The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is considering a ban on certain hair-straightening chemicals that have been used by Black women for years and that research shows may increase the risk of uterine cancer.
But Black hair stylists say such products — specifically the ones being looked at by the FDA, which contain formaldehyde and formaldehyde-releasing chemicals — have fallen out of favor, especially among younger generations.
“Relaxers have taken an extreme decline … as we became more knowledgeable about the effects of the relaxer on your hair and what it can do to your hair,” said Kayleigh Butler, a hair stylist in Atlanta who remembers getting relaxers when she was 5 years old. She added, “I think people just wanted to move away from that and live a healthier lifestyle.”
The FDA is in the first steps of the process: The notice of a possible rule was recently added to its regulatory agenda. The agency aims to publish an advance notice of proposed rulemaking by April 2024, but items can stay on the agenda for years.
The possible rule would apply to both salon-grade and at-home products, FDA spokesperson Courtney Rhodes said.
Jasmine Garcia, who owns Jasmine Nicole Xclusives Hair Salon in Atlanta, estimated that less than 5% of her clients — who are Black women — want relaxers. She told The Associated Press that a client texted her after learning about the potential ban, saying: “Of all the things the FDA needs to look into, why relaxers right now?”
Earlier this year, U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley of Massachusetts and Shontel Brown of Ohio asked the FDA to investigate chemical hair straighteners, pointing to a study published in 2022 from the National Institutes of Health that linked straighteners to an increased risk of uterine cancer. Pressley said in an Oct. 6 statement that the FDA’s possible action is “a win for public health — especially the health of Black women.”
“Regardless of how we…
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