New hope for stopping that pesky dandruff problem

Ladies, have you ever experienced the uncomfortable feeling that comes with having dandruff and how difficult it can be to find a quality anti-dandruff product for ethnic hair? A new study being conducted at Saint Louis University (SLU) will focus on the problem of dandruff in the African American community and what the best method is to solve it.

The trial will examine African American women who wash their hair once a week or less and will compare anti-dandruff foam and ant-dandruff shampoo to determine which works best for this demographic.

Jeaneen A. Chapelle, M.D., head researcher in the study, believes current dandruff products are not specially developed to meet the needs of ethnic skin and hair.

"Dandruff is a common problem and it is possible that the most commonly prescribed treatment, an anti-fungal shampoo, is under-treating a certain population of women who do not wash their hair often enough for the medication to be effective," said Chappell on the SLU website.

The National Center for Biotechnology Information states that the best way to avoid dandruff is by paying attention to proper skin care. Ethnic women looking to avoid developing dandruff or other problems caused by oily skin should consider using black skin care products.

Doctors can catch skin cancer in early stages

Summer is a time for ladies to show off their glowing skin, but it's also a time when skin care needs to be a top priority. Detecting skin cancer early is key to successfully treatment and new research has shown that physician screening is the best way to detect melanoma in it's early stages.

In the past, patients have usually been the ones discovering the spots on their bodies that turn out to be cancerous, but research has now shown that a physician is capable of detecting melanomas in far earlier stages than a patient can. The sooner a melanoma is detected, the sooner treatment can begin and the higher a patients survival rate is.

"It is crucial to emphasize that a combined strategy of physician detection and patient participation must continue to be implemented to ensure early melanoma diagnosis," study authors concluded.

The Skin Cancer Foundation reports that ethnic women often don't recognize a melanoma until the later stages due to their darker skin tones. Women looking to prevent skin cancer should consider using a African American skin care product with SPF for protection against the sun.  

Laura Geller to be sold in ULTA locations

Cosmetics brand Laura Geller announced recently that their products will be available at over 400 ULTA stores across the country. 

Beginning in August, all Laura Geller products including foundations and makeup primer will be available at the stores. Geller's "Baked" products feature self-adjusting pigments that change to match various skin tones. The products receive their name from the unique way they are made. The liquid makeup is poured onto terracotta pans and baked for 24 hours to produce the powder.

This process helps the product adjust to work with all different skin tones, from light to dark.

"Laura Geller Makeup is about providing all women with the tools needed for an effortless, fast, fun and fresh makeup application that works no matter what their age, where they're going or what they're doing," remarks Laura Geller.

The brand will also be participating in gifts with purchase events at locations where consumers can expect to get a generous gift with their purchase.

Women looking to reduce the appearance of black skin dark spots should consider a product that will get to the root of the problem, designed specifically for African American skin.  

Love your skin tone, love your life

Embracing who you are may lead to a better life. A recent study shows that African Americans who embrace their racial identity tend to be happier. 

Michigan State University researchers surveyed African American adults and found that the ones who claimed that being black was important to them also appeared to be happier with their overall lives.

The scientists who conducted the study suggested that the positive feelings may be attributed to a strong sense of belonging. African Americans who feel a strong connection to their racial identity feel as though they are part of a group, and develop a strong sense of community. This can boost a person's self-confidence, and help them feel supported by and connected to those around them.

Lead researcher Stevie C.Y. Yap claims that this study is the first to produce these kinds of results.

"This is the first empirical study we know of that shows a relationship between racial identity and happiness," said Yap, adding, "This sense of belongingness is especially important for happiness in women."

Women looking to embrace their African American skin should consider using skin care products developed for black women. These products encourage women to feel confident and proud by creating a product geared towards their specific skin needs.