While many Nigerians including some government officials are not aware of the trending story in some parts of the western media that cancerous ingredients have been detected in some synthetic hair products popularly used by black women, those that are aware are calling on the government to confirm or refute the story.
According to a US Consumer Reports study published recently, ingredients that can cause cancer were found in 10 synthetic hair products used in braids, extensions and other hairstyles popular with Black women, including artificial hair from popular brands such as Magic Fingers, Sensationnel and Shake-N-Go.
Lead, which can cause serious health and developmental problems, was also found in nine of the 10 packs of synthetic hair surveyed, including one package of braiding hair that exceeded the maximum allowed dose of lead by more than 600%, according to the study.
Also benzene, known to be a cancer-causing ingredient, was also found. The chemical likely causes acute myeloid leukemia, according to the American Cancer Society.
Consumer Reports also found methylene chloride, which investigations reveal can lead to liver and lung cancer after chronic exposure.
Synthetic hair has long been a staple in protective hairstyles for Black women — like braids, locs and twists. These styles can be worn for weeks at a time, protecting the hair from breakage, exposure to the elements or day-to-day heat styling. This translates to longer exposure to the chemicals.
Unfortunately many Nigerian consumers including regulatory government establishments are not even aware of the report or story in the Media. A visit to Ipodo market and around Ikeja under bridge which houses many hair stylists revealed that they were ignorant of the story and even when the Reporter approached them with the story majority were nonplussed.
“It is a false alarm, we have been using synthetic hair extensions for decades and how many people have died from it?” asked a customer who came to braid her hair. “You people like frightening innocent people. If this story is true then 90% of African women would have died because they use synthetic hair products.
“You media people want to distract us from the sufferings we are going through in this country with this story of hair extensions causing cancer. If we do not use synthetic hair extensions, what else do you want us to use?” asked Madam Veronica, a customer that was also making her hair with the said product.
At the various shops in the Arena shopping complex Oshodi, the story was the same. Majority of the ladies who came to make their hair and the hairdressers said they did not believe that any cancer causing ingredients were in synthetic hair products.
Madam Ekelemu who has two big shops where she sells synthetic hair products blamed the story on the hand work of evil people who were hell bent on destabilising the market.
However at the high brow ‘Hair To Toe’ salon, located in Surulere, Mrs. Ireti Ikeji said she had read the story and watched the video but she wondered why the Nigerian government has not confirmed or refuted the story.
“This is where the government regulatory agency, the National Agency for Food, Drug Control and Administration [NAFDAC] is supposed to have made a statement instead of chasing and locking up shops of innocent people,” said the lady who claims to be a Biochemist.
Reacting to the issue, a top Beautician, who craved anonymity, noted that “There’s been a growing conversation about whether braiding hair can cause cancer, and as someone deeply involved in beauty and haircare, I think it’s important to clarify a few things.”
“Braiding itself does not cause cancer. However, the concern usually comes from what’s used alongside braiding—like chemical-laden products, synthetic hair, or extreme tension on the scalp over time.”
According to the Beautician who runs Beauty Parlors in GRA Ikeja and VGC Victoria Island, “Some synthetic hair fibers have been reported to contain toxic chemicals that, when heated or worn for prolonged periods, may release harmful substances. Also, the long-term use of certain hair products that contain endocrine-disrupting ingredients has raised health concerns, including links to hormone-sensitive cancers.”
Nine of the 10 products tested also contained lead, the report found. Lead can cause a number of developmental disabilities in children, as well as reproductive issues in adults, according to the Centre for Disease Control and Prevention.
In 2022, companies that make chemical hair relaxers, which straighten hair, were sued in a class-action lawsuit by hundreds of Black people who said the products led to uterine cancer. Several wide-scale studies have been published in recent years showing heightened rates of cancer, infertility and other illnesses among women who use chemical hair relaxers, which are generally marketed to black women.
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