I've been reflecting a lot on hair relaxers and chemical straighteners recently. During the height of the natural hair movement in the 2000s, buoyed by social media and driven mainly by Black women on a quest for a healthy hair alternative, many with textured hair, myself included, turned away from these products. Dubbed as “creamy crack” due to their addictive nature and damaging effects, relaxers saw a dramatic drop in sales, with Mintel reporting a 26% decline in 2008. This felt like a collective awakening—the toxicity of these products had been exposed, and there seemed to be no going back. Or so we thought.

Fast-forward nearly two decades, and a surprising trend has emerged on TikTok. A new wave of devotees are advocating for a return to hair relaxers. With box kits in hand, they invite us to “come get a relaxer with me.” The disdain of the 2000s has been replaced with curiosity and longing. One commenter’s sentiment, “Don't tempt me,” echoes a common struggle: the overwhelming, expensive, and time-consuming nature of caring for textured hair.

The hair relaxer market, valued at $717.06 million today, is projected to grow to $839.1 million by 2029. For context, its value in 2013 was $152 million. On TikTok, the hashtag #RelaxerTok has amassed over 600 million views. This resurgence is particularly fascinating given the increasing number of studies linking chemical straighteners to serious health risks. In 2022, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute found a correlation between frequent use of straightening products and higher rates of breast and ovarian cancers. Similar studies, such as one conducted by the National Institute of Health, suggest links to uterine cancers, as well as endocrine disorders like fibroids, which disproportionately affect Black women. Michigan Medicine reported that nearly a quarter of Black women between 18 and 30 have fibroids compared to about 6% of white women. By age 35, that number increases to 60%. Black women are also two to three times more likely to have recurring fibroids or suffer from complications. According to Business of Fashion, there are almost 60 lawsuits against relaxer manufacturers currently being consolidated in a Chicago Federal Court.

At a recent Hair Talks event, our intimate series of offline conversations focusing on the beauty and complexity of textured hair, we learned that many of these haircare experiences were seriously scalp deep. Attendees across generations from Gen X to Gen Z shared poignant stories of their formative experiences with relaxers, both good and bad. Their visceral recollections were filled with vivid memories of anticipation of finally looking like the little girls on the relaxer kits, the caustic smell, and the pain of scalp burns, highlighting the deep emotional and physical impact of these products.

So why are we seeing a return to relaxers despite these grave health concerns? Vintage ads offer some clues. Looking through old archives, my reaction swung from amusement to horror. Next to a smiling lady in a red power suit and slick straight bob, the copy of one relaxer brand read, “Was it her résumé? Or Raveen (1990s).” Another with the image of a beautiful woman with a bouncy perm standing in front of an aloof man read “Capture his attention with TCB No-Lye Hair Relaxer Kit (1980s).” And another showing a carefree woman read, “Hair that moves (1990s),” and another had “Fashion demands straight hair! (1950s)” emblazoned defiantly across it.

Language might appear subtle, but it can wield enormous power over us as consumers. Tate Modern's recent ART & TEXT exhibition exploring the use of written language in visual culture posits that this functions as an expression of human culture, capable of transmitting ideas and influencing behavior. These advertisements, based on deeply held societal beliefs, transmit the idea that certain types of hair are unprofessional and undesirable romantically. At the same Hair Talks event, many highlighted the experiences of their parents, for whom relaxing their hair was simply not an aesthetic choice but an economic decision, linked to their careers. Similarly, a good friend of mine was advised during a university recruitment event that she’d need to change her braided hair to fit into the investment banking world. At the start of our careers in the corporate world, we’d spend many Friday evenings at the salon to have our straight hair extensions taken out, our new growth chemically straightened, and weaves sewn back in so that we could report to work on Monday, ready to take care of business and get straight to the point, as one relaxer system put it in their ads.

I’d like to argue that this idea of hair discrimination on account of hair texture no longer exists today and that we have come a long way (and indeed we have), but it was only last year that The Ritz hotel in London sent a grooming handbook to an employee that highlighted that “afro and spiky hairstyles” were not allowed, a mere month after LinkedIn together with Dove published their “Black Hair Is Professional” campaign that shed awareness on the fact that Black women’s hair is 2.5x more likely to be perceived as unprofessional.

It would be overly simplistic to conclude that the recent upward tick around relaxer use is solely a result of eurocentric beauty ideals, though entrenched in society. After all, the natural-hair movement did have a global impact, spreading far and wide to places like India and the Middle East where women are reclaiming their curly hair with pride. Indeed, the discourse on #RelaxerTok focuses less on the negative health consequences of chemical straighteners or hair discrimination for that matter, but more on tips for maintaining healthy hair while relaxing. Creators share advice on the best products and are adapting their routines to reduce the frequency of use. For every comment warning about cancer risks, many others express frustration with natural haircare routines, highlighting the need for simplicity.

In my opinion, this return to relaxers speaks to a broader discontent among those who have embraced their natural hair but found the maintenance to be overwhelming. Many are seeking easier alternatives, whether through cutting their hair, loc’ing it, or returning to relaxers. In our Texture Gap report analysing over 15 million data points through our proprietary Carra Textured Hair Engine software, we found that people with the tightest coils (i.e., Type 4 hair) are driving online haircare conversations with 62% YoY growth, 8x more than all other hair types, underscoring the lack of adequate haircare education for textured hair types.

These observations lead me to wonder whether relaxers are here to stay. While I have no desire to chemically straighten my hair again, I empathize with those weary of the time and cost involved in caring for their hair in its natural texture, especially as this appears to be the driving force behind recent trends.

Unlike hair color, which has seen advancements in healthier formulas, relaxers have not significantly evolved. It’s clear that if relaxers and other chemical straighteners remain popular, then some serious R&D is required to address the health cost implicit in their use and, more importantly, to address the broader reasons that might be driving textured hair consumers to this particular solution in the first place. This is why textured hair education and personalization are the key for arming consumers with knowledge to make relevant choices and forward-thinking brands with rich insight to power inclusive innovation.

Ultimately, my hope is for a future where everyone has the support needed to care for their hair healthily. Whether one chooses to embrace their natural texture, color their hair, or straighten it, the priority should be on avoiding toxic chemicals and prioritizing health.