By Joe Fantini May 8, 2024

Chemical hair relaxers are common for women with wavy or curly hair to achieve temporary straightness. Black and Hispanic women are more likely than people of other races or ethnicities to use chemical hair straighteners. 

If you’ve experienced difficulty getting pregnant or carrying to term because of exposure to chemical relaxers, you may have grounds to file a lawsuit for damages against the manufacturer. A personal injury lawyer can tell you for certain whether you have a case.

Chemical Hair Relaxers and Infertility Risk

The Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) examined the connection between chemical hair relaxers and problems getting pregnant. Their study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, noted that regular use of chemical hair relaxers and the experience of scalp burns from their chemicals lowered fertility rates.

Beauty Products Are Increasingly Linked to Health Problems

Did you know that the full set of ingredients is rarely indicated on the product label of many of the most popular chemical hair relaxers? Common ingredients in hair straighteners, relaxers, or permanent wave chemicals solutions, like Phthalates, phenols, and parabens, may impact a woman’s ability to become pregnant.

The BUSPH-based pregnancy study online (PRESTO) has followed participants since 2013. It identifies different beauty products that adversely affect users.

Who Is Affected by Toxic Chemical Hair Relaxers?

Black women professionals tend to use chemical relaxers more than others in their demographic. It is possible that they do so to achieve a more Euro-centric standard of beauty or presentation. 

Some business environments may have very conservative dress codes and may not permit certain hairstyles, like afros, dreadlocks, or braids, which means that female employees may either wear hair pieces or chemically straighten their hair.

Although it’s rare for a company to mandate that women have straight hair as part of the dress code, some professional women may feel pressured to conform to a specific aesthetic. As a result, these women may use hair relaxers more than women employed by less conservative industries or companies.

Your Legal Options if You Have Been Exposed to Toxic Hair Relaxers

You may be wondering if the major personal care companies can be held accountable for releasing dangerous products for consumer use. If you’re angry and want justice, you aren’t alone. 

When many people are injured in the same manner by the same type of defective consumer product, they often combine their lawsuits into a single larger one. This is called a class-action lawsuit. In a class-action suit, the plaintiffs’ attorneys work together to share resources and evidence to build stronger cases together than they could alone. 

Thus far, four class-action lawsuits have been filed against several prominent hair relaxer manufacturers, specifically Revlon and L’oreal. Suits are pending trial in the Western District of Missouri, the Eastern District of Michigan, the Northern District of Ohio, and the Eastern District of Louisiana.

You may join one of these suits if you believe you have a case. The plaintiffs seek economic damages against the manufacturers, such as the cost of fertility treatments or medical care for scalp burns. They are also eligible for non-economic damages, like the pain and suffering and emotional trauma of multiple failed pregnancies.

How Can You Get Help After Toxic Hair Relaxer Exposure?

Are you struggling to conceive and have consistently used chemical hair straightening products? If so, you may be able to file a suit against the manufacturer for damages.

Not everyone will be eligible for an individual lawsuit or to participate in a class-action suit. For that reason, it’s best to speak with a personal injury lawyer who handles these types of cases as soon as possible to determine whether you qualify.