Relaxed Hair: The Dangerous Cost of Chemically Straightened Hair
Many of our first experiences with relaxers weren’t on ourselves but rather, our mothers who in their pursuit for beauty, slathered the “creamy crack” (another term for a relaxer due to the repetitive nature of the application) upon their hair. But what are the side effects of such, and how can we avoid it?
When you relax your hair, it loses its elastic structure and becomes very fragile and brittle. As stated from Narisse Monkam’s Colonised Hair, Decolonised Mind, “It increases your scalp’s sensitivity, leading to severe irritation, burns, scarring and sometimes permanent hair loss”. Narisse herself even ceased applying relaxers to her client’s hair, after becoming aware of the severe consequences and illnesses (fibroids, uterine cancer etc.) that arose from such.
Now for the prevention: Relaxer use tends to stem from a want to permanently attain straight hair – which we can remedy with self-love and acceptance. However, if one still wishes to achieve a temporarily stretched hair state, there are alternatives as listed within Narisse’s book, which are: “Twists, blow-dry, single plaits, using wool and silk press”. With all of these various choices, relaxers will become a thing of the past which will lead to a happier and healthier you.
