Are My Braids Doing More Harm Than Good?

Braids are 1 of nan astir celebrated hairstyles for achromatic women, worn by celebrities and aunties alike - but questions are being raised astir its effects connected our health.

The process tin past up to 5 hours arsenic stylists deftly portion small, evenly-spaced sections of hair, and gradually adhd successful extensions.

Despite nan agelong salon visits, braids person ever been intimately linked to convenience for me.

Growing up, they were for holidays, arsenic nan style meant that alternatively of fretting complete really frizzy my hairsbreadth would get, I could jump successful nan excavation pinch nary worries.

Braids are still what I move to now erstwhile I want a fewer months break from each nan detangling - aliases I want to effort a caller colour without nan imaginable harm of hairsbreadth dye.

But a caller study suggests that nan synthetic hairsbreadth galore achromatic women usage to execute this style could beryllium bad for their health.

The US non-profit organisation Consumer Reports tested samples from 10 of nan astir celebrated brands of synthetic braiding hair, and recovered that each of them contained carcinogens, and successful immoderate cases, lead.

The investigation made an impact, arsenic my Instagram feed and WhatsApp groups were flooded pinch links to nan study, informing of nan alleged risks hidden successful our hair.

One of nan messages was from my cousin, Rochelle, who does her braids herself each different month.

"Braids, famously, are called a protective style," she later told me.

It's a word typically utilized to picture respective Afro hairstyles, including braids, locs and wigs, that trim really overmuch your hairsbreadth is exposed to nan elements and trim backmost connected changeless styling.

"The truth that this style is doing everything but protect america - it's really harming america - is really rather chaotic to me."

It is nan deficiency of consciousness among achromatic women that is astir concerning, she adds.

"People that are eating unhealthy nutrient aliases smoking, they cognize that what they're doing could harm their body, whereas if you're putting braids successful your hair, you're not reasoning that it's harming you."

James Rogers, nan caput of merchandise information testing astatine Consumer Reports, says that nan results are a origin for interest because women person "constant contact" pinch harmful chemicals if their hairsbreadth is successful braids, often for months astatine a time.

"We judge that whenever you're exposed to harmful chemicals, that it's cumulative - it each adds up."

But he besides emphasised that much investigation was needed, saying: "We're hoping that this originates nan conversation, not only astatine nan regulatory level, but besides amongst our ain communities, astir sharing meticulous information."

Here astatine Josée's Professional Braiding Studio successful northbound London, nan study surely isn't putting clients off.

Josée and her daughters Abigail and Naomi, who activity pinch her successful nan salon, person seen liking from caller customers, particularly aft they helped to create nan wig worn by Elphaba successful Wicked, 1 of highest-grossing movies of 2024.

"People were shocked by really versatile we tin beryllium pinch our braiding," Abigail tells me, adding that her mum received respective messages from clients telling them really proud they were.

Josée says that while nan findings are "worrying", it has been business arsenic accustomed astatine nan salon.

Some of her customers, however, person been rattled by nan research.

It's Kellie-Ann's first clip getting her braids done astatine Josée's salon, but she has been wearing nan style since she was a child.

She tells maine she felt betrayed aft reference nan study: "I deliberation it's atrocious that companies person been doing this for years to achromatic women and I deliberation we merit better."

She's now seeking retired brands free from harmful chemicals and integrative - and says galore of her friends are doing nan same.

"A batch of women I've spoken to astir it person agreed that biogradable would beryllium amended - it's bully for nan satellite arsenic well."

Ifeanyi has besides worn braids since childhood, and says they are nan easiest and astir convenient style to grip while she's engaged studying astatine university.

She argues that nan study is not alarming, pointing retired that group whitethorn travel into interaction pinch carcinogens each day, successful certain processed foods, intoxicant and tobacco.

"Obviously you want beryllium cautious - I conscionable deliberation that it's not needfully thing to wholly wantonness nan style aliases nan hairsbreadth for."

She's concerned that nan societal media posts she has seen will "scare group retired of wanting to engage", to nan detriment of a captious root of income for achromatic entrepreneurs moving successful nan hairsbreadth industry.

In 2021 Treasure Tress, a UK-based beauty subscription for achromatic hair, recovered that achromatic British women spent £168m a twelvemonth connected hairsbreadth products. Earlier investigation by L'Oreal suggested that achromatic women successful nan UK walk six times much connected their hairsbreadth than achromatic women.

"I'd for illustration to spot much of a committedness to making judge that things are safer for us, alternatively than telling america that immoderate of our historical, accepted practices arsenic achromatic women are wrong," Ifeanyi says.

For some, changing attitudes towards synthetic hairsbreadth are opening up business opportunities.

Tendai Moyo co-founded Ruka Hair successful 2021, which specialises successful extensions made from earthy hairsbreadth originated from South East Asia, arsenic good arsenic biodegradable synthetic hair, made from collagen fibre.

She tells maine they person seen a "huge uptick successful demand", particularly successful nan US, wherever nan study was published.

But she sees this arsenic portion of a wider trend, which stretches beyond concerns raised by nan caller research.

"We launched successful nan pandemic, and group were like, 'Oh, but salons are closed', but we were trading retired because group don't extremity doing their hair."

She tells maine that achromatic women "got to experiment" much pinch their hairsbreadth during lockdown and were much consenting to effort retired caller products.

One of nan biggest draws of accepted synthetic hairsbreadth brands, however, is their debased price, which has made experimenting pinch different styles and colours affordable for years.

But newer brands thin to person a higher value constituent - Tendai tells maine that Ruka's astir celebrated synthetic hairsbreadth type costs astir 2.5 times much than respective precocious thoroughfare brands.

Ifeanyi says that, arsenic a student, brands for illustration Ruka are retired of scope for her: "To acquisition nan hairsbreadth is balanced to nan magnitude it would costs you to get nan hairstyle done, truthful you're fundamentally doubling nan price."

Tendai defends this by comparing it to choosing betwixt "fast nutrient and patient food".

She adds: "You tin really reuse our products if you'd like, and truthful you're redeeming money successful that way."

Back astatine Josée's salon, Naomi tells maine that braiding is not conscionable an important root of income, but a weighted taste believe that brings her family together.

"I telephone myself a braid babe because I've been braiding since I was 6 years old," she says, telling maine really her family would enslaved complete nan accomplishment arsenic her mum proudly looks on.

"It's an empowering work to offer," she adds, saying that it's gratifying to do a occupation that leaves different women emotion uplifted.

Despite increasing concerns astir nan effect it could person connected our health, braiding is simply a precious heirloom for this family - and for galore different achromatic women - passed down from procreation to generation.

As Ifeanyi tells me: "The shape of extensions mightiness change, but I don't deliberation nan believe of getting braids is going anywhere."