BBCBraids are one of the most popular hairstyles for black women, which are wore both celebrities and aunts – but questions are asked about their effects on our health.
The process can last for up to five hours as designers are part of small sections of hair, and gradually add accessories.
Despite the long salon visits, the braids were always closely related to me.
They grew up, they were for holidays, because the style means that instead of worrying about how attractive my hair was, I could jump in the pool without any concern.
The braids are still what I go now when I want to break a few months of every individual – or I want to try a new color without the possible damage to the hair dye.
Chelsea CotsBut a new study indicates that the artificial hair that many black women use to achieve this style may be bad for their health.
Non -profit consumer reports in the United States tested samples of ten of the most popular brands of artificial cavity, and they were all found cancer, and in some cases, bullets.
The search was an effect, like Instagram feeding WhatsApp groups were immersed with links to study, a warning of the alleged risks hidden in our poetry.
One of my cousins was Rocheil, who rises her herself every month.
She later told me: “The famous braids are called a preventive style.”
It is a term that is usually used to describe many Afro hair styles, including braids, ponds and browsers, which reduce the amount of your hair exposure to the elements and reduce continuous design.
“The fact that this style does everything but protects us – it actually harms us – it is actually very brutal to me.”
She adds that awareness among black women is the most disturbing.
“People who eat unhealthy food or smoking, and they know that what they do can harm their bodies, while if you put braids in your hair, you do not think that they hurt you.”
James Rogers, head of the product safety test in consumer reports, says the results are a cause of concern because women are “continuous contacts” with harmful chemicals if their hair is in braids, and often for several months at the same time.
“We believe that whenever you are exposed to harmful chemicals, it will be cumulative – all of this adds.”
But he also stressed that more research is needed, saying: “We hope this will start in the conversation, not only at the organizational level, but also among our societies, about sharing accurate information.”
Here in the Josée’s Professional Braiding Studio Studio in North London, the study certainly does not postpone customers.
Jose and her daughters, Abeel and Naomi, who work with her in the salon, witnessed interest from new clients, especially after that They have helped create a wig that Illaba wore at the wickedOne of the highest awe films for 2024.
“People were shocked by our diversity with our cavity,” Abeel told me, adding that her mother received several messages from the clients who tell them the extent of their pride.
Jose says that although the results are “worrying”, the work was as usual in the salon.
Some of its customers, however, were shook by the research.
It is the first time that Kelly Ann has completed her braids in the Jose Salon, but she has been wearing the style since she was a child.
She told me that she felt betrayed after reading the study: “I think it is shining that companies will do so for years for black women and I think we deserve better.”
She is now seeking to obtain brands free from harmful chemicals and plastic – and she says many of her friends do the same.
“Many women who spoke to them have agreed that Biogradable will be better – it’s a good thing for the planet too.”
IFEANYI has also wore braids since childhood, and she says it is easier and most convenient in dealing with her while she is busy studying at the university.
It argues that the study is not worrying, noting that people may contact cancer every day, in Some processed foods, alcohol and tobacco.
“Obviously, you want to be careful – I just think it’s not necessarily something to completely abandon style or hair.”
She is concerned that the social media publications that she saw “frighten people from the desire to participate”, at the expense of a decisive source of income for black businessmen who work in the poetry industry.
In 2021 Treasure TresAnd the UK -based plastic subscription in Black Hair found that the British women spent 168 million pounds annually on hair products. Previous research before L’Oréal He suggested that black women in the United Kingdom spend more times on their hair more than white women.
“I would like to see more commitment to ensure that things are safer for us, instead of telling us that some of our traditional historical practices like black women are wrong,” says ifynyi.
Thanks to the heartFor some, changing positions towards artificial hair opens job opportunities.
Tendai moyo participated in the founding of RUKA hair in 2021, a specialist in extensions made of natural exported hair from Southeast Asia, as well as decomposing artificial hair, made of collagen fibers.
She told me that they saw a “significant rise in demand”, especially in the United States, where the study was published.
But she sees this as part of a wider direction, extending beyond the fears raised by the new research.
“We fired at the epidemic, and people were like,” Oh, but the salons are closed, “but we were selling because people did not stop their hair.”
She told me that black women “got a” experience “more than their hair during the closure and were more willing to try new products.
However, one of the largest clouds of traditional brands of artificial hair is its low price, which made the experience of different patterns and colors at reasonable prices for years.
But the latest brands tend to get a higher price point – TENDAI tells me that the most popular artificial hair type in RUKA costs about 2.5 times more than many high -street brands.
IFEANYI says that, as a student, brands like Ruka are far -reaching for her: “Buying hair is equivalent to the amount that will cost you to achieve the hairstyle, so you mainly double the price.”
Tendai defends this by comparing it to the choice between “fast food and healthy food.”
“You can already reuse our products if you want it, so you save money this way,” she added.
Returning to the Jose Salon, Naomi tells me that the cavity is not just an important source of income, but it is a valuable cultural practice that brings her family together.
She tells me to tell me how her family will relate to the skill when her mother looks proudly.
“It is an empowerment service to provide,” she added, saying that it is a pleasure to do a job that leaves other women to feel up.
Despite the increasing concerns about the effect that can be on our health, the cavity is a precious legacy for this family – and for other black women – it has moved from generation to generation.
Ideanyi also told me: “The shape of the additions may change, but I do not think that the practice of getting braids is going anywhere.”