Women with wavy, coily locks have been using chemical straighteners to change the structure of their hair for years.
Makeup companies are currently facing class action lawsuits after a Missouri woman’s lawsuit alleges they used cancer-causing chemicals in their mane urged products without disclosing the risks. Some of the elements in some products are being considered for a ban by the Federal Drug Administration.
And some St. Louis-area artists are balancing what their clients want and need with measures in their clubs.
Tracie Thomas, owner of Resilience Hair Design in Benton Park West, said,” Your ordinary Joe Schmoe on the street is not asking these questions.” ” They’re saying,’ I need someone. I need it quickly, and I do n’t want to deal with this frizzy hair, which is what it is.
People who used biochemical hair straightening items that were made available to Black women were more likely to develop ovarian cancer in 2022, according to a study released by the National Institutes of Health.
Weeks later, Jenny Mitchell, of Waynesville, Missouri, filed a lawsuit against L’Oreal and four additional cosmetic companies. Mitchell claims that using materials like Black and Sweet, Motions, and Organic Root Stimulator Olive Oil Relaxer contributed to her ovarian cancers.
Chemical straighteners, or locks relaxers, have been used by people seeking to change the structure of their tresses. According to Mitchell’s coat, women with glossy hair apply relaxers as a result of Eurocentric beauty standards, advertisements that targets young Black girls, preservation of hair, and lifestyle.
In a 2023 speech, makeup large L’Oreal said the research the claims are based upon made no” causal link” between the use of their products and health conditions named in the lawsuits.
The company’s website states that it is” though we understand the need of each claimant to find solutions to and pleasure from their personal health concerns” and that it is “believers in the health of SoftSheen-Carson’s products” despite the declaration on the company’s website.
The FDA is considering whether phenol and formaldehyde-releasing substances, which are found in relaxers, should be used in hair items.
According to the FDA, the use of such chemical cleaning products is linked to” short-term adverse health effects, such as exposure responses and breathing difficulties, and long-term adverse health effects, including an increased risk of specific tumors”.
However, the company missed its unique April date to create a moratorium and there’s no evidence of when it will be considered.
Thomas, a stylist at Resilience Hair Design, asserted that during conversation sessions, she would not be afraid to inform clients about the possible dangers of relaxers. Even before performing any of these treatments, she demands that you sign a liability cancellation. Depending on the length and density of the hair, Thomas ‘ relaxer service costs more than$ 100.
” By them banning it, somebody’s going to find it on the dark business”, Thomas said of the possible FDA choice. ” I believe we should focus on providing instructions like they do with marijuana products rather than banning it,” he said.
According to Thomas, who was a pharmaceutical chemist before becoming a full-time hair stylist, chemicals in the solution can irritate the skin and enter the bloodstream through locks follicles because the massage cream is applied directly to the hair.
Because of this, Thomas claimed that she is unable to legitimately offer urged solutions to clients with current medical conditions or young children. She also said she’ll always give Brazilian spills, 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 do n’t think that any stylist would knowingly harm somebody”, Thomas said. It’s more about what looks good than the styling. 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.
Before opening a storefront downtown, businessman and inventor Annie Malone distributed hair growth products, straighteners, and special oils for women. She also ran advertisements in Black newspapers and dispatched sales agents door to door.
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 became a product salesperson for Annie Malone in St. Louis and became knowledgeable about hair care.
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.
According to Thomas, Madam C. J. Walker and Annie Malone’s meticulous formulas have long since changed their approach to hair care for Black women.
” 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. Some additions are unnecessary and have been made.
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 was aware that relaxers were dangerous because she saw the harm, but she was surprised to learn that some of them had been linked to cancer.
Over time, “women who have used those products in the past are seeing a negative outcome,” she said. ” Their hair is just gone”.
Cultivate Salon has never offered chemicals or straightening services. The company only uses natural hair, and it steers clear of cosmetics made of silicone, formaldehyde, and phosphate.
This philosophy is not the result of the ongoing relaxer lawsuit, but rather a continuation of a trend that has been occurring for more than ten years.
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 claimed that customers are pleased to have switched from using chemical treatments to using all-natural products.
” 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”.
The St. Louis Natural Hair and Black Culture Expo founder, Christopher Simpson, stated that his business is expanding as natural hair continues to be so 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. The market for hair relaxers was estimated to be worth$ 869 million in 2022 and will reach$ 1.6 billion by 2030, according to research firm Data Bridge Market Research.
” Every salon and stylist will hopefully make a conscious decision to do what’s best for their clients, however, there will be clients who do n’t care about the risk and still decide to receive hair treatments”, Segilola said. The beauty industry is” a vain place to be.”
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