THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER AND SYNTHETIC HAIR

For years, Chioma Opara thought the itching was normal. Like many Black girls around the world, she had grown up wearing her natural hair in a variety of styles: canerows that manipulated her thick, coiled hair texture into intricate, overlapping lines; afro puffs that maximised its volume; and – what would later reveal itself as the source of the discomfort – braided extensions using synthetic hair.

“When I was a kid I would always be patting my head or scratching it. Everyone did it. I was a kid and my parents didn’t know any better – we were just doing ‘protective styles,’” she says, referencing the term used to describe hairstyles thought to be kind to or “protect” afro hair textures.

“I’ve had reactions all my life. I have sensitive skin, it’s kind of part of the battle, unfortunately,” says Chioma, now 32, a creative facilitator of workshops for young people in London. As she got older, it became clearer that her sensitive skin wasn’t necessarily the root of the irritation; other people were having the same problems.

In March, a US consumer non-profit, Consumer Reports, released a report revealing that all 10 of the most popular synthetic hair brands contained carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals), confirming suspicions many Black women had held for years.

The report also found that nine of the 10 hair brands contained dangerously high levels of lead, which has been linked over time to serious health issues including brain and nervous system damage and reproductive problems.

Dr James E Rogers, who led the tests, said he was inspired to investigate by his daughters, who have worn many of the same brands tested. Despite the findings, the US Food and Drug Administration does not currently regulate synthetic hair products. In the UK, oversight of the industry is similarly lacking.

When Chioma thinks back to her worst encounters with synthetic hair, one experience in 2022 stands out. She’d booked an appointment with her hairdresser for faux locs – a style created by blending synthetic, pre-formed dreadlocks with natural hair, often worn for up to a month. Hoping to avoid irritation, she “made sure to wash all of them using apple cider vinegar because that’s what had been shared in the natural hair and Black community in general.”

Chioma took out £100 in cash – money that was scarce at the time, but felt almost worth it given the style’s supposed four-week longevity – and brought the hair to her stylist, hopeful she’d avoided a reaction.

“Unfortunately, the hairdresser, who didn’t do her job well, used all of the hair and insisted we needed more packs.” Chioma dashed to the local beauty supply store, picked up a few more unwashed bundles, and quietly began to worry about what using it would do to her skin.

“It was getting heavier and heavier – she said she wanted to make [the hair] really full. Not only was it too tight on my scalp, but by the time I left, I was like, this doesn’t feel right. The hair was irritating the skin at the back of my neck and had already caused a rash.

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“It was so aggravating and uncomfortable. I felt really hot and the skin on my scalp was going red as well. I didn’t bother going to the GP. I knew something just wasn’t working out and I just took it out within a week-and-a-half.”

In the more than 70 years since the invention of synthetic hair, stylists have incorporated it into black haircare around the world. Most notably in 1957, when kanekalon – a vinyl chloride and acrylonitrile fibre also known as modacrylic – was launched by the Japanese company Kaneka. Initially used for wigs, it became the leading brand for braiding hair: silky, pre-packaged tresses designed to be plaited into or blended with natural hair.

It wasn’t until the early 2000s, with the rise of blogs, YouTube, and social media, that demand for education about haircare within Black communities truly grew. Suddenly, information about product safety, home remedies and best practice became widely accessible.

Seasoned stylists and natural hair enthusiasts began sharing advice on how common itching, breakouts, and adverse reactions to synthetic hair really were, and what to do about it – like rinsing pre-packaged hair in apple cider vinegar, witch hazel or shampoo.

Those who had long used chemically straightened or “relaxed” hair – often because afro-textured styles had been rendered socially undesirable – began to embrace their curls.

Concern hasn’t been just about physical health. The most popular forms of braiding hair are non-biodegradable, and the manufacturing process has a significant carbon footprint. Hairdressers and independent braiders may also be at risk from handling large volumes of synthetic hair- an issue Dr Rogers says is now part of his ongoing research.

However, Kemi Oloyede, a scientist studying chemical contaminants and environmental health at Imperial College, says the Consumer Reports dataset was small and warns against jumping to conclusions.

“Unfortunately we’ve seen people stating that synthetic hair causes cancer and all these diseases when there is no conclusive evidence or research to suggest that yet.

“We don’t necessarily know that the release of these harmful compounds have a direct impact on human health. The only sort of assessed information that we’ve been given acknowledges that it’s there.” More research is needed, she says.

Oloyede adds that the potential environmental harms also deserve attention. “One of the main issues with synthetic hair is that it comprises many different polymers. For instance, it has things like PVC, polyester, polyethylene – .all of which are also included in single-use plastic and general plastic packaging.

“In terms of trying to regulate synthetic hair use and potentially recycle it, how do we separate these plastics? How do we process it?” She notes that microplastics can enter the food chain and may also affect human health.

Cancer Research UK, too, is cautious about overstating the health risks. “There is no evidence that using synthetic hair increases people’s risk of cancer,” says Sophia Lowes, senior health information manager. “You don’t need to worry about cancer risk when making decisions about whether or not to use synthetic hair. But there are proven ways to reduce your risk, such as not smoking, keeping a healthy weight, cutting down on alcohol and staying safe in the sun.”

The debate feeds into broader suspicions about negligence in beauty and health when it comes to products targeted at Black women. Earlier this year, a US report from the Environmental Working Group found that more than 3,000 beauty products marketed to Black women contained “moderate or high hazard products” ingredients.

A smaller 2021 study from Queen’s University Belfast also found hormone-disrupting chemicals in Black hair care products – adding to growing evidence linking personal care products with racial disparities in reproductive health, cancer risk, and developmental timing.

Some Black women have begun opting out of synthetic hair altogether, in part due to the Consumer Reports study. Others remain sceptical. On platforms like TikTok, conspiracy theories have circulated suggesting the research itself is an attempt to mislead Black women and disrupt long-held beauty practices.

Dr Rogers’s advice: be aware. “We don’t recommend stop using the products because we know they are important culturally,” he says. “What we do say is be aware that there is a potential problem with these products.”

He also recommends reducing the time between braiding sessions.

In response to the growing concerns, alternative brands are beginning to emerge. US-based Rebundle, and British companies Ruka Hair and Kynd Hair, now offer biodegradable, plant-based options promising itch-free, eco-friendly wear.

Chioma says: “The study didn’t change my mixed feelings about using [it] because I’ve previously read similar research and users’ experiences. It’s why I’m growing my hair out. I want it long enough to hold protective styles without needing extension hair. I would like to try human hair extensions or plant-based synthetic hair, especially if they reduce in pricing or my finances stabilise and allow me to afford them regularly.”

Whichever side of the divide you fall on, one thing is clear: there aren’t nearly enough experts looking into what could be a global problem. If consumers of products like these can’t trust vendors that claim to cater to them – or the regulators meant to protect them – then who, really, can they trust.

2025-04-26T05:23:19Z