Are your "natural" hair care products living up to the promise of being a healthier choice?
Attention, Black Queens: Your health and well-being matter. Recent analysis reveals a concerning truth: a smaller proportion of hair and beauty products tailored for Black women have low levels of harmful ingredients compared to those for the general public. This means, in spite of all the marketing hype of "natural" hair care, you are being exposed to more potentially hazardous chemicals.
While Black women make up about 13% of the population, their spending on personal care products accounts for up to 22% of the $42 billion market. This suggests a higher usage rate, including products with potentially harmful elements.
In a recent study of 1,177 beauty and personal care items designed for Black women, roughly one in twelve ranked as highly hazardous. This raises a red flag. It's crucial to note that fewer than 25% of products marketed to Black women received a low hazard score, compared to about 40% for the general public. That is an outrageous offense!
Products like hair relaxers, hair colors, and bleaching items, obviously, ranked the worst. These categories averaged high potential hazard scores. Not surprisingly , NONE of the products analyzed in these categories received a low hazard score.
The concerning truth is that scientific research on these products remains woefully limited. While advocacy organizations like Black Women for Wellness, West Harlem Environmental Action, and Women’s Voices for the Earth provide guides for minimizing exposure, we urgently need more research into how these chemicals are affecting the health of the Black community.
Whilst a lot of recent marketing efforts have been geared towards the natural hair community, makeup products, like concealers and foundations, aren't exempt either, with most containing hormone-disrupting parabens and skin-cancer linked retinyl palmitate.
Parabens, known hormone disruptors, are alarmingly prevalent, in both, hair and skin care products. Long-chain parabens pose higher risks and have been linked to reproductive problems. Retinyl palmitate, found in concealers and foundations, is associated with skin tumors in sun-exposed skin. Formaldehyde-releasing preservatives, such as dmdm hydantoin, diazolidinyl urea and imidazolidinyl urea are just about standard in Black hair care products. Formaldehyde, even in small amounts, causes accumulative damage to the body, scalp and skin including inflammation of hair follicles which can lead to hair loss.
"Fragrance" is a major concern, as it can encompass, literally, thousands of hidden chemicals, some linked to hormone disruption. More than half of the evaluated products contained it.
Here's what you can do:
Prioritize your health by making a habit of reading the ingredient labels on your hair care products. Research and familiarize yourself with the toxic ingredients you want to avoid for the health of your scalp and hair.
For hair care, opt for natural ingredients over synthetic chemicals.
Advocate for updated federal safety standards for personal care products. Let's ensure your daily essentials are safe.
Remember, your health is non-negotiable. Demand safer options. You deserve nothing less.
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