Chemical hair straighteners and relaxers can cause more harm than we can realize. Even though staying away from artificial hair treatments is the ideal choice, still women might want to change their hairstyle or relax their curls and make them straight. But women must know that such treatments can bring about debilitating health hazards, which can be life-threatening and cost them more than they can imagine.
Today, several African American women in the United States use hair relaxer products regularly. Scientific research found that chemicals contained in their treatments can result in uterine cancer. There have been women who have faced this sad predicament and have filed their product liability lawsuits against specific manufacturers asking for fair compensation.
Hair relaxers have been present for over 100 years, however, today the lawsuit numbers have surpassed 100. Popular brand L’Oréal’s branch in the United States has been named in a few of these lawsuits along with other brands like ORS Olive Oil, Dark & Lovely, and Motions because it led to severe ailments in women.
In this article, we will delve into this and also shed light on how hair straighteners and relaxers cause harm to women, and the legal way out.
Complaint Against L’Oréal Hair Styling Products
The hair straightener cancer lawsuits against L’Oréal claim that the products can result in cancer and other health issues. Additionally, the complaint states that the brand was aware of this and continued to market the products.
The very first lawsuit was filed after a study was released in October 2022 by the National Institutes of Health. The study investigated a potential link between the use of hair relaxers and uterine cancer. It focused on 34,000 participants for over a decade and found 378 uterine cancer cases. There were people mentioned who opted for chemical hair treatments over four times a year and were at a higher risk of developing this ailment.
According to Alexandra White, the leading author, about 1.64% of women who didn’t resort to any hair relaxers or straighteners had a chance of developing uterine cancer by the time they were 70 years. The ones who did frequently were at a risk of 4.05%.
But Karis Betts, who is a senior health information manager at the Cancer Research UK, shared her opinion on this. She stated that though the study presented a link, there still isn’t clear proof to affirm the same strongly. Additionally, she pointed out there is a need for more scientific evidence to establish the claim.
How Do Hair Relaxers and Straighteners Cause Harm?
When you use a hair straightener or relaxer, it makes use of your body’s temperature to get heated on the scalp. The longer a relaxer stays on your hair, it starts to burn through the hair follicle, leading to inflammation. Gradually, it gets inside your bloodstream and then moves all through the lymphatic system.
During urination, the chemicals from the straightener get passed to the reproductive system, resulting in cysts and fibroids, causing other harmful elements to get inside your body. The inflammation because of the burning in your scalp is the primary cause of dermatitis in most African American women.
That is not all. The hair relaxers also result in hair thinning and breakage. Since these relaxers alter the natural hair texture, chances are that your hair will become weak and break when you use these treatments frequently.
Over the past few years, various studies conducted in the United States have researched the link between hair products and cancer. Most focused on breast, ovarian, and uterine cancer caused due to an increase of progesterone and estrogen in the body.
The researchers linked with the International Journal of Cancer in a 2020 study found that women who frequently chemically straightened their hair, over 6 times a year, were at a 30% more risk of developing breast cancer.
The Legal Way Out
According to the hair relaxer lawsuit updates of 2024, the recent cases that got added increased the number to 8,217. Therefore, if you or anyone you know has suffered after getting their hair chemically straightened or treated can file a lawsuit to seek the compensation they deserve.
TorHoerman Law says that it is best to get in touch with an expert lawyer and let them decide your eligibility for a legal claim. Once that gets determined, you can share medical records, the frequency of chemical treatments, and other healthcare data with them, so that they can use it to create a substantial case that ensures that the verdict is in your favor.
In conclusion, women should be careful about the styling products they choose to use and check the pros and cons before opting for them. Even though chemical hair treatments can transform one’s look, making them appear glamorous and chic, the long-term effects can cost on their health and reduce lifespan.
Thus, it’s a wise decision to opt for non-chemical hair treatments to remain on the safe side. And women who have developed cancer after using hair relaxers should seek the necessary medical and legal aid.