Hair Straightener and Relaxer Lawsuits

At Trustwell Law, our experienced attorneys take a personalized, compassionate approach. We cut through the legalese and partner with our clients. We have access to the expertise, resources, and manpower to fully investigate each case and fight for and with our clients to get the justice they deserve.

Studies Link Hair Straighteners and Relaxers with Cancer

Studies have linked regular use of chemical hair straighteners with uterine cancer and ovarian cancer as well as other serious gynecological health conditions. Many of these studies are based on data collected for the Sister Study, conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, one of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Institutes of Health.

The most recent study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October 2022, includes data from almost 34,000 women and found that women who regularly used hair straightener and hair relaxer chemicals were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as women who did not use those products. Frequent, “regular” use was defined as use more than four times in the previous year.

Uterine cancer is one of the most common gynecologic cancers, and diagnoses of uterine cancer have increased in the past 20 years. In the United States alone, more than 65,950 cases of uterine cancer and 12,550 deaths from uterine cancer are expected in 2022.

The chemicals used in hair straighteners and hair relaxers have also been linked to ovarian cancer and uterine fibroids, noncancerous growths that also can be very painful and can lead to infertility, pregnancy loss, or preterm deliveries.

Hair Straightener Cancer Risk and Black Women

The studies that identified the increased cancer risk tied to use of chemical hair straighteners and relaxers also found that the self-identified Black women in the study were more likely than the White women to develop cancer. There are several theories as to why that is the case.

• Black women are more likely than White women to use chemical hair-straightening products.
  • While Black women accounted for just 7.4 percent of the women in the study, they comprised 60 percent of the participants who reported using hair-straightening products the previous year.
• Black women reported using hair straighteners more frequently.
• Black women reported starting to use hair straighteners and hair relaxers at an earlier age than women of other races and ethnicities.
• Researchers also suggest that the hair-straightener products sold to Black women contain different ingredients than those sold to white women.

How Do Hair-Straightening Chemicals Cause Cancer?

Most hair relaxers contain chemicals such as formaldehyde, formaldehyde-releasing chemicals, metals, parabens, and phthalates, which are synthetic endocrine-disrupting chemicals (EDCs). EDCs can alter the way hormones act in the body. Exposure to excess estrogen and imbalances in the hormones estrogen and progesterone are known risk factors for uterine cancer, and EDCs are also associated with particularly hormone-sensitive cancers such as ovarian cancer.

Furthermore, hair-straightening and hair-relaxing chemicals are applied to the scalp by design, where these chemicals may enter the body via scalp burns and cuts often caused the products themselves! The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences warns that exposure even to small amounts of EDCs can lead to health problems.

Hair Straightener Lawyers

Despite studies associating the use of chemical hair-straightening products with cancer and the known cancer and health risks of EDCs, manufacturers of hair-straightening products continue to market them and to use these chemicals in their products without warning users about the risks.

If you regularly used hair-straightening products and have developed cancer or one of the other gynecological health issues associated with their use, contact us to discuss a hair straightener lawsuit. You may be entitled to compensation.