Let's be real for a minute. For so many of us, relaxers weren't just a style choice; they were a part of life. A way to manage our hair in a world that often didn't understand it. Maybe it was about ease, or time, or fitting into a certain standard. We've tolerated the scalp burns, the broken hair, the "just a few more minutes" of processing time, telling ourselves it was the price for having "manageable" hair.
But what if the price was much, much higher than we ever imagined?
What if the damage wasn't just on your scalp, but deep within your body, affecting your hormones, your reproductive health, and your long-term well-being? As a functional medicine trichologist, it's my job to look at the whole picture. And the picture the research paints about relaxers is one we can no longer ignore.
This is Bigger Than Breakage: What the Science Reveals
This isn't about fear-mongering. This is about data. As a board-certified professional, I have access to and regularly review studies from institutions like the NIH and publications in leading medical journals. The findings are consistent and alarming.
The chemicals in relaxing - that is to say, lye and no-lye type with strong alkalizing agent such as sodium hydroxide, have been associated in peer-reviewed studies to:
-
Uterine Fibroids: The research indicates that black women are 2-3 times more likely to develop fibroids and the use of chemical relaxers is identified as a major environmental factor contributing to this.
-
Early Puberty (Premature Menarche): The endocrine-disrupting chemicals can interfere with normal hormonal development in young Black girls.
-
Reproductive Harm & Infertility: The pollutants in your body can infiltrate and stay there, thus they may be the reason for your reproductive ability to be lowered.
And here's the part that makes me angry: The FDA doesn't even regulate these products. They're allowed to contain known carcinogens and endocrine disruptors with little to no oversight. We are essentially conducting a long-term, uncontrolled experiment on our own bodies.
How a Scalp Burn Becomes a Systemic Problem
You might be thinking, "I'm just putting it on my hair." But your scalp is one of the most absorbent parts of your entire body. Here’s a visual of what actually happens:
-
The Burn: The relaxer uses your body heat to activate. That burning sensation is a chemical burn that breaks down your hair's disulfide bonds and causes immediate inflammation on your scalp.
-
The Seepage: Due to inflammation, the chemicals seep through your scorched scalp follicles and directly into your bloodstream.
-
The Journey: Once in your blood, these toxins travel through your lymphatic system and wreak havoc along the way. They disturb the endocrine function and are deposited in fatty tissues, including reproductive organs.
-
The Fallout: Your body then tries to process and eliminate these poisons and forces them out through your liver and kidneys. This is how they cause such a damage to your reproductive and hormonal systems over time.
This isn't a one-time event. It's a repeated assault, retouch after retouch, year after year.
The Hair Damage You Can't "Fix" with a Deep Conditioner
On the surface, we see the hair thinning, the breakage, the inability to hold length. But that's just the visible symptom. The relaxer permanently alters the very structure of your hair shaft, making it weaker and more prone to splitting.
It also chronically inflames the scalp, which is a primary driver of scarring alopecias like CCCA. We see this heartbreaking pattern all too often in our Atlanta practice: years of relaxers leading to permanent, irreversible hair loss. You can't deep-condition away scar tissue.
So, What Are Your Real Alternatives?
We hear the reasons for relaxing loud and clear. "Natural hair is too much work." "The humidity ruins my hair." I get it. But your health has to be the priority. The good news is, there are healthier ways to achieve the style you want.
-
Keratin Smoothing Treatments (The Safer Kind): Look for formulas that don’t have formaldehyde and other harsh chemicals in them at all.
-
Professional Blow-Outs: A skilled stylist can use tension and heat to give you a sleek, straight look that lasts until your next wash day, without any chemicals.
-
Transitioning Support: If you're ready to go natural, we create scalp and hair wellness protocols to manage the transition, reduce breakage and support healthy regrowth.
Straight hair should never, ever come at the cost of your health.
Ready to Assess the Impact and Start Healing?
If you have any kind of concerns about the effects of relaxers on your body, book your Hair Therapy Evaluation with us for just $99 and we’ll get you real answers. We'll evaluate your scalp health, discuss your history and create a personalized plan to restore your vitality.
