A bundle of scientific reports indicate more than 200 chemicals, found in the air and in consumer products, cause breast cancer in animal tests.

Researchers report in an American Cancer Society publication that reducing exposure to such compounds could prevent many women from developing the disease.

Family history and genetic make-up are responsible for only a small percentage of breast cancer cases. Environmental and lifestyle factors, such as diet, are most likely involved in the majority of cases, say experts.

Don't rule out coloring your hair for fear it may cause cancer -- because there's not much evidence at this point that hair dye causes the disease.

Even though 22 potentially cancer-causing hair dyes were banned in Europe recently, it does not appear that any of them are actually used in products in Europe and the United States, according to a news update in the January 2007 issue of Good Housekeeping.

And only one of these banned chemicals -- 2,3-Naphthalenediol -- is even listed in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's voluntary cosmetics registry.

So if you must make a New Year's resolution come January 1, consider making changes that clearly help lower the risk of cancer. Eat healthy, exercise, lose excess weight, limit or cease alcohol consumption, and quit smoking for starters. Coloring your hair? Not so bad -- yet.

In a trendy dash for style, we welcome the newest blog to the network -- StyleDash. Whether your interests lean towards fashion, food or home decorating, StyleDash bloggers are talking about it.

StyleDash features retro to cutting edge trends in accessories, coiffure, cosmetics, eyewear, home style, jewelry, soaps & salves, foods and much more. It's a place. An event. A state of mind. An attitude.

And as every perfect host knows, when you invite a guest, you have graciously prepared something special to greet them on their arrival.

StyleDash is the perfect host. Enter a contest to win a designer handbag or book tote -- just for showing up! What are you waiting for? Have some fun, discover cool, or just read trend buzz -- it's all good. We will be right here when you get back. Promise.

On Monday, the sale of a Japanese brand of aloe juice was banned by the Department of Health after it was determined that it contains high levels of benzene -- seven times more than the World Health Organization recommends for maximum levels in water. Benzene is a colorless and flammable liquid with a sweet smell and was once used as an additive in gasoline. It is carcinogenic -- and has been cause for concern worldwide. So samples of the drink, produced by the Japansese cosmetics brand DHC, will be sent to the Bureau of Food and Drug Analysis for further investigation due to such concerns. In the meantime, the sale of this aloe juice, sold in convenience stores and through mail-order, will be suspended.

Back in June, when Pamela Anderson stood nude in the window of fashion designer Stella McCartney's London clothes shop to bring attention to PETA, she was making a statement she would rather go nude than wear fur. Anderson chose to deliver that message in a way certain to be heard. It was an outrageous stunt but it worked -- and whether you tsk-tsk or applaud her effort, Pamela Anderson and PETA made headlines around the globe that day.

It worked for the global cosmetics company Avon in Bulgaria this week, when in a continuing effort to raise awareness for breast cancer, they launched an eye-catching public campaign using three well-known sexy celebrities of Bulgaria. Posing in a larger-than-life banner hung outside the National Art Gallery in Sofia, the three beauties stared back at passers-by with a suggestion that when the large pink ribbon covering the women in the banner in just the right places came down, the public would be in for a nude shock.

As it turns out, when the pink ribbon was pulled down, the bare-shouldered bare-legged smiling women in the poster -- television star Natalia Simeonova, pop diva Maria Ilieva and film actress Koyna Rousseva -- were holding up pink tees with a breast cancer message printed on them.

Will the public or the paparazzi ever tire of sexy or the hint of nudity or actual nudity? No -- and I am not suggesting they do. Only that this type of campaign risks becoming cliche. If I were head of a large organization with a goal to raise awareness in eye-popping ways, I would hire the brightest, most innovative and creative minds in the advertising world, and let them create something intelligent and fresh and new. But for now, Pamela Anderson and Avon know what works -- and they work it.

Sunscreen products containing Mexoryl SX or ecamsule, an ingredient designed to block the sun's harmful UVA rays, have been sold in Canada and Europe for over ten years, but have not been available here.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has recently approved the over-the-counter sale of L'Oreal Anthelios SX sunscreen product containing ecamsule to consumers in the US.

While UVB rays are known to cause sunburn, UVA rays penetrate deeper into the skin and are associated with an increased risk for basal and squamous cell cancers and melanoma skin cancer. Anthelios SX is made by the French cosmetics company L'Oreal. Mexoryl SX is owned by L'Oreal, and is only available in L'Oreal products.

Sunscreens might provide some protection from the harmful rays of the sun, and should be used when going out in the sun. Still your best bet is to shade yourself when spending any length of time in the sun and staying out of the sun during the peak hours of 10 AM to 4 PM when sun can cause the most skin damage.

When Lindy Snider discovered there were no cosmetics specifically developed to meet the special skin care needs of cancer patients undergoing cancer treatment, she decided to start a cosmetic and skin care product line to meet those needs.

Snider brought together scientists, cancer patients, cancer survivors, oncologists and dermatologists to create cosmetics and skin care products formulated for patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation.

The base of LindiSkin products is a mixture of plant oils and botanicals. None of the products contain mineral oil. The ingredients are designed to be anti-inflammatory, anti-irritant and anti-itch, but contain no cortisone or steroids.

"Feeling good about yourself is important anytime, but especially when you're experiencing side effects from cancer treatments," states Snider on the homepage of the Lindi Skin website, where you can purchase her products.

Makeup artist Lori Ovitz has taken her twenty years of cosmetics experience in making celebrities and top models look beautiful, and written Facing the Mirror with Cancer, a book of tips and techniques to help cancer patients look less tired and create a natural glow at a time when cancer treatments can take a physical toll.

Ovitz began volunteering at University of Chicago hospitals working with cancer patients to teach them how to enhance their personal appearance using makeup. According to Ovitz, "Makeup is a very accessible, inexpensive way to make significant changes to your appearance. The tremendous gratitude that I've received from each patient I've worked with inspired me to write Facing the Mirror with Cancer -- A Guide to Using Makeup to make a Difference."

To publish her book, Ovitz and her husband Bruce, a 35 year cancer survivor, created Belle Press -- named to honor the memory of her grandmother Belle Michel -- so that 50 percent of the profits from the book could go to cancer research.

"Cancer does not have to rob you of self-esteem or beauty. By teaching cancer patients how to apply makeup, I've seen firsthand what an incredible transformation occurs in their appearance and how much better they feel about themselves. I've written this book because I want to reach cancer patients everywhere so they can learn the tricks of my trade," Lori Ovitz states with assurance.

You can order Facing the Mirror with Cancer, a 200-page book featuring step-by-step tips and techniques for dealing with appearance issues during cancer treatment and beyond, here.

Dr. Samuel Epstein hasn't made many friends in the Canadian and American Cancer Societies or with the federal government because he has been a publicly vocal critic to what he believes is their complete lack of attention to the every day cancer risks that each of us encounter in life. His criticism is justified.

Dr. Epstein, who teaches environmental and occupational medicine at the University of Illinois, wants us to know that we are exposed to cancer-causing chemicals when we shampoo our hair, put on makeup, tidy the house, control garden pests, in how we store our food -- and in the food we eat.

According to a Look Good Feel Better survey, women who are undergoing treatment for cancer believe they are being treated differently at work because of the physical appearance changes that often occur due to cancer treatments. The survey is being released as part of  National Cancer Survivors Day. Some of the findings in the survey report that:

• 69 percent of women indicated their appearance changed during chemotherapy or radiation.
• 83 percent of women indicated they were self-conscious of their appearance during treatment.
• Almost 50 percent of women indicated that the change in their appearance during treatment resulted in friends and co-workers treating them differently.
• Less than 50 percent of women sought help to cope with appearance-related side effects of cancer treatment.
  

Look Good Feel Better is a free, nationwide cancer support program that matches volunteer beauty professionals with small groups of cancer patients to show them how to use cosmetics, wigs and head coverings to camouflage the hair loss, skin discoloration and extreme dryness that can result for cancer treatments. When you go from struggling with a momentary bad hair day to a continuous no-hair day, or unflattering skin conditions that you did not have before cancer treatments, it can get your spirits down. It can be shocking to look in the mirror and not recognize the person staring back. Look Good Feel Better helps 50,000 women each year. For more information about the program, go here.

I admire the ambition and resolve of Jennifer Rogers, a 29 year old native from the San Francisco Bay Area who started a cosmetics company to fight cancer after losing her grandmother to a long battle with cancer. Sometimes it is good to know what is behind a product, and this is the story of why Rogers became determined to see her vision of a cosmetics company to help in finding a cure for cancer become a reality.

"When you lose hope you feel like you have lost everything. My grandmother was approved for clinical trials to test a very promising new drug that had recently been approved by the FDA for other cancer use. Traditional treatments had not worked and it really was our glimmer of hope at a devastating time. Two weeks after she was approved for trials she showed up as scheduled to receive the treatment and was told that her body was physically too weak for the medication and they sent her home knowing she would die. Watching her struggle with cancer and never complain or give up the fight has forever changed me."

Someone asked Rogers what made her think she could start her own cosmetics company, and she replied, "Nobody ever said I couldn't." She first entered her cosmetics company idea in the Visa Challenge Ideas Happen contest. While her idea was well received, she did not win. This didn't stop her though, and in 2004 she launched Parlay Cosmetics on her own. Parlay donates 50 cents of every product purchase to the Cancer Research and Prevention Foundation. Parlay means to take original winnings and bet on an upcoming event. With cosmetics named Roulette Rouge, Dice Rollin' Diva, Blackjack Babe, Showdown Shimmer Paints and Payline Princess Eyeliner, you can bet on Roger's new cosmetic company to be a winner.