I am probably going to regret asking this . . .

[Glib Gurl]

. . . but what are the health risks, if any, associated with getting your hair relaxed? I don't mean damage to hair or scalp, but rather any damage to your body/organs because of the chemicals entering the blood stream.

I am a die-hard perm fanatic so I probably am going to regret asking, but I feel like I need to know . . . .

 

[br0wney3z]

I know about a month or two ago a study was published looking at the rates of cancer among black women v white women. The rationale for the study was to investigate whether or not relaxer were a potential cause of cancer in black women. The study results found no correlation between the two. Which is not to say that there aren't any risks, but that study didn't find any. I can't remember either if it was all cancers or more specific ones like breast cancer. HTH a bit

 

[blackmaven]

I know Dick Gregory thinks relaxing has something to do with women of color having FIBROIDS more than caucasin women........

 

[zora]

I wouldn't be surprised if there was, but who is going to do these studies? No one.

One study doesn't do it for me.

 

[AfroKink]

I don't think anyone really knows. There are a few diseases that seem to effect black women more than white women, or that are more severe in black women. Relaxers could be one of the many causes.

I was doing lupus research not too long ago, and we were looking at environmental and genetic factors that could influence the severity of lupus. Among the things being looked at were nail polish and hair dye. If nail polish and hair dye could be factors, so could relaxers.

Something like 60% of the stuff you put on your skin gets absorbed into your body. Who knows what relaxer chemicals are doing in the different cells. tissues, and organs in your body.

Lys

 

[envybeauty]

I would love to know also. Unfortunately, black women are on the bottom of the totem pole when it comes to medical research so there are not a lot of studies being done to look into relaxers affecting our health. We spend sooooooo much on our hair that the Loreals and Revlons of this world are not going to research adverse effects and even if they did, they won't release those results (think tobacco industry).

I am sure that putting a chemical that damaging to your scalp multiple times a year has to have some effect. I just don't have the research to support it.

 

[Dposh167]

I know about a month or two ago a study was published looking at the rates of cancer among black women v white women. The rationale for the study was to investigate whether or not relaxer were a potential cause of cancer in black women. The study results found no correlation between the two. Which is not to say that there aren't any risks, but that study didn't find any. I can't remember either if it was all cancers or more specific ones like breast cancer. HTH a bit

YEA...i read this article too.

 

[fluffylocks]

I wonder about this too.....



But what about Nair and other hair removal cremes that have hydroxide and thioglycate in them? Some women use nair on their arms, legs, face, bikini area, underarms ect. 3x a week or more!
Wouldnt that have to be somewhat worse then someone who uses a relaxer and trys not to get any on their scalp 1x every 2-3 months?

 

[RainbowCurls]

I wonder about this too.....



But what about Nair and other hair removal cremes that have hydroxide and thioglycate in them? Some women use nair on their arms, legs, face, bikini area, underarms ect. 3x a week or more!
Wouldnt that have to be somewhat worse then someone who uses a relaxer and trys not to get any on their scalp 1x every 2-3 months?

You make a good point.

 

[Gryphyn]

I know about a month or two ago a study was published looking at the rates of cancer among black women v white women. The rationale for the study was to investigate whether or not relaxer were a potential cause of cancer in black women. The study results found no correlation between the two. Which is not to say that there aren't any risks, but that study didn't find any. I can't remember either if it was all cancers or more specific ones like breast cancer. HTH a bit

My former stylist once told me that hair stylists were more prone to certain types of cancer because of the fumes from relaxers and other chemical processes. Some lady he used to work for had even died from brain cancer. The funny thing is that even with this knowledge, he didn't wear a mask when he applied relaxers.

 

[AfroKink]

I wonder about this too.....



But what about Nair and other hair removal cremes that have hydroxide and thioglycate in them? Some women use nair on their arms, legs, face, bikini area, underarms ect. 3x a week or more!
Wouldnt that have to be somewhat worse then someone who uses a relaxer and trys not to get any on their scalp 1x every 2-3 months?

I don't know if it would be worse, but it sounds like both are risky. And relaxers reach your scalp when they get washed off, no? I don't even know all the different chemicals in Nair or Relaxers. Anyone know? If you know the chemicals, you can look up side effects of overdoses or poisoning from those chemicals..

Lys

 

[fluffylocks]

My former stylist once told me that hair stylists were more prone to certain types of cancer because of the fumes from relaxers and other chemical processes. Some lady he used to work for had even died from brain cancer. The funny thing is that even with this knowledge, he didn't wear a mask when he applied relaxers.

Oh my goodness. Now that i think about it, it seems they should wear masks and stuff if even nail tech's wear them. ---Im not suprised he still wouldnt even wear a mask, cause people wont even put condoms on.

 

[fluffylocks]

I don't know if it would be worse, but it sounds like both are risky. And relaxers reach your scalp when they get washed off, no? I don't even know all the different chemicals in Nair or Relaxers. Anyone know? If you know the chemicals, you can look up side effects of overdoses or poisoning from those chemicals..

Lys

Yeah, theres a big chance that relaxer is going to get on your scalp at some time during a relaxer----i was just thinking that with people using those nair type cremes daily and weekly, that if there was any type of link between those chemicals and cancer and other diseases---or if people started noticing a link between them, that people would hear about the problem from those nair creams before relaxers.

Im not saying that they wont do anything to you, i am certain they are dangerous----i was just wondering/thinking that the problem would be noticed their first so it wouldnt really be a "black woman" problem first.

I think that the big ingredients in the hair removal are Thioglycate and Sodium hydroxide, and everything else is emolients and thickners. And in Relaxers either Sodium Hydroxide or Lithium---and then other inactive things (I think)

But, you never know---it could be like the cigerette thing, where both know they are doing something wrong, but its all about money. *shrugs*

 

[tyte curlz]

I know Dick Gregory thinks relaxing has something to do with women of color having FIBROIDS more than caucasin women........

Agree he came to my old school to spit this @ a room full of Black college woman, but im not scientist.

 

[realitychk]

Isn't it the general consensus that scab hair the result of the relaxer seeping into your scalp? If so we know that the chemicals are indeed getting on our scalp and causing changes in our body underneath the skin. But besides changing the hair texture there doesn't seem to be any definitive research on it.

 

[ladylibra]

I wonder about this too.....



But what about Nair and other hair removal cremes that have hydroxide and thioglycate in them? Some women use nair on their arms, legs, face, bikini area, underarms ect. 3x a week or more!
Wouldnt that have to be somewhat worse then someone who uses a relaxer and trys not to get any on their scalp 1x every 2-3 months?

just what i was thinking. plus when you factor in hair dye (a lot of white women dye their hair RELIGIOUSLY), curly perms, other products we use for our hair and body, processed foods we eat... the list goes on and on. it would be hard to exclude all that stuff out when comparing relaxed hair to unrelaxed hair.

 

[AfroKink]

just what i was thinking. plus when you factor in hair dye (a lot of white women dye their hair RELIGIOUSLY), curly perms, other products we use for our hair and body, processed foods we eat... the list goes on and on. it would be hard to exclude all that stuff out when comparing relaxed hair to unrelaxed hair.

.

Not really take women with very similar life styles in terms of hair dye, other skin and body products, eating habits etc. A scientist would have to find participants who were similar in every way except for relaxing practices. But first that scientist would need a hypothesis on what the difference in health would be. Are they going to look at lupus? or fibroids? or cancers? or baldness? or something else?

Lys

ETA: they would probably do tests in other animals to prove causation.