Protective braided hairstyles are a core part of the Black experience, especially for Black women. It also incorporates extra hair, like synthetic braiding hair, to complete the job. Whether you’re the braider or the braidee, each look requires an intricate level of skill, a hefty investment, and lots of time.
For many, synthetic braiding hair is an affordable and accessible alternative to human hair, but a recent study by Consumer Reports revealed synthetic braiding hair from 10 popular products across the United States—including those from popular brands such as Magic Fingers, Sassy Collection, Sensationnel, and Shake-N-Go—contain known and probable carcinogenic chemicals, which can lead to cancer and and in some cases central nerve damage. Additionally, Iead was found in nine of the ten products studied.
Some of the brands named in the report have responded to Consumer Reports’ requests for comments. Magic Fingers and Sensationnel contested the study’s methodology. In their respective responses to Consumer Reports, Magic Fingers said their products “meet [customers’] highest expectations for fashion and performance” while Sensationnel said they “were extremely surprised” by the information in the report and “unequivocally stand by the safety of Sensationnel products, and our company urges consumers to continue to confidently use Sensationnel products.”
Naturally, reactions to the report incited a divide—but “there’s power in knowledge,” according to Los Angeles-based environment expert and Consumer Reports ambassador Leah Thomas. “I want people to be aware, but I also don’t want to cause panic or anything, especially because braids are so culturally significant,” she tells Teen Vogue. “It’s an interesting predicament that we're in with no perfect solution,” she adds, as there are currently no federal limits or legislation in place to regulate lead in braiding hair.
Ahead, Teen Vogue spoke to Thomas about the new report to learn more about how she got involved, why the cause is important to her, her takes on the report, and more.
Leah Thomas: I studied environmental science and policy when I was in school. I worked for actress Kimberly Elise when I was a sophomore in college as she’s really passionate about natural hair. I wrote for her blog and eventually, I started to unpack all things natural hair products and cosmetics. When I graduated, I worked at Earthly Wellness, a company that specializes in products like soaps and dish detergents.
I’m passionate about making sure people have access to products that are good for the planet and their bodies. I also focus on environmental justice, specifically how Black and brown communities are often more impacted by environmental hazards. I found this intersection in the beauty industry as it affects Black women especially.
I locked my hair in 2021. Part of that was because I was getting my hair braided all the time. I still braid my hair over my locks—I was inspired by Chloe and Halle Bailey and how they do their hair. When it comes to my environmental journey, I also started looking at “green beauty” and what I was putting on my face and hair. In addition, my grandma was diagnosed with cancer. She’s fine now, but when she was diagnosed, my family reflected a lot on what we were [consuming] out of worry.
LT: I received an email from Consumer Reports about the study. At first, I didn’t even respond because I thought it was fake. But they sent it over to my team and actually, they wanted to present this report to me and other Black scientists. I didn’t know what to expect, but when I went, it was really an incredible experience. Dr. Raven the Science Maven, along with other Black chemists, walked us through what the report was. It felt like a historic moment because we finally have data to acknowledge this.
LT: A lot of comments I received [about the report] were like, “We already knew this.” But there’s so much medical racism in the healthcare industry, and our stories, Black women especially, are not believed.
LT: I read a review of someone testing non-toxic braiding hair and they mentioned that dye was getting on their braider’s fingers, the hair felt stiff, and a style that would normally take six hours took 10 hours. The technology has to catch up to what we currently have.
It’s also incredibly expensive right now, like some braiding hair runs $3 to $9 a pack while other alternatives would be priced similarly to real human hair. I don’t know which one’s better or worse, but I assume there are less risks involved in terms of toxic chemicals with human hair because you can easily wash it or any of its coatings.
Overall, the biggest cons are price, accessibility, and not having an immediate solution to opt for. Braids are such a big part of our culture. Since this information is released, it would be great to have a cost-comparable alternative, but we don’t have that right now.
LT: Ingestion is important to note. People would be surprised how much of their hair they’re actually ingesting especially if it’s sitting anywhere near your face. Even if you’re not twiddling your hair and chewing on it, there are a lot of children specifically who are more vulnerable to getting hair in their mouths. It’s not even ingestion in terms of eating and swallowing the hair and letting it metabolize. What if you accidentally get some braiding hair in your mouth? Those are the different scenarios that people might experience and are all important for different reasons.
LT: I’m really concerned about them being exposed to [volatile organic compounds] so often. That might be helpful. If you can, take pauses between having braids to prevent repeated exposure.
LT: We don’t usually get studies like this. The fact that so much care was put into this seemingly niche thing that’s also prevalent in the Black community from an organization of that scope feels like we’re being looked out for. That's why it’s important to have Black folks in the lab and across STEM because those are the people who are sitting and wondering about these things. It could potentially change the haircare industry for all of us so that it’s safer.
LT: Some of these brands unfortunately have no contact number on the back of their products to even make complaints. Again, there are some Black-owned brands and I think the more that we, as consumers, can drive up demand for these brands using non-toxic chemicals, the more we can get those prices down to be comparable.
Another next step would be to survey Black women who may have had damage to their central nervous system, acute myeloid leukemia, and other illnesses—or if there are more complaints surrounding irritation, rashes, or itchiness with their braiding hair. If we’re able to record some of that data, that would help with next steps.
LT: For me, the most important thing about this report is that our worries and experiences as Black women deserve the same level of research and inquiry as our white counterparts. Call it systemic racism, environmental racism, beauty racism—I don't know. But I think this definitely falls under that category and we deserve protection. This issue can’t be ignored any longer, and hopefully, this data can be a pathway towards accountability.
This interview has been edited and condensed for clarity.
