Hair relaxers used by Black women linked to cancer as sales climb in African countries

Gloria Moraa, 28, lives in Nairobi. When she relaxed her hair, she had one goal: The product had to make her coily hair silky. The ingredients didn’t matter. Growing evidence suggests the products in chemical hair straighteners might have far more serious consequences. For many Black women, chemically straightening their hair is a rite of passage informed by unspoken Eurocentric definitions of beauty that favor long, straight hair and are rooted in colonialism and racism. But women also say manageability, flexibility and social acceptance drive the decision to straighten their hair. It’s a shared experience throughout the African diaspora. Despite more than a decade of research about the adverse health effects of chemicals in relaxers, regulation varies across Africa and the globe. While many Black women in the United States are suing the makers of chemical hair straighteners amid growing health concerns about cancer, sales of the products in some African countries continue to climb.