A cellular pathologist and lifestyle wellness consultant, Professor Agyeman Badu Akosa has maintained that women who use hair relaxer creams on their hair stand a higher risk of developing fibroid and cancers of the female genital tract which can lead to infertility.
According to the Professor, these hair straightening creams contain Endocrine-Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) that jeopardizes the system, including hormones, oestrogen, projections, and follicles.
“I am not a beautician, but I can tell you that a lot of the fibroids we are getting are as a result of these straightening creams women have been using. What is risky is that these straightening products are applied to the hair of children. You may want your daughter to look good, but the end result is devastating. Fibroids in the Black race continue to grow among African women or women of African descent over the years. At age 25, a lot of women are getting fibroids, and that is a cause for worry,” he stated in an interview with The Mirror.
“Some haircare products which contain EDCs are hair lotions and relaxers. EDCs can also disrupt different hormones in both men and women, which is why they have been linked to numerous adverse human health outcomes, including alterations in sperm quality and fertility, abnormalities in sex organs, endometriosis, fibroids, early puberty, altered nervous system function, immune function, certain cancers, respiratory problems, metabolic issues, diabetes, obesity, cardiovascular problems, growth, neurological and learning disabilities,” he added.
He also expressed worry at how some African women apply these harsh straightening creams to their hair adding that the natural hair is effortlessly beautiful.
“Somehow, all Africans have come to accept that our natural hair is not beautiful. Most Africans or women of African descent have had to apply straightening creams to their natural hair to straighten it up and that is dangerous because these creams are harsh. In Ghana, we are also putting together some data that makes these revelations, and very soon, this will be out. But the findings are not different from the impact it has on all Black women,” he emphasized.
Prior to this development, several stakeholders in the cosmetology industry has bemoaned the wrong application of hair creams and lotions adding that it tends to affect the scalp of users, which could lead to brain damages and total loss of hair.
