Hair Today, Court Tomorrow: Relaxer Users Take Legal Action
In the 1990s, it was common for Black women to visit salons monthly to chemically straighten their hair, a beauty trend embraced by many. Now, thousands of those women have filed lawsuits claiming that these hair treatments caused them to develop cancer—especially uterine and ovarian cancer. Georgia is at the center of this legal battle, with over 600 lawsuits filed there alone. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution is investigating the issue through interviews with some of the affected women.
“Everyone was doing it,” says JoAnna Zackery, who started using relaxers in 1990 after seeing straightened hair on Black women on TV. “Straight hair looked beautiful, and I wanted that.” In 2023, Zackery was diagnosed with uterine cancer, and she holds the product companies responsible.
New scientific research supports these concerns. A 2022 study from the National Institutes of Health found that women who frequently used hair relaxers were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer. Despite Georgia having the second-highest number of lawsuits after Illinois, a state law could prevent most of these claims from moving forward. The law limits lawsuits to within 10 years of purchasing a product and does not consider the effects of long-term, repeated exposure.
The Georgia Supreme Court is expected to rule this year on whether these cases will proceed. Meanwhile, companies involved—including Georgia-based Strength of Nature—maintain that their products are safe when used correctly. “We are confident our products are safe and believe the lawsuits are unfounded,” the company said in a statement.
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