By Amie Yansane
Alarms went off this past Friday when the Consumer Report raised concerns about the connection of Black women’s health and synthetic hair. Food scientist Chrystal G Thomas Ph.D, claims that he has tested 10 brands of popular synthetic braiding hair, all of which have traces of heavy metals and organic compounds such as lead and benzene. Both of these contents found inÂ
Of course, Black women online have been in a frenzy as synthetic hair is widely used for protective hairstyles since the 20th century. Many are rightfully questioning the intentions of these synthetic hair brands. Some theorize that if this new finding is proof that corporations are utilizing these products to endanger Black women and their health in the coming years.Â
Despite the fear that has been rampaging in the community of Black women this past week, the claim that synthetic hair is a cancer causing agent has been questioned and officially debunked by two Black scientists.Â
Cosmetic chemist @javonford16 on TikTok took the claim to his socials after his followers raised concerns about the issue. Ford refers to the data given by the Consumer Report, which contains all brands of concern such as Darling, Debut, Sassy Collection, Sensational and more. Each brand is evaluated on the chart based on levels of arsenic, cadmium and most importantly, lead, which concludes that the lead levels in synthetic hair exceed the standards needed to be in.Â
Although the numbers can be alarming to a nonscientist, Ford states that this data is based on the standards of lead exposure that are based on the California standard in terms of oral exposure to the metal. Of course, this data is not easy to compare as people usually don’t make oral contact with their braids unless they are chewing directly on them.Â
Ford also mentions the dose of lead traced in the hair samples, which does not exceed 0.2 ppm. For anyone who is not familiar with that unit, it stands for part per million, which is a unit that is used to measure small concentrations usually in mixtures. In this case, 0.2 ppm of lead is less alarming than the allowed five ppm concentration in lipstick, which is more likely, as Ford claims, to be ingested. It’s also important to note the sampling size for this report. Per brand of hair, there are only two samples, which is an issue. As an undergraduate student pursuing a STEM degree, sampling size was always emphasized as the smaller it is, the greater chance there will be variability in your data. This can be an issue as variability in data cannot give a concrete answer to the question you’re asking. Although this report has pure intentions, the issue of the misconception of the data remains. Science is experiencing an attack in the United States, so it is of importance that data is communicated appropriately to the public and not used as a tool to be fabricated or hidden.Â
Even though this article aims to educate Black women about what is in their hair, it serves as a method of fear for Black women. Upon the video’s release, many Black women in the comments felt helpless as their bodies were being attacked without their knowledge. As more studies are being conducted concerning Black women and their likelihood to be diagnosed with cancer at later stages than their white counterparts, another report that claims that they have greater chances of getting this disease is quite alarming and discouraging.Â
As a Black woman myself, I also experienced anxiety hearing about this study. Like most people, I have an influx of fears about my health and the things I eat and involve myself in that contribute to its state. This misrepresented claim and its data did not alleviate any of my anxieties, but just made me more vulnerable to stress. The worst thing is that I considered cancelling my braiding appointment for spring break.Â
Now that this claim has been officially debunked, I encourage Black women to keep your braiding appointments and continue advocating for research that accurately represents data that pushes towards a healthy relationship with our hair and bodies.