For decades, women with curly and coily hair have been turning to chemical straighteners to smooth out their hair’s texture.
Now, cosmetics companies are facing class action lawsuits, sparked by a Missouri woman’s case, accusing them of using cancer-causing chemicals in their hair relaxer products — and not warning customers of the risk. The Federal Drug Administration is weighing a ban on some of the products’ ingredients.
And some St. Louis-area stylists are taking precautions in their salons, while trying to balance what their customers want and expect.
“Your regular Joe Schmoe on the street is not asking these questions,” said Tracie Thomas, hair care specialist and owner of Resilience Hair Design in Benton Park West. “They’re saying, ‘I need something. I need it fast and I don’t want to deal with this kinky hair’ and that’s what it is, the convenience of it all.”
In 2022, the National Institutes of Health published a study that found women who used chemical hair straightening products marketed to Black women were at higher risk for uterine cancer, compared to women who did not use such products.
Days later, Jenny Mitchell, of Waynesville, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against L’Oreal and four other cosmetic companies. Mitchell alleges that her uterine cancer was caused by the use of products such as Dark and Lovely, Motions, and Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Relaxer.
Chemical straighteners, or hair relaxers, have been used by women seeking to alter the texture of their hair. Mitchell’s suit stated that women with textured hair use relaxers as a result of Eurocentric beauty standards, advertising that targets young Black girls, ease of hair maintenance and culture.
In a 2023 statement, cosmetics giant L’Oreal said the study the lawsuits are based upon made no “causal connection” between the use of their products and medical conditions named in the lawsuits.
“While we understand the desire of each plaintiff to find answers to and relief from their personal health concerns, we are confident in the safety of SoftSheen-Carson’s products and believe the allegations made in these lawsuits have neither legal nor scientific merit,” reads the statement on the company website.
The FDA is weighing a ban on formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — found in relaxers — as an ingredient in hair products.
According to the FDA, the use of such chemical straightening products is linked to “short-term adverse health effects, such as sensitization reactions and breathing problems, and long-term adverse health effects, including an increased risk of certain cancers.”
However, the agency missed its own April deadline to introduce a ban and there’s no indication of when it will be considered.
At Resilience Hair Design, Thomas said she does not shy away from telling clients of the potential dangers of relaxers during consultation sessions. She even requires a liability waiver to be signed before performing any such treatments. A relaxer service from Thomas costs more than $100, depending on the length and density of the hair.
“By them banning it, somebody’s going to find it on the black market,” Thomas said of the potential FDA decision. “I think we should err more on not banning it, but maybe giving warnings like they do with tobacco products.”
Because the relaxer cream is applied directly to the hair, chemicals in the product can cause irritation to the scalp and get into a user’s bloodstream through hair follicles, said Thomas, who was a medicinal chemist before becoming a hair stylist full time.
Because of this, Thomas said she can’t offer relaxer treatments to young children or clients with existing health conditions in good conscience. She also said she’ll never offer Brazilian blowouts, another type of semi-permanent hair straightening method that uses formaldehyde.
Still, she, and many other St. Louis salons and stylists, have relaxer treatments on their menu of services.
“I don’t think that any stylist would knowingly harm somebody,” Thomas said. “It’s not all about the styling and what looks good. It’s what’s going to be good for the person.”
A long history
St. Louis has a long history with Black hair and beauty products.
Entrepreneur and inventor Annie Malone created hair growth products, straighteners and special oils for women, advertising in Black newspapers and sending sales agents door to door before opening a storefront downtown.
And Madame C.J. Walker, born Sarah Breedlove, manufactured and sold her Wonderful Hair Grower, glossine and vegetable shampoos, eventually becoming the first Black self-made woman millionaire. She learned about hair care as an Annie Malone product salesperson in St. Louis.
According to an essay by Walker’s great-great-granddaughter A’Lelia Bundles, Walker did not invent the straightening comb or chemical perms, though she is often incorrectly credited with doing so.
Thomas said hair care for Black women has long since strayed away from the carefully developed formulas of Madam C.J. Walker and Annie Malone.
“They wanted to make a quality product to make us feel better about ourselves, not to hurt us, not to harm us,” Thomas said. “But over time, to mass produce, there are some corners that have been cut. There have been some things added that are not necessary.”
Lana Coleman, owner and stylist at Cultivate Salon in Forest Park South East, said she’s seen clients with hair thinning, hair loss, scalp issues, dermatitis and alopecia as a result of using relaxers for years. Coleman said she’s known relaxers were harmful because she sees the damage, but she was surprised to learn some products were linked to cancer.
“Women who have used those products in the past are seeing a negative outcome over the years,” she said. “Their hair is just gone.”
Cultivate Salon has never provided straightening services or chemicals. The business only works with natural hair and avoids cosmetic products with ingredients like formaldehyde, silicon and phosphate.
This philosophy isn’t a result of the ongoing relaxer lawsuit, but part of a larger trend that has been happening for over a decade.
Anjanette Segilola, a stylist at Cultivate Salon, said that for the past 15 years, more Black women have been opting to maintain their natural hair, something inspired by Chris Rock’s 2009 documentary “Good Hair” and other natural beauty movements.
Coleman said clients say they’re glad they’ve made the switch from chemical treatments to all-natural care.
“We’re all about using natural products that are good for the hair,” Coleman said. “It’s like choosing what you put in your body.”
Christopher Simpson, founder of the St. Louis Natural Hair and Black Culture Expo, said his event continues to grow as natural hair remains popular.
“Natural is always going to be on the rise,” he said. But, he still sees “a lot of people who still need education. They’re blind to natural hair, thanks to magazines and social media.”
However, looking ahead, the market for hair relaxers is projected to grow. According to research firm Data Bridge Market Research, the hair relaxer market was valued at $869 million in 2022 and expected to be around $1.6 billion by 2030.
“Every salon and stylist will hopefully make a conscious decision to do what’s best for their clients, however, there will be clients who don’t care about the risk and still decide to receive hair treatments,” Segilola said. “The beauty industry can be a vain place.”
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