February 6, 2024
The US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) is contemplating banning sure chemical substances in hair straighteners.
Written by Jordan Jarrett
The US Meals and Drug Administration (FDA) has been contemplating banning sure chemical substances in hair straighteners. In March, Congresswomen Ayanna Pressley and Shontel Brown urged the company to research the well being dangers posed by chemical substances in relaxers. The FDA proposed a ruling to ban hair straightener merchandise containing formaldehyde.
Based on NPR, the goal date for the ban is April 2024.
Within the Black Girls’s Wholesome Research, a potential cohort examine of over 59,000 African American ladies, researchers discovered that 44,798 postmenopausal Black ladies who used chemical relaxers, both beforehand or at the moment, had a better danger of uterine most cancers.
“The dangers have been practically 50% or increased within the group that reported utilizing hair relaxers for 5 or extra years no less than two to a few occasions a 12 months,” says the examine’s lead writer, Kimberly Bertrand, ScD, affiliate professor of drugs at Boston College Chobanian & Avedisian Faculty of Drugs.
The BWHS discovered that though uterine most cancers is uncommon, Black ladies are disproportionately extra uncovered to those well being dangers. “A really small share of girls will develop these cancers from relaxers, however as a result of the usage of relaxers is so widespread, even that small share can be a excessive quantity,” says Stephanie Johnson, the founder and CEO of the Hair Care Firm.
However are there safer options? “I by no means need to inform someone how one can put on their hair, and I would like ladies to have protected selections, however I’ve not been made conscious of any chemical hair relaxer merchandise which might be 100% protected. Even when the ingredient will not be listed on the product, sure chemical substances mixed will be dangerous,” says Bertrand.
Bertrand states that even merchandise that declare to be formaldehyde-free might nonetheless include “methylene glycol,” which, when heated, can nonetheless launch formaldehyde gasoline. Primarily, the formaldehyde gasoline might probably trigger sickness, resembling increased most cancers charges, nausea, vomiting, itching, and complications. So, discovering protected various chemical relaxers has been tough in her research.
We spoke with an skilled hair salon proprietor to listen to extra about how hair salons have modified for the reason that FDA’s proposed ban.
Stephanie Johnson is a Senior cosmetologist, hair care model proprietor, and writer. She doesn’t suppose this ban will have an effect on hair relaxers particularly.
“I feel it’s a good factor for the FDA, however presently, most relaxers don’t include formaldehyde; these are principally in keratin remedies.”
Johnson states that many merchandise with formaldehyde will not be widespread amongst Black ladies. “While you have a look at an inventory of the highest merchandise with formaldehyde, none of them are chemical hair relaxers as ladies of African descent use them; they’re all keratin remedies. So, I’m curious to see how the FDA plans on banning chemical hair relaxers particularly.”
Nevertheless, Johnson states that many Black ladies at present have moved to pure or protecting kinds, particularly since COVID-19. “Many haven’t come again since COVID; relaxers will not be as widespread anymore, and loads of purchasers are doing their hair at dwelling.”
Many who come into the store are unaware of or questioning the FDA’s new ruling. “I’ve two purchasers which have particularly mentioned they need to cease utilizing chemical hair straighteners because of the proposed ban from the FDA, however the majority will not be fazed by the ban.”
Johnson states that a technique hair stylists can play a job in advocating for shopper security and consciousness is to teach their purchasers and themselves.
“Hairstylists must shift their considering from making an attempt to make the shopper solely look good and deal with the well being of their hair. Within the hair care business, we have to deliver it again to being a occupation and begin to educate ourselves.” Johnson explains that her aim is to return to the extent of respect and professionalism the hair care business used to have and train the significance of holistic hair styling.
However how can this proposal change innovation within the hair care business?
Johnson states that this attainable ban on hair straightener merchandise with formaldehyde might result in the hair care magnificence business discovering options. “I anticipate this ban might result in safer and simpler options. One in every of my targets is to let ladies of African descent know there are different choices than a chemical straightener, from pure hair to protecting kinds.”
What’s subsequent? We requested researcher and co-lead writer Bertrand if the Black Girls’s Well being Research plans to develop its examine additional sooner or later.
“We plan on researching whether or not the usage of hair relaxers might result in an elevated danger of ovarian most cancers. We didn’t embody that originally within the examine as a result of ovarian most cancers is uncommon, and we would have liked a bigger pool of contributors,” says Bertrand.
“Within the subsequent few months, we plan to launch our first questionnaire since 1997 on hair relaxers to our subsequent pool of contributors, which is able to embody questions on whether or not the participant had stopped utilizing relaxers and the way previous they have been after they stopped utilizing them”. Bertrand explains that, hopefully, this questionnaire will result in additional analysis from the BWHS to know higher the impact period might have on elevated well being dangers from hair relaxers.
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