Almost each Black lady or woman has, sooner or later, bought hair extensions for field braids, boho braids, twists or fake locs.
For many Black women, these “protective styles” are worn year-round to guard and preserve their pure hair. For others, they’re a pre-vacation splurge — a simple solution to protect one’s curls from the harshness of salty ocean water or a chlorine-filled pool. Beauty retailers characteristic partitions of extension colours — 1b, 30, 27, 24 or possibly even 613 — able to be bought and put in by a professional or a affected person auntie.
But a rising variety of research are revealing dozens of doubtless harmful chemicals and carcinogens in these hair extensions: a Consumer Reports research published this week discovered lead in 29 manufacturers of extensions, whereas a peer-reviewed research published earlier in February discovered dozens of hazardous chemicals, a few of which have been linked with most cancers, start defects and reproductive points, across 43 hair samples. Some samples within the latter research had chemicals that ought to have required client warning labels below California’s Proposition 65.
Research has but to find out whether or not or not these hair extensions are harmful or might be inflicting sickness. But each research point out how a largely unregulated billion-dollar trade fueled by Black women may additionally be disproportionately harming them.
Elissia Franklin, a analysis scientist and analytic chemist on the Silent Spring Institute, grew up with “all the Black girl styles,” she stated, like field braids, common braids, relaxed hair and straightened hair. In the previous, she’d get rashes on her neck after carrying extensions in her hair, but it surely wasn’t till she was researching flame retardants in couches as an grownup that she realized the identical chemicals existed within the hair generally bought at magnificence provide shops.
Her analysis, revealed in February within the American Chemical Society journal Environment & Health, analyzed frequent manufacturers of each artificial and human hair bought on-line and from native magnificence provide shops. Included in these samples: flame retardants, pesticides, organotins (that are linked to pores and skin irritation) and extra. More than 80% of the hair samples examined contained chemicals linked to breast most cancers particularly, and all however two of the 43 samples examined contained recognized hazardous chemicals.
Franklin’s work follows a 2025 Consumer Reports research, which made the rounds on social media final yr after discovering carcinogens in 10 artificial braiding hair extensions.
But whilst analysis about these chemicals mounts, enterprise continues as normal in lots of hair braiding retailers throughout the nation.
The proprietor of Passion Braiding Salon outdoors of Austin, Texas stated she heard about some chemicals in braiding extension hair on social media a number of months in the past, however hasn’t heard considerations from purchasers, most of whom convey hair bought elsewhere to appointments. When requested if she was fearful about her personal publicity to dangerous merchandise, she stated she wasn’t certain.
Marcy Jones, a braider on the South Side of Chicago, has been braiding hair for seven years. While she has heard of chemicals in hair extensions — a few of her purchasers say they’re “allergic” to the hair, so Jones will pre-wash the extensions — she stated she disinfects her instruments and isn’t fearful about her personal publicity.
One braider at Braids By Queen in Dallas stated she wasn’t conscious of chemicals in braiding hair, however she at all times washes any extensions in scorching water earlier than use, which she’s finished since she was a toddler in Benin. One Charlotte, North Carolina braider stated she hadn’t heard of any dangers in any respect.
While many individuals would possibly use hair extensions with out apparent issues, irritation is comparatively frequent. Natural hair boards, web sites and influencers have for years supplied details about these so-called “allergic reactions.” Soaking the hair in apple cider vinegar is a typical at-home treatment that will assist scale back irritation with blended outcomes. Still, field braids and different extension types can begin at $200, relying on the size, width and sort, and might take as much as 10 hours to finish — which means many Black women have realized to smile and bear the discomfort.
Hennii Dorsey is a co-owner of The Griyn Thumb salon simply outdoors of Atlanta. She grew up carrying braids with extensions and by no means had an issue, she stated, however that modified about 10 years in the past. After braiding her hair with extensions, her head felt prefer it was coated in pink ants, she stated, “like they were biting me all over my scalp.”
“When I looked at my scalp, I noticed it was red, like it was burning,” Dorsey stated. “I had to shave it off, that’s how bad the burn was.”
The braiding hair modified, she stated. She started noticing labels like “non-flammable,” making her marvel concerning the forms of chemicals producers handled the hair with. In her personal salon, she started warning purchasers concerning the potential unwanted side effects of hair extensions. Now, she refuses to make use of hair extensions altogether — artificial or human.
Women who need extensions will take the chance it doesn’t matter what the analysis says, Dorsey stated, “even if they think it’s cancer-causing.”
Though most of the hair braiders interviewed appeared unconcerned by the potential hurt they might face, these braiders are the “most vulnerable population,” stated Franklin, the researcher. They work with these merchandise day-in and time out, typically for many years, seeing a number of purchasers every week.
“I do understand where there’s hesitancies,” Franklin stated. “What Black hair product is safe? I do think that braiders should be aware, but also so should the manufacturers. It shouldn’t be on the hair braiders to make individual decisions.”
For each Black lady, the calculus round hair security can really feel ever-changing. Relaxers and chemical straighteners, touted for his or her easy-to-manage outcomes, noticed a decline in use as extra individuals realized about formaldehyde, a key ingredient in relaxer merchandise and a carcinogen.
Now hair extensions, used by many women as “protective styles” for his or her pure hair, may additionally be harmful, to say nothing of weaves or wigs. And the potential harms exist past the hair itself: many manufacturers of gels, glue, edge-control, oil sheen, detangling spray and different on a regular basis merchandise for Black women have been proven to include formaldehyde-releasing preservatives.
“Black women use more hair products, and we are doing our hair in these very intense styles, more often than probably any other group of people,” Franklin stated. “Those chemicals shouldn’t be in the products.”
Still, Franklin will get the sense that nobody in her circle is shocked anymore, she stated. There’s an expectation that some merchandise are hazardous, she stated, and there’s no solution to actually know what product is totally protected. A product thought of to be nonhazardous might later show to be dangerous in any case.
Everything carries some type of danger, Franklin stated — our meals, our water, even our garments. Trying to cut back that danger, she stated, is all we are able to do.