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Hair tips: Wrap hair with a silk scarf at night to reduce friction with the pillow(s). Invest in a satin or silk pillow case, it is not only great for your hair, it provides a peaceful sleep, and reduces facial lines due to wrinkles in sheets. Minimize the use of heat or curling iron to once or twice a week. Use nourishing and vitalizing shampoos and conditioners. Use a revitalizing and strengthening serum. Always deep condition your hair. Do not weave your hair if your hair is severely damage. Do not weave your hair if you are experiencing severe scalp problem. Do not weave your hair if your hair is over processed of weak. Natural bristle brush is best for relaxed hair. Use a wide-toothed comb for curly styles. Replace extensions every three months or less.	October topic: October is Breast Cancer Month!! Please get Screen Kinds of Breast Screening Tests Breast cancer screening means checking a woman's breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. Three main tests are used to screen the breasts for cancer. Talk to your doctor about which tests are right for you, and when you should have them. Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. If you are age 40 years or older, be sure to have a screening mammogram every one to two years. Clinical breast exam. A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or other changes. Breast self-exam. A breast self-exam is when you check your own breasts for lumps, changes in size or shape of the breast, or any other changes in the breasts or underarm (armpit). Which tests to choose: Having a clinical breast exam or a breast self-exam have not been found to decrease risk of dying from breast cancer. Keep in mind that, at this time, the best way to find breast cancer is with a mammogram. If you choose to have clinical breast exams and to perform breast self-exams, be sure you also get regular mammograms. Want to Know More about Breast Cancer Screening? Visit the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI). Where Can I Go to Get Screened? Most likely, you can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor's office. If you want to be screened for breast cancer, call your doctor's office. They can help you schedule an appointment. Most health insurance companies pay for the cost of breast cancer screening tests. Are you worried about the cost? The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offers free or low-cost mammograms. To find out if you qualify, call your local program. Let's talk Hair.... Topic: Hair loss Today, w omen are nearly at the same risk as men. The good news: New treatment options can make a major difference. While the first step is always to have the cause of your hair loss diagnosed by an expert (a dermatologist is a great place to start), once that cause is determined, there are a variety of medications and treatments that can help -- some developed especially for women. Among the most popular is the FDA-approved over-the-counter topical preparation minoxidil (Rogaine). Originally developed as a treatment for male pattern balding, it works for women as well, helping to enlarge and lengthen the hair follicle. Though it may do little to grow more hair, it can extend the growth phase and thus can help you to keep the hair you do have, longer. Over-the-counter minoxidil comes in two strengths -- a 2% solution for women and 5% solution for men. But experts say women may see better results with the stronger preparation. "The 2% solution is way too weak for female pattern hair loss -- you really need to use the 5% solution to get results," says Michael Reed, MD, professor of dermatology at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City. A study in the April 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology compared 48 weeks of treatment with 2% and 5% minoxidil in women with female pattern hair loss. Compared with placebo, 5% minoxidil was superior in regards to hair count and patient and researcher evaluations of hair growth. While the 2% solution improved hair count and researchers' assessments of hair growth, the patients did not appear to notice a significant improvement in hair growth. Overall, both doses were well tolerated by the 381 women in the study without serious side effects. However, there were more side effects with the 5% solution -- more itching and irritation as well as hair growth in areas other than the scalp, such as on the forehead. "If you do have female pattern balding, the recommended treatment is minoxidil, and generally we recommend 5%, the one approved for men, because it is much more effective than 2%," says Ted Daly, MD, of Garden City Dermatology and the Nassau Community Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y. "The reason it is not approved for women is because a very small number may grow hair on the edges of their forehead, but if that happens, we cut it down to the lesser strength, and when we do that, it goes away." Be aware, however, that in higher concentrations minoxidil is likely to cause scalp irritation, itching, and dryness -- problems that are often remedied by customized minoxidil preparations available in doctors' offices. Other Options In addition, Reed says women should be aware that most specialists treating hair loss have special preparations that can reduce many of the side effects of the over-the-counter or prescription drugs by suspending them in milder preparations. In addition, most also have customized formulations that combine two or more significant ingredients, and often add natural "hair helpers" such as zinc and biotin, to increase effectiveness. "This is why it's important that a woman visit a specialist in female pattern hair loss, because she is likely going to need some of these specialized preparations in order to obtain optimum results," says Reed. Lastly, Ricardo Azizz, MD, reports many women have found help through the use of estrogen-dominant birth control pills -- oral contraceptives that work by overriding the high levels of testosterone and flooding hair follicles with enough female hormones to keep testosterone-related hair loss from taking place. "Most birth control pills function similarly, but we do try to avoid the super low-dose pills because we want more estrogen," says Azizz, director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Among the brands favored by hair loss specialists include Yasmin, Demulen, Desogen, and Orthocyclen. While a rumor has long persisted that birth control pills can actually cause hair loss in some women, Azizz says it's just not so. "Birth control pills can cause a temporary change in the hair growth and shedding pattern, so if you are suffering from a non-hormonal cause of hair loss, and you take oral contraceptives, they might aggravate the loss, but they won't cause the loss," says Azizz. ADVERTISE WITH US!! 510.219.6065 ©2006 The Natural Hair Expert, all rights reserved. Powered by Applied Knowledge Associates

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About us - Contact us - Location - Gallery -Archives - Hair tips

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Hair tips:

Wrap hair with a silk scarf at night to reduce friction with the pillow(s).

Invest in a satin or silk pillow case, it is not only great for your hair, it provides a peaceful sleep, and reduces facial lines due to wrinkles in sheets.

Minimize the use of heat or curling iron to once or twice a week.

Use nourishing and vitalizing shampoos and conditioners.

Use a revitalizing and strengthening serum.

Always deep condition your hair.

Do not weave your hair if your hair is severely damage.

Do not weave your hair if you are experiencing severe scalp problem.

Do not weave your hair if your hair is over processed of weak.

Natural bristle brush is best for relaxed hair.

Use a wide-toothed comb for curly styles.

Replace extensions every three months or less.

October topic:

October is Breast Cancer Month!!

Please get Screen

Kinds of Breast Screening Tests

Breast cancer screening means checking a woman's breasts for cancer before there are signs or symptoms of the disease. Three main tests are used to screen the breasts for cancer. Talk to your doctor about which tests are right for you, and when you should have them.

Mammogram. A mammogram is an X-ray of the breast. Mammograms are the best method to detect breast cancer early when it is easier to treat and before it is big enough to feel or cause symptoms. Having regular mammograms can lower the risk of dying from breast cancer. If you are age 40 years or older, be sure to have a screening mammogram every one to two years.
Clinical breast exam. A clinical breast exam is an examination by a doctor or nurse, who uses his or her hands to feel for lumps or other changes.
Breast self-exam. A breast self-exam is when you check your own breasts for lumps, changes in size or shape of the breast, or any other changes in the breasts or underarm (armpit).

Which tests to choose: Having a clinical breast exam or a breast self-exam have not been found to decrease risk of dying from breast cancer. Keep in mind that, at this time, the best way to find breast cancer is with a mammogram. If you choose to have clinical breast exams and to perform breast self-exams, be sure you also get regular mammograms.

Want to Know More about Breast Cancer Screening?

Visit the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

Where Can I Go to Get Screened?

Most likely, you can get screened for breast cancer at a clinic, hospital, or doctor's office. If you want to be screened for breast cancer, call your doctor's office. They can help you schedule an appointment. Most health insurance companies pay for the cost of breast cancer screening tests.

Are you worried about the cost? The National Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (NBCCEDP) offers free or low-cost mammograms. To find out if you qualify, call your local program.

Let's talk Hair....

Topic: Hair loss

Today, w omen are nearly at the same risk as men.

The good news: New treatment options can make a major difference. While the first step is always to have the cause of your hair loss diagnosed by an expert (a dermatologist is a great place to start), once that cause is determined, there are a variety of medications and treatments that can help -- some developed especially for women.

Among the most popular is the FDA-approved over-the-counter topical preparation minoxidil (Rogaine). Originally developed as a treatment for male pattern balding, it works for women as well, helping to enlarge and lengthen the hair follicle. Though it may do little to grow more hair, it can extend the growth phase and thus can help you to keep the hair you do have, longer.

Over-the-counter minoxidil comes in two strengths -- a 2% solution for women and 5% solution for men. But experts say women may see better results with the stronger preparation. "The 2% solution is way too weak for female pattern hair loss -- you really need to use the 5% solution to get results," says Michael Reed, MD, professor of dermatology at the NYU School of Medicine in New York City.

A study in the April 2004 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology compared 48 weeks of treatment with 2% and 5% minoxidil in women with female pattern hair loss. Compared with placebo, 5% minoxidil was superior in regards to hair count and patient and researcher evaluations of hair growth. While the 2% solution improved hair count and researchers' assessments of hair growth, the patients did not appear to notice a significant improvement in hair growth.

Overall, both doses were well tolerated by the 381 women in the study without serious side effects. However, there were more side effects with the 5% solution -- more itching and irritation as well as hair growth in areas other than the scalp, such as on the forehead.

"If you do have female pattern balding, the recommended treatment is minoxidil, and generally we recommend 5%, the one approved for men, because it is much more effective than 2%," says Ted Daly, MD, of Garden City Dermatology and the Nassau Community Medical Center in East Meadow, N.Y. "The reason it is not approved for women is because a very small number may grow hair on the edges of their forehead, but if that happens, we cut it down to the lesser strength, and when we do that, it goes away."

Be aware, however, that in higher concentrations minoxidil is likely to cause scalp irritation, itching, and dryness -- problems that are often remedied by customized minoxidil preparations available in doctors' offices.

Other Options

In addition, Reed says women should be aware that most specialists treating hair loss have special preparations that can reduce many of the side effects of the over-the-counter or prescription drugs by suspending them in milder preparations. In addition, most also have customized formulations that combine two or more significant ingredients, and often add natural "hair helpers" such as zinc and biotin, to increase effectiveness.

"This is why it's important that a woman visit a specialist in female pattern hair loss, because she is likely going to need some of these specialized preparations in order to obtain optimum results," says Reed.

Lastly, Ricardo Azizz, MD, reports many women have found help through the use of estrogen-dominant birth control pills -- oral contraceptives that work by overriding the high levels of testosterone and flooding hair follicles with enough female hormones to keep testosterone-related hair loss from taking place.

"Most birth control pills function similarly, but we do try to avoid the super low-dose pills because we want more estrogen," says Azizz, director of the Center for Androgen-Related Disorders at the Cedars Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. Among the brands favored by hair loss specialists include Yasmin, Demulen, Desogen, and Orthocyclen.

While a rumor has long persisted that birth control pills can actually cause hair loss in some women, Azizz says it's just not so.

"Birth control pills can cause a temporary change in the hair growth and shedding pattern, so if you are suffering from a non-hormonal cause of hair loss, and you take oral contraceptives, they might aggravate the loss, but they won't cause the loss," says Azizz.

ADVERTISE WITH US!! 510.219.6065