The Hidden Danger in Hair Relaxers: Georgia Woman Joins Legal Battle After Cancer Diagnosis
For Zena Young, hair relaxers were more than just a beauty product—they were a way of life. Growing up in Mississippi as one of eight girls among her 11 siblings, Young was introduced to chemical hair straightening at an early age.
“The scriptures talk about a woman’s hair being her glory,” Young explained. “We want to do everything to make our hair beautiful, and by using relaxers, that was a way for my hair to be beautiful to me.”
Like millions of other Black women across America, Young regularly used chemical relaxers to straighten her naturally coarse hair—a beauty practice deeply embedded in Black culture and often seen as necessary to meet certain beauty standards.
A Childhood Ritual Turned Lifelong Habit
Young, who now resides in Douglasville, Georgia, vividly recalls her early hair care experiences. “At first, they would use straightening combs to do our hair… and then after that, we started getting perms,” she shared, remembering how her mother would style her hair.
By the young age of 11, Young had already learned to apply chemical relaxers—commonly referred to as “perms” in the Black community—by herself. These products, often marketed directly to Black women as affordable solutions for “manageable” hair, became a constant presence in her life for nearly four decades.
Hair relaxers work by using powerful chemicals to break down the protein structure of the hair, allowing it to be reshaped into a straighter form. The accessibility and promised results made these products a staple in Young’s beauty routine from childhood until her mid-to-late 40s.
A Devastating Discovery
Young’s relationship with hair relaxers took a dramatic turn when she began hearing about potential links between these chemical products and uterine cancer—a connection that suddenly felt deeply personal.
“I had gone through an experience with cancer back in 2000, 2008, 2009,” she explained. “I knew I had used relaxers for a long time, a really long time, from the age of 11 up until my mid-to-late 40s.”
Her cancer journey was grueling. Young was eventually diagnosed with endometrial cancer in her uterus after a difficult and prolonged diagnostic process. During this challenging period, she missed substantial time at work and with her family.
“The bleeding for months on end, and I mean, just the toll that it took on my body as well,” she recalled, describing the physical and emotional struggles that accompanied her illness.
From Personal Tragedy to Legal Action
The turning point came when Young saw a commercial about lawsuits being filed against companies manufacturing hair relaxers, specifically targeting the potentially carcinogenic chemicals these products contain.
The revelation prompted Young to take legal action herself, joining what has now become a massive legal battle involving thousands of plaintiffs with similar experiences. These lawsuits allege that manufacturers failed to warn consumers about the possible health risks associated with long-term use of their products.
Young’s story highlights the complex intersection of beauty standards, cultural practices, and corporate responsibility. For decades, chemical hair relaxers have been marketed as safe and necessary beauty products, particularly to Black women, without adequate research into their long-term health effects.
As this legal battle unfolds, Young’s experience serves as a powerful reminder of the potential hidden costs behind beauty practices and the importance of holding companies accountable for the safety of their products.
For Young and thousands of other women, the fight continues—not just for compensation, but for recognition of their suffering and changes to ensure future generations won’t face similar health consequences from beauty products marketed as safe and essential.