Protective styles may not be as protective as once believed.

According to Consumer Reports, Crystal Thomas, a student at Albert Einstein College of Medicine and the City University of New York, began experiencing discomfort while wearing braids using the Kanekalon brand. “I couldn’t sleep well, my throat felt irritated, and I had trouble focusing on any type of work I was doing because of the smell,” Thomas said about the symptoms. “The smell wouldn’t go away even after washing my hair multiple times.”

After wearing the braids for a week and a half, Thomas began to research the potential of carcinogenic risks in braiding hair and wrote an article about the scientific findings. The revelation led to Consumer Reports doing extensive research, running tests of ten popular synthetic hair braids, including Magic Fingers, Sassy Collection, Sensationnel, Shake-N-Go, and their exposure to heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). Cancer-causing carcinogens were found in all of them, along with lead being found in nine of the ten products and other VOCs, like acetone, being in all of them.

The U.S. market for these hair brands was estimated to be worth $2.79 billion in 2023 and will increase to $6.34 billion by 2029, thus causing concern amongst consumers. Due to the alarm, it’s now being urged that synthetic hair products be checked for product recalls, and not worn for long to reduce exposure to cancer. Alternative hair options are also available, including Rebundle, Nourie Hair and Dosso Beauty.

Despite the report, Sensationnel and Magic Fingers have stood by their items. “We unequivocally stand by the safety of Sensationnel products, and our company urges consumers to continue to confidently use Sensationnel products,” Hair Zone/Sensationnel stated.

Magic Fingers stated, “We strongly stand by the safety of our products and the quality materials used to make them.”