First, it was the Brazilian Blowout. Now, hair relaxers, used by millions of women, are under fire. New research suggests women’s reproductive health could be at risk. It begs the question: What are we sacrificing for our hair?
Step in just about any salon and you’ll smell the chemicals.
“More than 70 percent of our business comes from getting relaxers,” said Chasity Christian, co-owner of the Beauty Bar.
It’s where Audrey Smith gets her hair treated. “We all feel great when we have our hair done,” Smith said.
For decades, Smith has been getting what’s known as a relaxer to straighten her hair. She’s never given much thought to possible risks.
“Not much and if I did, I figured it was minimal,” said Smith.
“We’ve never had any client come in and say, ‘My doctor says I need to stop getting relaxers’,” said Christian.
Sure there have been warnings about hair products, even from comedian Chris Rock. His documentary “Good Hair” shows a soda can that disintegrates after being submerged in chemicals for several hours.
But now, a new study from Boston University finds evidence linking hair relaxer to uterine fibroid tumours and early puberty.
“There used to be a joke: beauty suffers but not to the point of death,” said Tamika Fletcher, co-owner of Natural Resources, a salon in Rice Village catering to women embracing the trend of natural hair. Fletcher says her scalp used to be filled with chemical burns and bald spots when she used relaxers.
“You know, this is one of the few industries that’s not regulated by the FDA, and so if you have the wild wild west of hair care products, everyone is claiming what they want to claim without having to prove efficacy, it makes a big difference. No one is really held to any type of real standard,” said Fletcher.
She and the Beauty Bar can agree on one thing: more research is needed. “Now all of a sudden it’s supposed to be bad for you? Well by now if something was going to happen, it would have happened,” said Smith.
“ There is now new evidence to support what we have been saying for years- avoid harsh chemicals in hair products.” says Ravi Bhanot of Coolherbals.
Karen Wray
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