Are Relaxers Dangerous?

Hey my beauties, I can’t believe I’m offically a blogger! Let’s dive in, I’ve been hesistant to talk about this subject because while there are SO many false narratives out there about relaxers, I want to be sensitive to those that have had a negative experience with relaxers. Much like hair color, chemical relaxers are not the best option for everyone. However, I want anyone who would want to know, make a well informed decision as to whether or not they should relax their hair.

I noticed a trend starting about 3 years ago of women coming in for consultations wanting to go back to a chemical relaxer after being naturally curly for X amount of years. The main reason most clients are reconsidering a relaxer, or other smoothing alternatives, is because of the time investment necessary in maintaining naturally curly hair. Some clients don’t have the time needed to maintain naturally curly hair…or the patience for that matter. There have even been some that feel guilty and feel like they are letting down the culture for returning to a relaxer, or a keratin treatment, or amino acid treatment. I always come from the stance of wanting to support and educate what’s best for my clients lifestyle and giving the healthiest option available to them. It’s rarely an easy and/or immediate decision, however for me as the stylist, it will always be a well thought out decision and conversation. I firmily believe that educating my clients is the absolute best way I can serve them and help them get to their hair goals no matter what.

Well, I caught wind of commotion surrounding relaxers and it’s “link to cancer” via social media. My dm’s lit up with video after video stating that relaxers cause cancer. I IMMEDIATELY began to ask questions, what type of relaxer? There are 8 different forms of lye, so which one is the culprit? Is it at home or professional based products? I mean I had ALLLL of the questions! So, in true RachelOlivia nerd form, I went digging. I came across a few forums, most stating opinions about their disdane for relaxers and how relaxers are anti-black culture. When in all acutality relaxer was birthed/formulated/created and widely used by black people for over 100 years. What we know today as the chemical relaxer was created by Garrett Augustus Morgan in 1909. Back in those days it was mostly black men that used the new alchemist’s formula to straighten their hair. It was referred to as the Walker method, which later adopted the nickname the conk. This was famously documented in the movie biopic of Malcolm X. Remember the mad dash to the toilet to wash out the chemical burning his head! HILAROUS…yet painful to watch because most of us have felt that feeling at one point or another, I digress.

What I found out in my research is that this commotion was just that…commtion. There were professionals and consumers alike loud and wrong about what the study was actually researching. There was a scientific study that was researching a particular preservative found in AT HOME hair products. They were looking to see if THAT perservative ingredient was linked to cancer, the study was found inconclusive. Furthermore, the study did not JUST look at relaxers; it also tested shampoos, conditioners, permanent hair color, semi/demi permanent hair color and chemical relaxers. I don’t understand why so many people chose to only call out relaxers…just weird to me. Dr Cheryl Morrow is a tricologist, chemist and happens to be the daughter of the inventor, Dr Willie Morrow, who was responsible for the 1980’s popular hair style the “Jheri Curl”. In an interview she had with Greg Gilmore (a prominent hairstylist and prorelaxer/educator), she stated that the preservative being tested was an unnecessary additive becasue the natural chemical formulation of relaxers is all the preservative it would need on it’s own. This preservative was being added to ensure “shelf life” but again, completely unnecasssry. She went on to explain that the company named in the lawsuit and others similar to it, wouldn’t lisen to the advise of the founding chemist of relaxers. As a result, we now have to sort out what’s real and what’s fake as it pertains to chemical relaxers. The Oxford article explaining the study being inconclusive was initially published May 20, 2021 and updated April 5, 2022.

While I can’t say what’s to come of this ongoing study for at home chemical products, I have seen time and time again the recommendation that any chemical hair serves should be done by a licensed, certified, trained professional. Get a thorogh consultation, ask PLENTY of questions and make a decision that works best for you. Let me know in the comments if this helped, was useful, and educational? Don’t forget to subcribe and share! Until next time…SMOOCHES!