Are Relaxers Becoming Extinct?

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LaToya Harris

LaToya Harris is a natural hair blogger and journalist from NJ, but she currently lives in MS. She is also the creator of 1BlessedNatural Mag, a blog magazine that recognizes natural hair and empowers Black women. Ms. Harris has been natural for 6 years.

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The natural hair movement gained a lot of momentum during the last few years. Black women everywhere have abandoned the perm box in return for learning how to care for their natural hair. In addition, the recent finding that links relaxers to health issues like fibroids has caused more women to become natural.

Because the natural hair movement has caused a shift towards natural ingredients, many manufacturers of relaxers have advertised products with natural ingredients in them. However, it has not brought the sales of relaxers up by much. In a 2016 report, the Mintel marketing company reported,“Relaxer sales are falling, innovation is not saving the category.”

We’ve seen an emergence of non-relaxer hair straightening kits that promise to keep natural hair straight for longer periods of time without chemicals. Flat irons and hot combs have also become even more popular as more Black women come to the realization that relaxers are not needed to keep their hair straight.

Last year, Toya Mitchell, a multicultural analyst from Mintel said products which cater to the styling and conditioning of natural hair will succeed. In the August 2016 report, she said, “As Black consumers and especially women, learn to style their hair on their own and grow comfortable with the versatility of their texture, brands that deliver on treatment and styling claims will win.”

Are relaxers becoming extinct? In their August 2017 U.S. Black Haircare report, Mintel stated that sales for relaxers are still down, but as mentioned earlier Black women are using other ways to straighten their natural hair.

In order for companies to carry a product, there has to be a demand for it. If there are relaxers on the shelves and very few people are buying them, there will no need for the merchant to carry them. As a result, there will be no need for companies to continue to make them.

It is safe to say relaxers are an endangered species right now. It will be interesting to see how the sales will be within the next 5 years. Only time will tell if they become extinct.

Author: LaToya Harris

“Changing attitudes about natural hair” is what we do at Natural Haircare News. Through informative articles, podcasts and videos, we go beyond just sharing the latest advice and tips on kinky, curly, wavy haircare – We shake things up and focus on the realities of wearing our hair natural.