Scalp is skin and it absorbs what is applied to it.

So, on this side of the pond, are we actually listening?

“In the US, Black Women are Suing Hair Relaxer Brands.

A groundbreaking study published in 2022 by the Journal of the National Cancer Institute (JNCI) found that frequent users of hair straightening products more than doubled their risk of developing uterine cancer by age 70 compared to those who have never used these products. This alarming revelation has led to a surge in legal actions against hair relaxer brands, with many Black women at the forefront of these lawsuits.

Prominent civil rights and personal injury lawyer Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal claim against five hair relaxer companies on behalf of a client who believes their products caused her cancer.

The issue has also gained traction in the UK, where the lobby group Level Up is demanding that L'Oréal either make their products safe or remove them from the market. Specialist lawyers in the UK are also working to establish group claims against hair relaxer brands.

This situation highlights a broader public health crisis that disproportionately impacts Black women, who report the highest rates of chemical hair straightener use, often in the strongest formulations. These products have been linked not only to uterine cancer but also to uterine fibroids, conditions that are particularly prevalent among Black women. In the US, approximately 42 per 10,000 women are hospitalised annually due to fibroids, with the rate for Black women soaring to 68 per 10,000, compared to 18 per 10,000 for white women.  Ben Crump argues that the widespread use of chemical hair straightening    products by Black women since the 1960s is a clear contributor to these health disparities. "The statistics are undeniable that Black women who have used chemical hair relaxers are almost twice as likely to develop uterine cancer than women who have not used them," Crump asserts. "There's no way you should see this many Black women having uterine cancer if there's not some intervening cause."

Supporting these findings, PubMed's 'Black Women's Health Study', published in October 2023, also concluded that long-term use of chemical hair relaxers is associated with an increased risk of uterine cancer among postmenopausal women. This study, which followed 44,798 women from 1997 to 2019, had an even larger sample size and longer monitoring period than the JNCI study.

Hair products such as dyes and chemical straighteners contain numerous chemicals that may act as carcinogens or endocrine disruptors, thus increasing cancer risk. Chemical hair straighteners, in particular, have been found to include harmful substances like phthalates, parabens, cyclosiloxanes, and metals, and can release formaldehyde when heated. These chemicals have been linked not only to uterine cancer but also to ovarian and breast cancer, indicating common risk factors related to hormonal exposure.

As awareness grows, concerns remain as these companies expand their operations to Africa, where regulations may not be as stringent. In the West many women are opting out of using hair relaxers, adding this to a growing list of reasons to stay away from the 'creamy crack'. The rise of the natural hair movement, which encourages Black women to embrace their natural hair texture, has led to significant market contractions for hair relaxer products in North America and Europe. Additionally, the EU has taken a tough stance on endocrine disruptors, further impacting sales.