By Nthabiseng Makhokha 

This article is opinion led and by no means promotes the use of hair relaxers nor does it dismiss the dangers associated with it.

Topics on Black women’s hair, especially regarding natural vs straight hair, always fuel a scorching debate. Hair relaxers very often come under fire compared to a myriad of other cancer causing products and habits.

More recently though, straightening or using relaxants seems not to be motivated by societal pressures and conforming to Eurocentric standards, but rather about choice and convenience. 

For me, convenience was one of the reasons I hardly wore my natural hair out – with everything I had going on, I just didn’t have the time to work through the kinks. 

I had natural hair on and off for about ten years. My first big chop was quite liberating, and as I nurtured my hair and scalp back to health I felt that I was going to make this work. I enjoyed changing hairstyles frequently, this is how I expressed myself. Working in media also meant I had ample flexibility. 

Years went by and I mostly adorned braids. I experimented with a lot of different products when I had my hair out to find out what works for me, but would end up resorting to braids again, a straightening treatment, wigs and alternative styles. The products that made a difference came in sizes not big enough to justify the heavy price tag, while the more affordable ones didn’t really work for me.

Over time, it bothered me that I wasn’t enjoying my hair like I felt I should. All the tutorials online made it look easy but I really was struggling. I was still comforted through that I could wear different hairstyles and that although I’m not showing my own kinks, I’m a proud natural and my hair is chemical free. 

Pointing out that natural hair is a lot of work is not an excuse. Any person with natural hair will tell you how much work it is, and it was no different for me and my 4C hair. Routines vary for the different curl types and for indivuduals.

While it’s known that studies have shown that there’s a link between the frequent use of hair relaxers (which is more than six times a year) and uterine cancer, there are studies revealing that there is just as much toxicity in other beauty products such as the synthetic hair fibre used for braiding. The National Library of Medicine revealed that Black women are unaware of their exposure to the carcinogenic materials, which are cancer causing chemicals, included in hair braiding fibre.

These fibres are made from Modacrylic fibre that is composed of acrylonitrile and vinyl chloride of polyvinyl chloride, which are linked, by the National Institute of Cancer, to leukaemia, lymphoma, and rare forms of liver, brain, and lung cancers. Not only are these fibres toxic to the human body, they are harmful to the environment, too. However, this is not talked about enough and instead braiding our hair is encouraged as a way to protect it.

Making a choice

One day though, I missed seeing, touching, and just playing with my hair. The constant changing of hairstyles was putting a strain on my hairline and scalp, and I decided that the best solution would be to do a silk press. This made sense because it would be low maintenance, and I could easily wash my hair back into its natural state if I wanted to.

A few weeks went by after my silk press, and I fell in love with my hair. I felt like I had missed a special bond with it, and I wanted to keep it out for as long as possible. Natural hair, especially 4C, can become dry and brittle when constantly exposed to heat. And with a silk press, there is no running away from the heat. Plus, I had to avoid any form of moisture.

Wary because of the facts, I succumbed to braiding, again. When the time to remove my braids came, I suddenly felt very overwhelmed with all the decision-making and the work involved with getting my hair done. “Why does it feel like I have to try so hard to make my hair look the way I want it to?” I thought, “Why do I feel like I’m under pressure to remain natural even though what really makes me happy is straight, low maintenance hair? Who am I doing this for?”

I felt a little resentful and frustrated. Immediately after, I felt guilty. 

I called a friend and put it straight to her, “I want to relax my hair. I’m tired.”

I felt like I was asking for permission, about my own hair.

“Oh girl, I relaxed mine a while back,” she responded, “just a texturizer though, to make it manageable.”

“What?” I exclaimed.

Here I was worrying, but it seems I wasn’t the only one feeling overwhelmed.  

"Some women simply do not enjoy their natural hair texture. Others complain about the pressure to have their coily hair 'behave a certain way' with twist-outs and other more defined styles, as well as the cost of taking care of natural hair with lots of different products, tools, and techniques," says Dr. Gaby Longsworth, a Ph.D scientist, certified hair practitioner, biotech and pharmaceutical patent attorney, and owner of Absolutely Everything Curly and Curl Planet forInStyle.

I made peace with my decision, and in a way, I felt liberated again to be going against the tide – I didn’t care. This is what I wanted. 

The more I looked around though, the more I realised that a lot of people, too, are going for the sleeker look. “Why?” I thought, “Are they tired too?”

A TikTok hashtag; ‘relaxers are back’ has spun over 8 million views, and it features women relaxing their hair and saying after how long and why they’re doing it. It also appears to be an act of defiance as some even caption their posts, “deal with it” and “breaking up with my natural hair.”

Something else that seems to be driving women back to relaxing their hair is the return of sew in weaves, and the decline in the popularity of lace frontals and baby hairs.

Overlooked carcinogens

Colouring one's hair carries the same risks as relaxers, but it’s not as harshly criticised. Hair colourant has more than 5000 chemicals, some of which are carcinogenic. According to Dr. Chirag Shah, “People who used permanent hair dye regularly had a higher risk of developing breast cancer than those who didn’t.”

The International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the National Toxicology Program classify formaldehyde as a human carcinogen. Used as a preservative in food, cosmetics, detergents and paints, it is highly toxic and high levels of exposure (by dosage of frequency) can cause dermatitis, hair loss, permanent skin sensitisation, irritation of the nose and eyes and trigger asthma and breathing difficulties. While it has been banned in some countries, this chemical can still be found in many products such as nail polishes, nail polish removers and skincare products. Unfortunately, the FDA does not regulate the use of formaldehyde in skincare products. Yet again, this is not something that comes under fire enough.

The list of things that cause cancer is lengthy, however, most of these are ignored and socially accepted. 

The fast food industry is worth hundreds of billions and is only projected to grow. However, we don’t talk enough about how processed foods and obesity are some of the leading causes of cancer. "If you look at the really big risk factors for endometrial cancer, 50 to 60 percent is directly linked to obesity and lack of physical activity," says Dr. Susan Mondesitt, MD, the director of the gynaecologic oncology division at Emory University's Winship Cancer Institute and editor-in-chief of Gynaecologic Oncology Reports.

Consuming alcohol and smoking have many health risks, including cancer causing, and yet – drinking and smoking are more socially acceptable than ever before. In fact, despite strongly suggested evidence that hookah is very harmful to health and can lead to cancer, the trend has grown far and wide over the years.

Smoking hubbly produces high levels of carbon monoxide, metals, and cancer-causing chemicals. Compared to cigarettes, hookah contains considerably higher levels of smoke, tar and nicotine. It can cause oral, lung, stomach and oesophagus cancers, as well as reduced fertility, clogged arteries and heart disease. Yet, it’s highly acceptable in society.

A case of pharisaism 

Is hair relaxing a case of pharisaism? As it doesn’t seem like those who are vocal about hair relaxers are as eagerly vocal about harmful beauty products and cancer causing habits.

Alexandra White, PhD, an epidemiologist at the U.S. National Institute of Environmental Health Safety recommends reducing the frequency of using hair relaxers. "We did observe in our study that less frequent use was less strongly associated with risk, so decreasing the frequency of use may be one potential approach," says Dr. White for Allure.

"We are exposed to many things that could potentially contribute to breast cancer, and it is unlikely that any single factor explains a woman’s risk,” says co-author Dale Sandler, Ph.D., chief of the NIEHS Epidemiology Branch for National Institutes of Health.

“Black women are allowed to have a choice. And also, we don't all want to look alike. I think that the narrative is certainly changing into 'just give Black women grace'... what's easy for you may not be easy for somebody else. Some people say it's easy, taking care of their natural hair," says Ware for Yahoo!Life.

Instead of scorning Black women about making informed choices, we can look at why this is happening and recommend possible solutions. Just as with everything else that’s harmful but deemed acceptable by society, Black women should be left to make their own choices. Our hair should not be a prison that’s continuously burdened with shame and judgement by our own and others.

The bottom-line? More and more women are relaxing their hair, loudly and quietly. We can point fingers or we can keep digging to find solutions. The policing and politicising, however, needs to end.