Women love to style their hair in a way that complements their overall look. There are times when a hairstyle or makeover is the secret to a woman looking young and vibrant. To this effect, women have often undergone chemical hair straightening and used hair relaxers. The immediate outcome, though, was stylish hair that looked classy and fashionable, the long-term effect was debilitating.
Research indicates that women who use hair relaxers frequently have a higher risk of developing ovarian, breast, and uterine cancer.
In November 2023, WION reported that Sheila Bush from St. Louis was relaxing at home when she saw an ad by a law firm on her television. The ad was urging the viewers to dial a toll-free number if they have used hair relaxers and suffered from uterine cancer. It was only the fourth time that she responded to the ad by dialing the shared number.
The ad was part of a nationwide initiative by law firms to have black women file lawsuits, suing companies like Revlon and L’Oreal for selling hair relaxers with toxic chemicals that led to uterine and other forms of cancer. This campaign started in October 2023, a few days after the National Institutes of Health discovered a link between recurrent use of hair relaxers and uterine cancer.
In this article, we will delve deep into this link and also touch upon other health hazards women should be aware of.
Chemical Hair Straighteners/Relaxers and Cancer: The Link
Several victims across the United States have faced fatal health issues because of the overuse of hair relaxers and have filed a hair relaxer lawsuit. It enables them to seek the necessary compensation for the damages they have undergone, such as loss of a good quality of life, lost wages, and medical bills.
A study by the Journal of National Cancer Institute stated that uterine cancer isn’t the only health hazard resulting from chemical hair straightening. It also results in hormonal imbalances that lead to hormone-sensitive cancer in women. The toxic hair relaxers increase the estrogen levels in a woman artificially, thereby causing issues with their reproductive health.
Some of the hormone-sensitive cancers that women can suffer from include:
- Uterine fibroids
- Endometrial cancer
- Uterine sarcoma
- Ovarian cancer
- Endometriosis
It’s the endocrine-disrupting chemicals, or EDCs, present in hair relaxer chemicals that make women suffer from hormone-sensitive cancers. Often, these substances can be detected in food, personal care products, and even the environment, which can affect the body’s endocrine system.
They work by tricking the body into perceiving such hazardous substances as hormones that cause hormonal imbalance. Additionally, they can also block the function of hormones within the body and alter the body’s sensitivity to hormones.
A few of the EDCs present in hair relaxers include:
- Parabens
- Metals
- Formaldehyde
- Sodium hydroxide
- Bisphenol A
- Triclosan
- Phthalates
- Diethanolamine
- Cyclosiloxanes
Human and animal testing proves that formaldehyde results in cancer. Currently, the FDA is researching the cancerous impacts of absorbing parabens as well. The moment the level of specific metals increases in the human body, it can mutate the cells. Automatically, the healthy cells start to die because the mutated cells consume their resources.
According to Alexandra White, a study leader with the US National Institute of Environmental Health Safety, close to 1.64% of women have a chance to develop uterine cancer by the time they are 70, without using hair straighteners. However, for those who use this styling option frequently, the risk increases to 4.05%.
Even hair dyes can pose a danger to a woman’s health. According to another study by the British Medical Journal back in 2020, women who dyed their hair over 100 times are at risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
The Corrective Measure to Implement
Since hair relaxers cause cancer in women, it is necessary to use styling products that don’t lead to fatal health hazards. Here, the non-chemical relaxers can be of help, as they are gentler on the hair and easy to apply as well. Additionally, non-chemical hair relaxers add proteins and oils for conditioning the hair and provide other options for styling instead of directly straightening it.
That aside, women who have already suffered from any kind of cancer due to chemical hair relaxers should file a lawsuit and seek the compensation they deserve. Here, victims must get in touch with a lawyer who will help in the legal journey and will also inform them about multi-district litigation (MDL).
TorHoerman Law states that a hair relaxer MDL will streamline the process of litigation by lessening the pre-trial motions and the discovery process. The proceedings that are administered by an MDL judge will include bellwether trials, discovery, and settlement negotiations. It means the victim’s case will be regarded as a unique one, and they might be entitled to a higher compensation package.
In conclusion, women need to become aware of the side effects of the hair styling products they use and make a conscious choice so that they don’t suffer. While straightening is in vogue, there are other ways to style your hair as well that wouldn’t pose such a huge threat to one’s life. Non-chemical straighteners can work wonders when used in the right place.
However, women who have already been diagnosed with cancer because of toxic hair styling products should seek both medical and legal assistance.
