I am continuing from my first blog post on raising awareness of the dangers of Chemical Hair Straighteners with the source from Drugwatch.
Chemicals in Hair Relaxers
Chemical hair straightening products use various chemicals to dissolve disulfide bonds, altering the protein structure’s shape in the hair and straightening it. Some of these chemicals, such as formaldehyde, can be toxic to humans.
Many chemical hair straighteners have proprietary formulas, so it’s not easy to see all the ingredients in each formula.
Chemicals in hair straighteners include:
Ammonium Thioglycolate
Benzophenone-3
Cyclosiloxanes
Diethanolamine
Formaldehyde
Parabens
Phthalates
Sodium Hydroxide (Lye)
Sodium Thioglycolate
Triclosan
If used incorrectly or too often, these chemicals can cause long-term damage to hair and skin and increase the risks for other health issues, including cancer.EXPERT’S PERSPECTIVE
Shannon L. Fitzgerald, Pharm. D.
PHARMACIST & TOXICOLOGIST
“Chemical hair straighteners work by disrupting disulfide bonds found in keratin, the protein that makes up the strands of our hair. The chemicals responsible for that disruption are suspected to increase the risk for several types of cancer, particularly uterine cancer. More studies are needed, but the FDA is set to ban formaldehyde from chemical hair straighteners in July 2024.”
Is Chemical Hair Straightening Safe?
In the short term, chemical hair straighteners don’t cause many serious side effects. However, heavy, long-term use comes with the potential for unsafe toxicity and an increased risk of hormone-related cancers. According to some recent studies, Black women — who are more likely to use these products long term — are at the most risk.
Side effects of chemical hair straighteners affect not only people who receive hair treatments but also the salon staff who apply them. For instance, formaldehyde is a known carcinogen. It can lead to significant breathing and lung problems.Unfortunately, even products labelled formaldehyde-free may contain chemicals that release formaldehyde when subjected to heat.
The final part of this blog will be posted in a fortnight. Please come back to discover the Side Effects of Chemical Hair Straighteners and the link between Chemical Hair Straighteners and Cancer.
Be safe and drop me a line on your hair treatment or what products you use.
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