What WOC Need To Know When It Comes To Beauty

Did you know that Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) suffer from a higher incidence of chronic disease linked to toxic chemical exposure? I had mixed feelings when I learned this, I was surprised but at the same time not that surprised at all!

I started relaxing my hair since the age of 10 for manageability and convenience. Not many people knew the harmful side effects that hair straighteners had at the time. Culturally it was the thing to do, every black woman I knew had their hair relaxed.

It wasn’t until my 30’s that I started to discover the harmful side components in most hair straighteners.

There are various factors that contribute to this statistic, personal-care products play a role and—importantly create an opportunity for prevention.

One reason for this higher risk is that the hair products, skin lighteners, and nail polishes are marketed to WOC. These products contain ingredients that are known carcinogens and hormone disruptors.

A December 2019 study published in the International Journal of Cancer found that women who used a hair dye or chemical straighteners were at higher risk of developing breast cancer.[5] This link was notably higher among Black women who regularly use products such as relaxers that contain formaldehyde, a preservative that is linked to certain cancers, and feminine hygiene products which often contain phthalates, a known hormone disruptor.

• What do the “bad” ingredients actually do? Linked to infertility, birth defects, endocrine disruption, and cancer.

• EWG - Looks at toxins in products, food, and environment; Skin Deep database lets us look up ingredients and products to find the score.

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