Home » Hair Straightener Lawsuit

Hair Straightener Lawsuit

A growing number of scientific studies have found that many popular hair straightener and hair relaxer products contain toxic substances linked to the development of cancer and other serious health problems, including:

• Uterine Cancer (Endometrial Cancer or Uterine Sarcoma)
• Breast Cancer
• Ovarian
• Uterine fibroids
• Endometriosis
• Infertility

If you or a loved one experienced any of the above issues following long-term use of a hair relaxer or straightening product, you might be able to recover compensation for your medical bills, pain and suffering, and other related damages by filing a hair straightener lawsuit against the companies responsible for manufacturing and marketing these products.

Contact a Hair Straightener Cancer Lawyer Today

Our attorneys are investigating popular hair straighteners for alleged links to cancer and other health ailments, including those marketed under the brand names:

• Dark & Lovely
• Just for Me
• Motions
• Olive Oil Relaxer
• Optimum
• Organic Root Stimulator
• Soft & Beautiful

If you’re interested in filing a hair straightener lawsuit, please fill out our online form or call (888) 994-5118 to schedule your free, no-obligation case review.

Chemical Hair Straighteners: What’s the Problem?

For generations, some Black women have relied on chemical hair straighteners and relaxers to meet a Eurocentric standard of beauty imposed by a White-dominated society. However, a growing body of research suggests this practice likely proved harmful to the health of many.

Most recently, for example, the authors of a study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute warned that ingredients used in hair relaxers might cause uterine cancer. Their research revealed that women who routinely used chemical hair relaxers were nearly 3x more likely to have developed uterine cancer by age 70 than those who had never used them.

Another study published in the International Journal of Cancer (IJC) reported that women who used hair relaxers at least every five to eight weeks had a 30% increased risk of developing breast cancer. A third published in the journal Carcinogenesis linked certain hair products, including straighteners and relaxers, to an increased risk of ovarian cancer.

Black Women May Face Greatest Risk from Hair Straighteners

This research also raises significant concerns for Black women.

For example, while the authors of the study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute did not find a direct correlation between chemical hair straighteners and race, they did note that Black women faced an increased risk of uterine cancer due to higher use of the products. In fact, while they comprised only 7.4% of the study’s subjects, Black women accounted for 60% of those who reported using straighteners in the previous year.

“Because Black women use hair straightening or relaxer products more frequently, and tend to initiate use at earlier ages than other races and ethnicities, these findings may be even more relevant for them,” said Che-Jung, Ph.D., co-author and a research fellow at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences.

What to Know About Hair Straightener Lawsuits

One day after that study’s publication, a Missouri woman filed suit alleging the hair straighteners she had used since high school were responsible for her uterine cancer diagnosis at the young age of 28.

Her complaint alleges that the defendants, including L’Oréal, SoftSheen Carson, Strength of Nature, Dabur, and Namaste Laboratories, knew, or should have known, that their hair straightening products increased the risk of cancer but manufactured and distributed them anyway while failing to warn consumers of their potential risks.

The lawsuit further alleges that the companies misrepresented their products as safe. For example, the complaint notes that Strength of Nature, which markets Soft & Beautiful, sold hair straightener products using descriptions such as “botanicals” and “ultra-nourishing.”

Since that lawsuit was filed, numerous women have come forward with similar claims, and many will likely choose to file hair straightener lawsuits of their own. Considering the widespread use of these products, especially among Black women, the litigation could eventually come to include hundreds – if not thousands – of similar claims.

Why File a Hair Relaxer Lawsuit?

A cancer diagnosis is always devastating, but even more so when one must live with the knowledge that their illness could have been prevented had they only been provided with adequate information and warnings.

If plaintiffs in hair straightener lawsuits successfully prove their allegations in court, they will likely be awarded compensation for their injury-related damages, including:

• Past and future medical bills
• Loss of income and future earning capacity
• Physical pain and suffering
• Emotional trauma
• Disability
• Inability to perform daily activities
• Loss of enjoyment of life
• Loss of consortium (for spouse)

While no amount of compensation can make up for the pain and suffering inflicted on those who allegedly developed cancer due to their use of chemical hair straighteners, legal action may be the only way to hold the manufacturers of these products accountable and prevent similar harm to others in the future.

Schedule Your Free Hair Straightener Lawsuit Consult Today

To learn if you qualify to file a hair straightener lawsuit, please fill out our online form or call our office today at (888) 994-5118.

The consultation is free, and because we represent all of our clients on contingency, you won’t pay any legal fees unless your case is successful and our attorneys recover compensation on your behalf.