For women, hair is their crown. Not only considered as part of the body, hair is also considered as an important part of their daily appearance. No wonder so many women are willing to spend extra money to maintain the health of their hair, starting from going to a salon and colour their hair. 

However, in a recent study conducted by the National Institutes of Health, researchers found that frequent use of hair dye products can cause harm to the body. Not only hair dye, those who like to use hair straightener products can also have the same risk. In a study published in the International Journal of Cancer, colouring and straightening hair can increase the risk of breast cancer if done continuously.

In their study, the researchers made a comparison between white women and black women on the risk of breast cancer and its relation to the use of hair colouring products and hair straighteners. Researchers analysed 50,884 female participants (a combination of the two) with an age range of 35-74 years, where each participant had no previous history of breast cancer. The participants were also given a questionnaire about what hair treatments they had received in the past 12 months. After an 8.3 year follow-up period, 2,794 participants had breast cancer.

Researchers found that the occurrence of cancer was higher in black women. Those who at least dye their hair every 5-8 weeks or more have a 60% higher risk of breast cancer, while white women only have an 8% higher risk. In addition, those who use hair straightener products every 5-8 weeks or more have a 30% higher risk of breast cancer. In this case, there was no significant difference between those who were white or black. Although they do not provide an explanation of the causes and effects between the two, the researchers assume that the chemical content contained in the product is the main factor.

Text by Anggie Triana
Stock photos from Google Search Images

Source(s):

• Eberle, C.E., Sandler, D.P., Taylor, K.W., et al (2019). Hair dye and chemical straightener use and breast cancer risk in a large US population of black and white women. International Journal of Cancer, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/ijc.32738.
• Medical News Today - Breast cancer: Does hair dye increase risk? (2019). https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/327234.php#2, 11 December 2019.