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What is Hair Relaxing?
Now that there is a prominent hair relaxer cancer lawsuit, what is a hair relaxer? A hair relaxer is a chemical lotion or cream, applied to the scalp, to chemically straighten curly or coily hair. Designed to straighten a curl pattern, relaxers break down the bonds in the hair shaft at the cuticle or cortex layer. To maintain straight hair, a touch up at the roots is usually necessary every six to eight weeks.
Two types of relaxers have dominated the market: lye-based and no-lye. Lye-based relaxers, with sodium hydroxide, are the stronger formulation, and are generally used by professionals. Milder no-lye kits, with calcium hydroxide or potassium hydroxide, are generally used at home.
Relaxer products are marketed primarily to Black women, who have hair that typically curls tightly into “kinks” or “naps.” Relaxers are sometimes referred to as “perms” in the Black community (they are the opposite of a “perm” for straight hair, which is designed to create curls, waves or textures).
Since the late nineteenth century, many Black women have used chemicals or heated tools to “relax” their hair. A 2022 study found that 89% of Black women have used relaxers or straighteners on their hair. Studies suggest that many factors play into a Black woman’s decision to straighten her hair. Straight hair has been viewed as a sign of professionalism or sophistication. A 2020 Michigan State study found that 80% of Black women consider it essential to social and economic success. A 2020 Duke study found that women with natural hairstyles are less likely to get job interviews.
In the past decade, society has increasingly embraced curls and natural hair, reducing relaxer use. Recent legislation has supported the natural hair movement. CROWN Act legislation (Creating A Respectful And Open World For Natural Hair) was first introduced in 2019 in California, prohibiting race-based hair discrimination, allowing natural hair in the workplace and schools. Other states, including New York, Washington, Virginia, Maryland, New Jersey and Colorado have enacted similar laws.
Who Makes Hair Relaxers?
In 1902, Annie Malone, influenced by an aunt who was an herbalist, created a hair straightening recipe for afro-textured hair. Sarah Breedlove, aka Madam C.J. Walker, began using Malone’s hair products soon after. Madam Walker’s Wonderful Hair Grower made her a millionaire and created the channels to sell hair products to the African American community.
Garrett Augustus Morgan invented many things, including the automatic traffic signal and the gas mask. He also discovered the first hair straightening solution. The story, as passed on by his granddaughters, is that he was trying to protect fabric from the heat of a sewing machine needle. When he wiped one of the chemicals off his hands, it completely straightened the wavy fibers in a woolen fabric. He went on to straighten his neighbor’s dog’s fur, then his own hair. In 1913, he organized the G. A. Morgan Hair Refining Co., to sell the cream he developed.
George E. Johnson released Ultra Wave, the first “no-lye” relaxer, for men in 1956. He went on to launch Ultra Sheen for women in 1957. Dark & Lovely, founded in 1972 specifically for Black women, was the first company to launch a non-lye relaxer.
Since then, “creamy crack” (slang often used by the Black community to describe relaxers) has grown in to a large business. L’Oreal acquired Dark & Lovely in 1998. Sales peaked around 2011, when chemical relaxer sales to hair professionals reached $71 million. In 2021, they had fallen to $30 million, as the natural hair movement took hold among younger Black women. In 2021, post-pandemic, relaxed styles made a comeback.
