Going Deeper on Hair Relaxers

Addressing the Deeper Issue Beyond Safer Hair Relaxers: Combating Racism in Beauty Standards

I'm cross-posting here from my Cosmetic Chemistry Blog on Medium, relevant to our work here at CBAN.

Unsafe hair relaxers exist in the larger social context of cultural beauty standards, and they reflect how the white European focus of the beauty industry influences and impacts women of color.

In the post I discuss Amanda Joy Calhoun’s recent article “Hair Relaxers Will Be Safer without Formaldehyde, but It’s Just a Start”. The article sheds light on a crucial health and social issue: the use of formaldehyde in hair relaxers and its impact on Black women’s health. The article resonates with me, both for its focus on the physical dangers of certain beauty products and for highlighting the deep-rooted racial biases influencing beauty standards.

Check out Calhoun's article and the story behind my Medium blog here, and let me know what you think about this important issue!