Harlem hair stylist using possible formaldehyde ban to encourage clients to embrace their natural hair
NEW YORK -- The Food and Drug Administration could put a recommended ban on the chemical formaldehyde in hair-straightening products into effect by April.
Cancer concerns linked to some products may be a greater incentive to switch to more natural, chemical-free hairstyles.
Stylist Phyllis Gbedemah says she is using fewer straightening and smoothing chemicals on clients after learning formaldehyde in some of products may cause breast, uterine and ovarian cancers.
"You can get your hair temporarily straightened as opposed to permanently straightened," Gbedemah said.
She says the proposed formaldehyde ban helps her expand a conversation she's been having for more than a decade now.
"Embrace your natural hair," Gbedemah said.
Stylist Keisha Renee was 9 years old when she was started on hair relaxers.
"In retrospect, it was a bad idea because I was still growing as a kid," she said.
Formaldehyde is a known carcinogen with short- and long-term effects, according to medical experts.
"I think FDA should put a ban ... We already know that there is a direct correlation between formaldehyde and certain types of cancer," said Dr. Christina Zhang, with MiDoctor Health. "Also, we are concerned workers who work at a hair salon."
"I absolutely relaxed my hair," award-winning playwright Jocelyn Bioh said.
Bioh's scalp immediately rejected relaxing and smoothing products. She moved back to braids and never looked back.
Her play "Jaja's African Hair Braiding" is a critical hit on Broadway, so popular with audiences it has been extended.
"I'm grateful that I work in an industry and also live in a time where, like, being able to wear my hair exactly as you see it right now ... I feel very free," Bioh said.
The FDA's ban comes during a push to get the adoption of a Federal Crown Act, like ones approved in many states, it prohibits hair-based discrimination.
"Protecting everyone, irrespective of their hair and the texture of the hair or the style that one is wearing, as it relates to getting a job, getting an education," said Rep. Bonnie Watson Coleman, the bill's co-sponsor.
She wants everyone to claim their rights to be healthy, be respected and be themselves.
Short-term effects from breathing in formaldehyde can include headache, runny nose, difficulty breathing, skin irritation and respiratory symptoms.
