Safer Materials to Use Instead of Plastic Synthetic

The Hidden Dangers of Synthetic Hair

What consumers and hair professionals should know before adding artificial fiber to the hair and scalp

Synthetic hair has changed the way we create braids, extensions, wigs, ponytails, and other added-hair styles. It is inexpensive, readily available, lightweight in some forms, and manufactured in nearly every imaginable color and texture.

But convenience should never replace questions about safety.

Most consumers know very little about the fiber they are purchasing. A package may describe the hair as silky, flame resistant, soft, or professional quality, yet tell the wearer very little about the actual polymer, coloring agents, surface treatments, or how that material behaves against the skin, under tension, or when exposed to heat.

That deserves more attention.

Synthetic Hair Is Not One Material

The term synthetic hair describes a category, not a single substance.

Artificial hair may be manufactured from acrylic, modacrylic, polyester, and other polymer-based fibers. Acrylonitrile has historically been used in the production of acrylic and modacrylic fibers, and NIOSH has specifically noted the use of modacrylic fibers in synthetic fur and wigs.

That does not mean that wearing a finished synthetic fiber is equivalent to being exposed to liquid acrylonitrile in a factory.

This distinction matters.

A chemical used to manufacture a polymer can have very different properties from the finished polymer itself. Occupational standards for acrylonitrile address exposure to the chemical during industrial production. OSHA has long recognized acrylonitrile as a serious occupational hazard capable of affecting the skin, respiratory system, and other organs at sufficient exposure levels.

The unanswered consumer question is different: What remains in the finished hair fiber, what has been added to its surface, and what is released during normal use?

That information is not always obvious from the package.

The Fiber May Not Be the Only Issue

A synthetic strand is more than its base polymer.

Colorants, finishing agents, stabilizers, processing aids, and surface treatments may also be used to achieve a particular color, shine, texture, softness, or handling characteristic.

This matters because reactions to synthetic hair have already been documented.

In 1990, physicians reported contact dermatitis caused by disperse dyes in synthetic wigs. Disperse dyes are commonly associated with coloring synthetic fibers because these materials do not accept color in the same way natural protein fibers such as human hair do.

Research on scalp dermatitis has also demonstrated that hair and cosmetic chemicals can produce allergic reactions. A large analysis published in 2007 examined 1,320 patients evaluated for scalp dermatitis and found sensitization to several hair-coloring and cosmetic ingredients.

This does not prove that every synthetic braid or wig will cause dermatitis.

It does tell us that itching, burning, redness, swelling, or persistent irritation after installing added hair should not automatically be dismissed as a normal part of getting braids.

Pain and irritation are information.

Sometimes the Greatest Danger Is Mechanical

One of the clearest risks associated with added hair is not chemical at all.

It is traction.

Braids and extensions place additional forces on the natural hair and follicle. The heavier the added hair, the tighter the braid, and the longer the style remains under tension, the greater the mechanical burden may become.

Traction alopecia has been documented for decades, particularly in hairstyles that repeatedly pull on the hair.

A 2007 study involving more than 1,000 African schoolchildren found traction alopecia to be significantly associated with hairdressing practices. Among girls, the prevalence increased with age, and the combination of chemical relaxation and traction was particularly concerning.

Research published in 2008 went further. Investigators examining African girls and women found that the risk of marginal traction alopecia was greatest when traction was added to chemically relaxed hair. The authors concluded that avoiding painful or symptomatic hairdressing practices and reducing traction could help decrease the risk.

The lesson is simple:

A hairstyle should not have to hurt in order to last.

Synthetic extension hair can create extremely long and full styles using large amounts of added fiber. That makes installation technique, braid size, fiber quantity, and tension just as important as the material itself.

Human hair can also cause traction when installed improperly. This is not a synthetic-only problem.

But any added material that significantly increases the weight being carried by the client's own follicles deserves careful consideration.

Heat Changes the Conversation

Synthetic hair must also be treated differently around heat and flame.

In 2008, the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission specifically reminded consumers to look for flame-resistant labeling when purchasing wigs and similar costume hair products and warned that flame-resistant does not mean that a product cannot burn.

The concern extends beyond visible flames.

When certain acrylic materials undergo combustion or severe thermal decomposition, the resulting smoke can contain hazardous compounds. Studies conducted well before 2008 demonstrated that combustion of polyacrylonitrile and acrylic fibers can generate hydrogen cyanide along with other toxic combustion products.

This needs to be interpreted correctly.

Wearing acrylic or modacrylic hair does not mean the wearer is being exposed to hydrogen cyanide.

The hazard described in these studies occurs when the material burns or undergoes significant thermal decomposition.

That is precisely why we should not casually apply open flame, extremely high heat, or unknown heating procedures to synthetic fibers simply because a styling technique works on human hair.

Human hair is keratin.

Synthetic hair is manufactured polymer.

They should not automatically be treated as interchangeable materials.

Finished Synthetic Fiber Is Not Automatically Toxic

There is another side to this discussion that deserves equal attention.

Research examining chemical fibers has found that properly manufactured finished fibers can have very low migration of chemical constituents. One safety evaluation program reported little material leaching from finished acrylic and polyester fibers and found no adverse skin reactions during the testing performed. The significant toxicity appeared when acrylic fiber was burned, rather than during ordinary contact with the intact finished material.

That is important because fear is not science.

We should not tell consumers that every synthetic fiber is poisonous simply because hazardous chemicals may be involved somewhere in its manufacturing process.

The better questions are:

What is the finished material?

What chemicals or finishes remain on it?

How was it colored?

How will it contact the skin?

How much weight will be attached to the natural hair?

How will it react to heat?

Does the manufacturer provide meaningful safety information?

Those are questions professionals should be asking.

The Scalp Should Not Be the Testing Laboratory

Consumers frequently tolerate itching or burning because they have been told that a new braid installation is supposed to feel uncomfortable.

We disagree.

Persistent itching, burning, swelling, pustules, sores, or pain should be taken seriously. A hairstyle that produces significant scalp symptoms should be evaluated rather than simply endured.

The professional should also look beyond the braid itself. Chemical relaxers, adhesives, hair color, shampoos, finishing sprays, oils, and other products may be present at the same time. Determining the cause of a reaction can therefore be difficult without proper medical evaluation.

Clients with significant or persistent dermatitis should be referred to a dermatologist. Patch testing performed by a qualified clinician can sometimes help identify allergic contact sensitization.

We Have More Choices Than We Think

Synthetic fiber is not the only material available for creating added-hair styles.

Depending on the desired style, professionals can work with human hair, natural wool, silk, cotton, linen or flax fibers, raffia and other plant fibers, and specialty natural materials.

Each has its own advantages and limitations.

Natural does not automatically mean safe. Human hair can be chemically processed. Wool may cause irritation in some people. Fibers can be dyed, bleached, treated, contaminated, or installed with excessive tension regardless of their origin.

Material selection therefore has to be followed by good technique.

The Industry Needs Better Questions

Synthetic hair has given stylists extraordinary creative freedom. The purpose of examining its risks is not to frighten consumers or eliminate an entire category of materials.

It is to raise the standard.

A professional should know more about an extension fiber than its color number and price.

We should know what we are putting against a client's scalp.

We should understand how much weight we are adding to the follicle.

We should know whether the material can tolerate the heat we intend to use.

We should stop considering pain, burning, and persistent itching an acceptable price for beauty.

And manufacturers should provide professionals and consumers with clearer information about the fibers, dyes, finishes, and precautions associated with the products they sell.

Synthetic hair may be artificial.

The scalp underneath it is not.

Protecting that scalp should always come first.

References

Shehade SA, Beck MH. Contact dermatitis from disperse dyes in synthetic wigs. Contact Dermatitis. 1990.

Khumalo NP, et al. Hairdressing is associated with scalp disease in African schoolchildren. British Journal of Dermatology. 2007.

Khumalo NP, et al. Determinants of marginal traction alopecia in African girls and women. Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology. 2008.

Hillmer MP, et al. Patch test results in patients with scalp dermatitis. Contact Dermatitis. 2007.

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. A Recommended Standard for Occupational Exposure to Acrylonitrile. 1978.

Betol E, et al. Combustion products from various kinds of fibers: toxicological hazards from smoke exposure. Forensic Science International. 1983.

U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission. Wig and costume flammability guidance. 2008.

©2008 Hairline Illusions, LLC All rights reserved.