Synthetic braiding hair is often a fast-and-easy option for Black women’s hairstyles like braids and twists. It’s a pre-vacation ritual for me, along with manicures and pedicures, to get my hair braided to avoid heat or water damage. However, styles with synthetic braiding hair haven’t come without issues. Many users report scalp irritation, itching, and reactions from the chemicals used. Now, Consumer Reports shares that dangerous chemicals have been found in all the synthetic braiding hair they tested.
Among the ten brands Consumer Reports sent to a lab for analysis, which included popular brands like Sensationnel, Magic Fingers, and Shake-N-Go, it found all the samples contained potentially harmful carcinogens that could be linked to cancer. The test, conducted by James E. Rogers, Ph.D., director and head of product-safety testing, also found lead in nine out of the ten brands tested, which contained lead that can cause health issues with exposure over time.
The lab tested the danger of the most common modes of contact with braiding hair, including inhalation and skin contact. When setting the hair with hot water to secure and smooth the ends of the style, the process could release chemicals into the air. Potential health risks are unknown, but this isn’t the first time braiding hair has been questioned.
Reactions like irritation and redness are common after getting braids, so much so that brands have created alternatives to braiding hair. Rebundle, which was tested by Cut beauty editor Asia Milia Ware, makes plant-based braiding hair without these chemicals. Brands such as Nourie, Ruka, and SLAYYY have also created similarly nontoxic hair. A tweet from a scientist warning people to remove their synthetic hair gained traction last December.
This isn’t the first time products targeted at Black women or used by predominantly Black women have been found to have harmful chemicals. Hair relaxers have been linked to health issues, including cancers. While they’re optimistic about changes and new research in the future, doctors have told Consumer Reports that it’s best to reduce exposure to synthetic braiding hair and place more time between styles.
Read the full study here.