The Hair C-O-N-S-Piracy
King Solomon once said, “The more you know, the more you hurt; the more you understand, the more you suffer.” After obtaining some of the information you’ll read about in this article with regard to cosmetics (specifically hair care products) and their carcinogenic effects, I found myself relating even more to those specific words of wisdom Solomon shared.
Lamar and Ronnie opened a Pandora’s Box of curiosity with their article (please link your article about “Good Hair” here) about Chris Rock’s documentary, “Good Hair.” A week before I read that article, a friend of mine sent me an e-mail talking about the correlation between black hair care products and the prevalence in breast cancer among African American women.
Of course, some people get hoax happy over e-mail, so I was determined to find out whether or not this was hype or reality. To my shock and dismay, the correlation proved to be not only valid, but alarmingly common! There was a news story in August of 06 that discussed the new research project an oncologist was embarking upon to see if there was a link between hair care products and cancer.
Then, Sophia, Naturally a blog about natural hair listed some of the products that had toxic materials in them. She also had a link to a great website called “Skin Deep” that has a database of almost every hair care, lotion, perfume, makeup and skin product you could think of. The database rates each product on a scale of 0 – 10, zero being the safest, and 10 being directly related to cancer. Imagine my horror when I learned two of the three products I use on my hair were rated 6 out of 10!
I’m not overly concerned about getting cancer. Prayer, fasting and a life dedicated to God have tremendous preventative effects that go beyond medical research and doctors’ orders. Besides smoking, casual sex and doing drugs, anything done in moderation is healthy, whether it’s getting your hair permed or eating red meat. What does concern me, however, is how my hair is reacting to all the chemicals I expose it to. I use minimal products (shampoo, leave in conditioner and jojoba oil, and a perm once every 3-4 months…that’s IT), yet my scalp is always dry and itchy, my hairline seems like it’s receding, and what were once strong, thick strands are now brittle and thinner. I’ve changed my products at least three times, and the ones I currently use are having the best results, but even with that, my hair is just not doing what I want it to do.
Before I got married, my hair was natural for over seven years! It was thick, healthy, shiny and I loved it! I permed it because my husband really wanted me to have straight hair for our wedding. I should have gone with my first mind to get it straightened and then go back to the natural the next time I washed it. But no….I had to be a people-pleaser and get it permed! Here I am, almost five years later, learning that my gut instinct was correct, and I should have listened to it!
Either way, when you know better, you do better. Whether it means I’m going to have to start purchasing more expensive organic products or get sister locks just the fact that my hair will be more full and healthy makes either option worth it.
In the end, I’ll have to quote my man King Solomon once again: “Wisdom and money can get you almost anything, but only wisdom can save your life.”
God bless!
~ Harriet
Harriet is a hilariously joyful married woman who resides in northeast Louisiana with her husband who is a restaurant manager. She works for a local University and along with her husband is the proud parent of a 3 year old son and a 10 year old stepson (who lives in NC).
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