MACON, Ga. — In Georgia, four women are suing companies like L'Oréal over their hair relaxer products.
In 2022, the Journal of the National Cancer Institute published a study using data from more than 33,000 women that found the women who reported using hair straightening products were almost twice as likely to have developed uterine cancer than those who didn't.
At Mane Allure Salon in Macon, they specialize in natural hair. In fact, about 90% of their clients request natural hair services.
Jelicia Telfair's a hair care specialist at the salon, and she's been working in the salon industry for 13 years.
"I always advise people to go natural because you have more options when you have more natural hair," Telfair said.
It creates more styling options for clients and reduces chemical exposure for everyone.
Erica Conerly is a trichologist at the salon who specializes in hair and scalp treatment.
"It's much more safer for us to not use chemicals. Just dealing with natural hair, you don't have to use relaxer or anything like that," Conerly said.
On any given day, it's hard to count the amount of chemicals salon employees get exposed to.
"There's really no way of kind of like hiding away from chemicals. We're working with chemicals, we're inhaling chemicals," Conerly said.
Her team masks up around harsh chemicals, but it's only one layer of protection. That's why Conerly said she's always happy to see clients ditch the chemicals and embrace their natural beauty.
"I think it will look good on any and everybody. You're natural, this is how you were born. This is what you were born for, to be natural. So it look good, and that's our job to help you feel good about it," Cornerly said.
Telfair said she switched to natural hair herself, which helps her with recommending the switch to her clients.
"Before I started my sister lock journey, I wasn't as able to wear my natural hair and style it because I sweat so bad in my head. So now that I have my sister locks, I can twist it, I can style it, I can do whatever I want to to it and still feel comfortable in my own skin," Telfair said.
Toniyah Phillips is a salon assistant. She's noticed natural hair becoming more popular with women in their 20's, because of its popularity on social media.
"Wear your natural hair. There's nothing wrong with it. It's very beautiful, and it's you," Phillips said.
The 2022 study from the National Cancer Institute didn't find the risk was any different by race. However, it was more common for black women, who are more likely to use hair relaxer products.