Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit

Lawsuits have been filed by women who claim that hair relaxers contain toxic chemicals that cause cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, and more.

What You Can Do & How We Can Help

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is currently accepting hair relaxer induced injury cases in all 50 states. If you or somebody you know used hair relaxers and had uterine cancer, breast cancer, endometriosis, or fibroids, you should contact our lawyers immediately for a free case consultation. Please use the form below to contact our Class Action Litigation Group or call toll free 24 hours a day at (866) 920-0753.

UPDATE: Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit

In November 2022, a group of women who used Dark & Lovely Hair Relaxer filed a class action lawsuit against L’Oreal and Soft Sheen-Carson, claiming they never would have used Dark & Lovely if they knew it contained chemicals that might increase their risk of uterine cancer, fibroids, endometriosis, or breast cancer.

What is the Problem?

A growing number of lawsuits claim that hair relaxers contain toxic chemicals that can cause cancer and disrupt hormones. These products are linked to life-threatening health problems, such as:

Studies Link Hair Relaxers and Cancer Risk

Many of these lawsuits were filed after a major study found that women who used hair relaxers were twice as likely to be diagnosed with uterine cancer by the age of 70. The study was published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute in October 2022.

The researchers also published another study finding a 30% increased risk of breast cancer for women who used hair relaxers routinely.

Hormone-Disrupting Chemicals in Hair Relaxers

Experts are concerned because hair relaxers contain a variety of harsh chemicals that can get into the body through scalp irritation and sores.

Some of these chemicals (such as parabens or phthalates) are believed to mimic estrogen, which may explain why hair relaxers have been linked to reproductive health problems that affect women, such as uterine cancer, fibroids and endometriosis.

List of Popular Hair Relaxer Products

Ultra Precise
Dark & Lovely
Bantu
Optimum
Motions
Just for Me
ORS Olive Oil
African Pride
TCB Naturals
Luster’s
Africa’s Best
Creme of Nature
TCB
Mizani Rhelaxer
Soft & Beautiful
Ultra Sheen Supreme

Hair Relaxer Cancer Lawsuit Filed by Missouri Woman

One of the first hair relaxer lawsuits was filed by Jenny M., a black woman from Missouri who was diagnosed with uterine cancer and had a hysterectomy when she was only 28 years old.

She blames L’Oreal and other beauty companies for failing to warn women that the chemicals in hair relaxers could cause serious health problems.

Her lawsuit was filed on October 21, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Illinois — Case Number 1:22-cv-05815.

Hair Relaxer Lawsuit Filed by Woman With Fibroids

In October 2022, a lawsuit was filed by KeAira G., a woman from Georgia who claims that hair relaxers caused her uterine fibroids.

She claims that she was first exposed to hair relaxers in 1994, when she was just 6 years old, at hair salons or by using do-at-home kits.

She continued to use hair relaxers for the next 18 years, until about 2012. She was diagnosed with uterine fibroids in 2011, at the young age of 22, after experiencing “extremely heavy bleeding and excruciating pain during her periods,” according to the lawsuit.

While undergoing surgery to remove her fibroids, she was also diagnosed with endometriosis. In 2019, doctors found that her fibroids had returned. She was also diagnosed with a cyst on her left ovary.

In her lawsuit, she blames her diagnosis of fibroids and endometriosis on her exposure to toxic chemicals in hair relaxers, including endocrine-disrupting chemicals and/or phthalate-based products.

Her lawsuit was filed on October 26, 2022 in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Georgia (Savannah Division) — Case Number 4:22-cv-00256.

Amla Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit

L’Oreal and Soft Sheen-Carson were hit by a Amla Hair Relaxer class action lawsuit by women who suffered hair loss and breakage, scalp irritation, blisters, and burns.

The lawsuit was filed by two women who used the Soft Sheen-Carson Optimum-Amla Legend No-Mix No-Lye Hair Relaxer, which is advertised toward African American women to straighten their hair.

The product contains a few drops of Amla oil, but plaintiffs claim that it is mostly “a mix of harsh, caustic, and potentially toxic chemicals.”

Amla hair relaxer is marketed as a no-lye formula to appeal to consumers who want to avoid harsh chemicals. Unfortunately, instead it contains a mix of other ingredients that are just as harmful.

For example, “the ingredient lithium hydroxide can cause damaging effects including severe irritation, burns, and blisters. Since the Product is applied to the hair, there is no avoiding potentially harmful skin contact,” the lawsuit claims.

Despite the risks, a judge tossed out most of these claims in April 2018, effectively ending the lawsuit and similar cases that had been centralized in a federal Multi-District Litigation (MDL).

The lawsuit was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Central District of California. — Case No. 2:16-cv-06886.

Can I Join a Class Action Lawsuit?

The Schmidt Firm, PLLC is nationally recognized as a class action law firm. We are currently filing individual lawsuits for women who used hair relaxers or chemical hair-straighteners and were diagnosed with:

Uterine cancer
Breast cancer
Endometriosis
Uterine Fibroids

About Class Actions

Lawsuits have already been filed by women who claim that hair relaxers caused them to develop cancer. These lawsuits are not part of a class action. Instead, they are individual lawsuits filed by women who have an attorney who is representing their interests.

Why Our Law Firm is Filing Individual Lawsuits as Opposed to a Class Action

Class actions join a lot of legal claims into one lawsuit. This can have disadvantages for individuals who have far more serious injuries than the average person who used hair relaxers — especially women with cancer, or women who were diagnosed with severe health problems like endometriosis, fibroids, infertility, pain, or needed a hysterectomy.

What Can I Get For My Lawsuit?

If you used hair relaxers and you qualify to file a lawsuit, our lawyers may be able to help you seek justice and financial compensation through a settlement or jury verdict. You could receive payment for your pain and suffering, medical expenses, lost income, permanent injuries, decreased quality of life, or the wrongful death of a loved one.

Do I have a Hair Relaxer Class Action Lawsuit?

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