By Nicole Brown, blackdoctor.org
Shondaland superstar Viola Davis is teaming up with Vaseline skincare brand to promote more self-care among Black women.
The project is called The Vaseline Healing Project. Through this, the “How To Get Away With Murder” actress is encouraging people in underserved communities – especially Black women — to stand up for their health.
Meanwhile, for dermatological care, Vaseline Jelly and medical supplies are being given to impoverished communities around the world, according to the project’s website.
“I think people forget how much we hold in as Black women, how much our health is affected by outside factors,” Davis told The Huffington Post. “We have a tendency to care for everyone else, other than ourselves. We have a tendency to always feel like we’ve got to suck it in.”
Hair is one of the issues being tackled in The Vaseline Healing Project. According to the American Academy of Dermatology, African-American women are prone to hair loss. The no. 1 cause of this is central centrifugal cicatricial alopecia, a condition where the hair follicles become inflamed, causing scarring and permanent hair loss.
One expert, dermatologist Yolanda M. Lenzy of the University of Connecticut, says Black women may be increasing their chances of hair loss due to damaging hair styles such as braids, weaves and chemical relaxing.
Read more at http://blackdoctor.org/507653/viola-davis-to-black-women-self-care-is-not-a-sign-of-weakness/
