Former suburban police officer files lawsuit against manufacturers of hair relaxers

When she was younger, Traccye Love wanted hair like the late R&B singer, Aaliyah, leading her to get her first hair relaxer at age 17.

“I remember that day, I was so excited that my mom finally said yes,” she said.

Then, in her 30s, the health issues started for the former Oak Park police officer. After several trips to the doctor, she got was diagnosed with uterine fibroids.

“The doctor said, 'your uterus is the size of someone 4 months pregnant,'” she said.

“He said you have multiple fibroids …we think the best solution is to have a hysterectomy.”

Love never thought hair relaxers could be connected with her health issues. After some research into the products and lawsuits targeting manufacturers, she came to a conclusion.

“The ingredients in those products…there’s all this research about it,” she said.

She decided to file a lawsuit against hair care companies, joining a number of women around the county who have filed lawsuits in the past few years, claiming the products caused their cancer, fibroids and other illnesses.

“These relaxers are being marketed toward Black and Brown women and we deserve an explanation or some form of justice,” Love's lawyer, Hasheana Strong said.

“Women are filing lawsuits to ask for answers and to hold manufactures accountable,” Strong said.

L’oreal, one of the manufactures in Love’s lawsuit, has a statement on its website about the lawsuits.

It says in part: "We are confident in the safety of SoftSheen-Carson's products and believe the allegations made in these lawsuits have neither legal nor scientific merit."

According to the National Institutes of Health, regular hair relaxer users were more than twice as likely to develop uterine cancer as women who did not use the product. One of the chemicals in many hair straighteners is formaldehyde, which the FDA this year proposed banning.

“Put a warning label on your package, that’s all we are asking for,” Love said.