From bohemian braids to feed-ins, Black people have always used braided hairstyles for protection, ease and versatility. These braided looks often include trendy and affordable synthetic hair. But though synthetic hair grants longer wear of the style and a maintained look, recent reports show it contains toxic chemicals linked to alarming health risks, including cancer.

Consumer Reports released a study in February examining 10 of the most popular synthetic hair brands known to have plastic fibers that create the Kanekalon synthetic braiding hair. The study detected high levels of lead, acetone and hazardous pesticides in most of the brands; all of the brands contained carcinogens, chemicals known to cause cancer. 

Among Black women aged 18 to 34 nationwide, synthetic braids are one of the most popular hairstyles, according to Mintel, a market intelligence agency. 

Ciara Imani May, like many people who regularly use the products, had long suspected something was off with synthetic hair. While she was teaching entrepreneurship at Johnson C. Smith University, a historically Black university in Charlotte, North Carolina, she became curious about the makeup of the hair. In 2019 she created a plant-based alternative braiding hair, after continually experiencing an itchy and irritated scalp when wearing braided styles.

“We are striving to have the most accessible plant-based alternative on the market, so that as people decide to ditch the itch, they have our product that they can make the switch to,” May said.

Just like May, several other Black entrepreneurs have started to launch alternative and plant-based braiding hair companies, including Nourie, Ruka and LAB Hair Without Harm.

While some plant-based braids are formed with corn-derived fibers, Rebundle is made of banana fibers. Rebundle hair is also skin-safe and biodegradable. May created the brand with the health of Black women, the primary users of synthetic hair, in mind. Before starting the company, she studied the correlation between scalp irritation and the use of synthetic braiding hair. Through her analysis in 2019, May found that many toxic chemicals and carcinogens are found in braiding hair and that the hair is causing some form of harm to people who wear it, and to the environment.

“I wasn’t surprised, just disappointed that it had taken this long for some research to come out, especially this type of research that garnered this much attention,” May said after seeing the Consumer Reports study.

Consumer Reports tested some of the brands that make up the $2.7 billion braiding hair market as of 2023, like Magic Fingers, Sassy Collection, Sensationnel and Shake-N-Go, revealing volatile organic compounds (VOCs) in all synthetic hair tested. These types of braiding hair often cost $4 to $8 a pack and can be easily found at every beauty supply store. VOCs are often human-made chemicals used to make paints, pharmaceuticals and refrigerants that are emitted as gases.

According to the American Lung Association, breathing some VOCs can irritate the eyes, nose and throat, causing nausea. Long-term exposure can also cause central nervous system damage and has been linked to cancer. 

VOCs can be highly toxic for braiders and Black women getting their hair braided, especially when the braiding process is complete. Braiders will then use a lighter or flat iron to remove stray hairs and finish the style by dipping the braids in boiling water. Consumer Reports found that heat treatments like this release VOCs. Some braiders have also said they experience contact dermatitis on their hands when working with synthetic braiding hair. 

Because of the potential risk synthetic braiding hair poses to braiders and Black women, Rebundle launched a braiders network, where braiders are trained to use plant-based hair. The network provides samples of Rebundle, hosts marketing events and compiles a searchable database of trained Rebundle braiders.

Desiree Mills, a braider based in the Bronx, often uses Rebundle hair for her clients who have voiced that synthetic braiding hair makes their scalp feel itchy, irritated, tender or has even caused an allergic reaction.

“As Black women, we are taking the initiative to get more information about what we are applying to our crowns. I say crowns because our hair is like a flower; it needs water and hydration to grow and feel comfortable,” said Mills, who runs the salon AmourNtingz. The data from Consumer Reports, she said, “could encourage us to care more about our hair.”

Before Mills found Rebundle, she would soak and rinse synthetic hair in apple cider vinegar before braiding it into a client’s head as a way to detoxify and remove the chemical coatings and residues.

As a licensed braider for more than four years, Mills feels like the biggest difference between synthetic braiding hair and Rebundle is texture and appearance. To her, synthetic hair looks dead and feels rough, irritating, plasticky and waxy. She describes Rebundle as smooth on her hands with a natural shine of thick strands that smell fresh. The price is more expensive: Rebundle is $36 a pack compared to the typical $4 to $8 for synthetic hair. However, Mills said that the plant-based braiding hair can be stretched and separated with a technique that may require fewer packs of hair than a look that uses synthetic braiding hair. 

“Anytime there’s an option, there’s room for change, there’s room to educate each other and educate ourselves with how we can be better or take care of our crowns better,” she said.

Similar to braiding hair, other beauty and personal care products marketed to Black women have been found to have toxic chemicals. Hair relaxers, a chemical used to straighten hair, also raised concerns for Black women due to its strong odor and the itchy feeling it gives the scalp. In 2012, a study revealed its toxicity and likelihood of causing various cancer diagnoses. 

Black women largely switched from hair relaxers to natural styles because of the study. After the study gained national attention, salons and other professionals recorded declining sales of chemical hair relaxers over the last decade from close to $71 million in 2011 to $30 million in 2021, according to market research firm Kline + Company. May believes Black women can make a similar switch again for their health. 

She describes this as a pattern that continues to put Black women’s health at risk, but she believes that being proactive and limiting exposure to toxins in beauty and personal care products is a great place to start. 

“It’s the combination of all products that we use as Black women to beautify ourselves and to care for ourselves, we have to decrease all other risks as much as possible by just making more thoughtful choices,” May said.