Question 1

Do perms and relaxers cause cancer?

Accepted Answer

No one wants to think that their beauty routine could be putting them at risk of cancer. But that’s exactly what many researchers now believe has been happening for decades to women who regularly use hair relaxers like:  Dark & Lovely ORS Olive Oil TCB Naturals Just for Me Motions Optimum Salon and chemical straighteners. In fact, recent studies have shown that these hair straightening products contain hundreds of toxic chemicals, many of which are already known to cause cancer.

Question 2

What cancer causing chemicals are in hair relaxers?

Accepted Answer

Some of the biggest offenders found in hair straightening products include:  Formaldehyde Parabens Phalatates Di-2-ethylhexylphthalate (DEHP)

Question 3

Is formaldehyde used in hair relaxer?

Accepted Answer

Many chemical hair straighteners contain formaldehyde or release formaldehyde gas as part of the chemical reaction process. Formaldehyde gas has a strong chemical odor and inhalation can cause severe irritation, respiratory issues, headaches and burns.  It can appear as formaldehyde, formalin, or methylene glycol on an ingredient label (or sometimes it is omitted altogether, and there is no indication that your hair relaxer contains formaldehyde).

Question 4

Do Hair Relaxers cause cancer?

Accepted Answer

Manufacturers continue to deny that at-home hair relaxers cause cancer. However, many of the chemicals that are used in relaxers are known to be cancerous (including formaldehyde, parabens and phthalates) and several studies show that there is an increased risk of uterine cancer and breast cancer with frequent use of hair straightening products.  The basis of the hair relaxer lawsuit is to show that the manufacturers knew about the potential risks of cancer, but failed to warn about them.

Question 5

Do Perms cause cancer?

Accepted Answer

Getting a straight perm at the salon carries a similar cancer risk as using at-home hair straightener products. Many of the same cancer-causing chemicals are used during hair smoothing treatments at the salon. This includes keratin treatments, Brazilian blowouts and Japanese hair smoothing treatments.  Using a trained beauty technician may reduce the risk of chemical burns and a well ventilated salon may reduce the risk of inhaling toxic gas vs. doing a hair relaxer treatment at home.  If you are concerned about the risk of cancer, the only way to completely avoid it would be to discontinue getting hair relaxer treatments or perms of any kind.

Question 6

What Types Of Cancer Do Hair Relaxers Cause?

Accepted Answer

Over the years there have been multiple studies that identified two types of cancer associated with the use of hair relaxer treatments, uterine cancer and breast cancer.  The Sister study conducted by the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS) found that women who frequently used hair relaxer treatments had a;  156% increased Uterine Cancer risk 30% increased Breast Cancer risk

Question 7

How Do Hair Relaxers Cause Cancer?

Accepted Answer

Inhalation from the toxic fumes Direct absorption from the skin

Question 8

How do the chemicals in hair relaxer actually cause cancer?

Accepted Answer

All of these chemicals are considered endocrine disruptors (EDCs). This means they can disrupt the natural production of hormones which are responsible for a number of critical functions in the body including:  Signaling cell growth Reproduction Controlling the immune and nervous systems The prevailing theory is that endocrine disrupting chemicals can cause cancer cells to grow more rapidly, especially within organs that are part of the female reproductive system or heavily affected by hormone imbalances. This would certainly explain why there is much a higher risk in both uterine cancer and breast cancer for people that use hair relaxer.

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Hair Relaxers and Cancer Risk: Do perms and relaxers cause cancer?