the cornrows while my hair was still wet. I did not put the perm rods on my ends until a day later. To encourage the curl to set I used setting lotion on my ends only.

Got any braid-out tips to share? 

Leave a comment below.

Henna...I think I have missed you

It has been a while since I have done an henna treatment on my hair. Time goes by, you get to busy, and then you just forget (well that is my story and I am sticking to it). Luckily, I still had one box of henna left from my last henna purchase and since I had some free time in the house this weekend, I decided to go ahead and use it. Plus, I love the coloring effect that henna has on my hair.

This time around I mixed my henna with:
• Aloe Vera Juice
• Jasmine Oil (for the smell)
• a few drops of tea tree oil (because it just felt right) lol.

In the past I have mixed my henna by hand but this time I used my handheld mixer and a glass bowl. It was a lot quicker and less painful for my shoulder and arm. After mixing I let the batch sit for about 1.5 hours before applying to my hair.

Prior to applying the henna I shampooed my hair (first shampoo since switching to the L'Oreal cleansing conditioner) to remove any present buildup - and pollen. Yuck.

I then applied the henna in (3) sections and let it sit on my hair underneath a shower cap for a little over 1 hours. As usual - rinsing was a mess! After rinsing my hair I applied HEHH conditioner to my hair and again let that sit for about an  hour - long enough for me to do some laundry and watch some TV. Post-henna, my hair felt so soft but strong I forgot all about that feeling.

For my styling I opted to do a flat twist-out with perm rods on the ends. This little trick is something that I have started doing with all my twist-outs lately and I love the outcome. Unfortunately, this time around I waited until late to set my hair so it was still slightly damp in the morning. I had more frizz than curl definition - oh well. I tried to make it look like that was the look I was going for :)

The next day - after the henna treatment

Click the Henna tag for my past posts on henna treatments

Pressing In to a New Beginning

"When you have to use your faith, your faith becomes greater"

Style to Try: Natural Hair Elegant Updo

I like this this style shows an option for an updo sans weave for those of you with shorter hair. Your creativity is your only limitation.

Have We Replaced Relaxers With Twist Outs?

Have We Replaced Relaxers With Twist Outs Instead Of Natural Hair? — BlackHairInformation.com - Growing Black Hair Long And Healthy

My thoughts?
This is actually a topic that I have thought about before but I choose to keep my opinion to myself at the time. I have noticed on a few natural hair forums that there are quite a number of ladies that are not happy with the natural texture of their hair. There are constant questions surrounding reducing shrinkage, defining curls, and even achieving the look of different hair types. The truth is, all that comes with the natural hair territory. You will have shrinkage, you may have tight curls, or there is a chance that you will not have a curl pattern at all but instead have more kinks than curls.

Now some people opt to do twist-outs/braid-outs because it is just a look that they prefer. However, there are others that seek out those looks because they want their hair to look just like the hair of their natural hair idol. The same style on two different people may come out looking totally different. The thing to keep in mind about natural hair is that it is unique to you - your texture is a part of who you are.

Are you using a particular style as a crutch to avoid dealing with your natural hair?

- I will admit that I am dependent on buns because I get tried and don't feel like styling hair - but I love my texture and volume.