On the surface hair relaxers observed after more than one hair straightening with chemical relaxers caused increased frizz, scalp desquamation, hair loss, thinning or weakening of the hair, hair dyschromia, and split ends, but what do these chemicals do to our brains?
Researchers has shown that these products could damage your brain. Animal studies have shown that the chemicals in hair relaxers have neurotoxic consequences. Immediate reactions according to the Food and Drug Administration can include irritation of the eyes and throat, coughing, wheezing or chest pain. Chronic long-term problems include frequent headaches, asthma, skin irritation and mutltiple allergic reactions. The hair-straightening products which these problems occur most frequently are marketed largely to Black women. These products often contain formaldehyde, also known as formalin and methylene glycol. When the solution is heated, the formaldehyde in the products is released into the air as a gas.
Findings from other studies showed that exposure to phthalates frequently found in hair relaxers during pregnancy was linked to worse cognitive development in kids. In short straightening your hair with chemicals instead of natural products can gives you under achieving (slow) children. On a more advanced level, in terms of your own health issues like foggy brain, difficulty in breathing, concentration and forgetfulness/beginner’s Dementia can be linked back to our shampoos and conditioners which adorn our bathroom shelves. However, reading the product “label” is extremely crucial in determining what goes on your scalp. Toxins like Dry Aerosol shampoo formulas may include benzene, a poisonous substance which is often linked to cancer.
Benzene is also known as a Carcinogen which makes your scalp prone to chemical infiltration. his in turn can irritate, erode and clog your hair pores. It can also cause extreme flaking, dryness, loss of hair and ultimately leukemia i.e., cancer. When a dry shampoo is sprayed, the petroleum-based propellent ingredients, or gas that turns to liquid under pressure of an aluminum aerosol can, usually will contain trace amount of benzene. As of March 4 2024 nearly 8,100 hair relaxer lawsuits against L'Oreal USA Inc and other companies have been consolidated into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) or class action lawsuit. These lawsuits claim that the chemicals found in hair relaxer products cause cancer.
Cosmetics company L’Oréal, along with multiple other parties, is being sued over claims that its chemical hair straightening products put women at an increased risk of uterine cancer. Not only that but many of the companies secretly put the chemicals in products marketed to black women and children and did not put the chemicals on the label in essence secretly poisoning them or causing sterility. CNN has contacted L’Oréal, Namaste Laboratories LLC, Dabur International Ltd. and Godrej Consumer Products, parent company of the Just For Me brand, many black girls begin using their products at around eight years old!
Many of the ingredients that can make our hair products smell good, last a long time on the shelf, foam easily, and create shine contain known irritants, carcinogens, and endocrine disruptors, which are chemicals that interfere with the body’s endocrine system and can lead to adverse developmental, reproductive, neurological, and immune effects. These are even more critical to avoid for children, pregnant and nursing women, or women (and men) trying to conceive.
While the EU bans over 1000 toxic chemicals in cosmetics, the US limits only 11. The cosmetics industry is not doing enough to self-regulate against chemicals that can do serious harm, and in addition, allows companies to use terms like “natural” and “safe” and “free of __” to greenwash consumers into ignoring their ingredients. So we have to do the work to protect ourselves.
But what’s worse is that many chemicals are not even listed in the ingredients. In a recent Environmental Research study of 18 hair products, 84 percent of the chemicals detected were not listed in the ingredients! And with products lining the shampoo aisle claiming to be “natural” and “free” it seems we’ve been duped.
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