Impact of hair relaxers in women in Nakuru, Kenya

Background The practice of relaxing hair is intended to straighten it, so that it is easy to manage and style, and the result is aesthetically pleasing. We studied the impact of using hair relaxers in women in Nakuru, Kenya. Methods A cross-sectional study was carried out between February and March 2006. The subjects were women and girls aged 15 years and above, living in Nakuru district, Kenya, who had been or were currently using hair relaxers and were willing to participate. Sampling was by the snowball method and data collection by questionnaire. The data were analyzed using Epi-info 2000. Results Two hundred and forty-two women were recruited into the study. The age range was 15-51 years, with a median of 32 years. The main reasons given for relaxing hair were that it made hair easy to manage and looked "beautiful". One hundred and thirty-four women (67%) had problems with the relaxers used (at least once), 75% of whom decided to stop. Half of those who stopped resumed the use of relaxers almost immediately or after a period of time. The problems encountered included hair loss, burns to the scalp, and color change. Surprisingly fake/counterfeit products were not implicated as a cause of the problems experienced, although they are known to be on the market. Conclusion Despite the problems encountered, a significant number of Kenyan women in this region have used and continue to use relaxers.