Lye-based hair relaxers: Majority of Black British ladies ‘have had damaging unwanted side effects’ finds main ballot

Two thirds of Black British ladies have skilled painful unwanted side effects – together with burnt scalps and hair loss – from utilizing hair relaxers, new analysis has revealed.

A examine of 1,024 Black British ladies aged 25-44, carried out by feminist group Degree Up and Black hair care firm Treasure Tress, discovered that over 95 per cent of Black British ladies don’t belief large magnificence manufacturers to promote them secure merchandise.

Some 97 per cent of respondents consider hair merchandise containing lye – also called sodium hydroxide – needs to be banned.

The survey, the primary of its type in Britain, sought to grasp Black ladies’s experiences of hair relaxers, uncovering some startling experiences of illnesses developed following use of such merchandise.

Hair relaxers that comprise lye, a harsh chemical utilized in drain unblockers, have been linked to a variety of well being issues amongst Black British ladies together with breast most cancers, hormone imbalance, bronchial asthma, fibroids and fertility issues.

Ikamara Larasi, campaigner at Degree Up mentioned: “We should always all be capable to belief the merchandise we use on our our bodies are secure. However hair relaxers offered to black ladies embrace lye, the identical harmful chemical used to unblock drains.

“Virtually two in three Black British ladies have had detrimental experiences with lye-based hair relaxers, together with scalp burns and hair loss. These merchandise are additionally linked to a 30 per cent improve in breast most cancers.

“Hundreds of Black British ladies are calling for No Extra Lyes. Magnificence corporations should take away the lye or take relaxers containing lye off the cabinets.”

Degree Up, which beforehand pressured ITV to take away cosmetic surgery and eating regimen capsule adverts from Love Island, is behind the #NoMoreLyes marketing campaign petition and is difficult the manufacturers to reply.

It has been calling for the removing of “poisonous” hair merchandise marketed at Black ladies from store cabinets since August, following analysis that discovered long-term use of lye-based relaxers could also be linked to elevated breast most cancers threat.

Focusing on main manufacturers over shampoo and relaxants containing lye and different chemical compounds linked to severe well being issues, members of the collective mentioned: “If the lives of Black ladies and ladies are essential to those corporations, they’ll take these toxic merchandise off the cabinets.”

Although the variety of British ladies who use hair relaxers will not be recognized, 2018 analysis from Treasure Tress discovered that Black British ladies spend £168m per 12 months on hair care merchandise. The identical analysis revealed that Black ladies account for 10 per cent of haircare spend in Britain however represent solely two per cent of the UK grownup inhabitants.

The worldwide hair relaxer market was valued at £581m final 12 months, in response to MarketWatch. In keeping with the British Magnificence Council, Black British ladies spend six occasions extra on their haircare than their white counterparts.

Jamelia Donaldson, chief government of Treasure Tress mentioned: “Hair is such an important a part of our id as Black ladies, so it was completely heartbreaking to listen to the traumatic first hand experiences of the Black ladies we surveyed, particularly those that are coping with long run/everlasting unwanted side effects of utilizing lye primarily based relaxers.

“Belief, and model repute are key forex within the magnificence trade ‘publish’ pandemic, an trade which is continually striving to turn into extra numerous. It’s our hope that severe and long run modifications are made to guard Black ladies and the merchandise produced for them.”