EASY WAY #3
Know About Safe Hair Products
Use Safe (low estrogen) Hair Products
Women whose mothers used high estrogen hair and body products when they were in utero, along with children and teens who use these products, may face higher risks of developing breast cancer in their 20’s 30’s and 40’s. The majority of younger women who develop invasive breast cancer are diagnosed with estrogen negative types of breast cancer, considered to be more advanced that estrogen positive diagnoses and usually more aggressive or faster growing than estrogen negative tumors. (e.g. triple negative or HER2+)
There is very little research data available on this subject; However, we have tried to compile existing information so that you can make your own common sense decisions when it comes to the products you rub into your hair, scalp and skin.
Are Your Hair Products Safe?
To see if your hair care products or other body care/cosmetics contain high amounts of animal or chemical estrogens and/or other toxic substances that can increase your breast cancer risk, visit the cosmetic safety database and enter in the name of any product to see how each it's rated for cancer risk.
Hair Products and African American Women
African American women and other women with ethnic hair have a higher incidence of aggressive breast cancer and higher mortality rates than other women. Studies show that the hair straightening products typically used by black women could be part of the problem.
In a survey on naturallycurly.com, 56% of respondents said they don't think America is ready for a First Lady with an Afro. But what if processed hair raises a woman’s risk of developing breast cancer? Why Michelle Obama’s Hair Matters
Read more about Breast Cancer and African American women.
Find out if the skin care and cosmetics you use are safe
To see if your cosmetics are safe, visit the cosmetic safety database and enter in any product to see how your skin care and cosmetics products are rated for cancer risk.
Safe Hair Products Resources
Articles
Summer 2009, Sistersong.net — The Health Repercussions of Chemical Hair Products for Black Women
Research
Personal care products that contain estrogens or xenoestrogens may increase breast cancer risk — Medical Hypotheses, Volume 68, Issue 4, Pages 756-766
Download PDF of Report
The Girl Disrupted Report — The 2008 Women's Reproductive Health and the Environment Workshop, created Girl, Disrupted: Hormone Disruptors and Women's Reproductive Health. The report translates the science from the workshop into understandable language, and summarizes critical research gaps highlighted by the workshop participants.
Download the Girl Disrupted Report (PDF)
Movies
"My Nappy ROOTS" — Award winning documentary on Black hair.
"Good Hair" — Chris Rock's 2009 documentary
Black Feminist Review of Chris Rock's documentary "Good Hair"
"Black Bold and Beautiful: Black Women's Hair"
Hair Piece: A Film for Nappy-Headed People: by Ayoka Chenzira