Are Hair Products in Low-Income Neighborhoods More Toxic?
When I was growing up on the South Side of Chicago, I never thought twice about the products I used on my hair. I’d walk into a local store, look at the shelf, and pick from what was there. Those were my options — and they were familiar.
But like a lot of people, I moved. First to another part of the city. Then, eventually, to college in Urbana-Champaign. And when I walked into the store there for the first time, I realized something subtle but important:
The options were different.
Not just different brands — but different types of products altogether.
Could the Products in Different Neighborhoods Really Be That Different?
That question stuck with me.
I haven’t seen a study yet comparing hair product formulations in Chicago neighborhoods specifically, but I recently came across a study out of Harvard that digs into this exact issue — and the results are alarming.
Researchers in Boston, Massachusetts went to stores in different neighborhoods with one of those apps that scans product labels and gives hazard scores based on ingredients.
Here’s what they found:
Stores in lower-income neighborhoods carried a higher percentage of hazardous hair products — products with ingredients linked to hormone disruption, allergies, or other health risks.
Meanwhile, stores in higher-income neighborhoods were more likely to carry products with lower hazard scores and safer formulations.
So yes — where you buy your products can absolutely affect the level of exposure you're getting to harmful chemicals.
Why This Matters for Black Communities
This kind of research confirms something many of us have felt but haven’t had the data to prove:
Access to safer products is not evenly distributed.
For Black communities in particular — where hair care is culturally significant, personally important, and often chemically involved — that lack of access can have a serious impact.
And let’s be honest: it would be incredibly privileged to say, “Just shop somewhere else.”
Not everyone has access to another neighborhood. Not everyone can drive 30 minutes to find safer options. These are the products that are available. Today. Right where people live.
So What Can We Do?
As individuals, we do what we can. But as a collective, we have more power than we think.
Here are a few ways we can start to shift this:
Start conversations with local retailers. Let them know you’re looking for safer options. Ask for transparency.
Share resources with friends and family — especially tools like product scan apps that make it easier to check ingredients.
Support research and policy that pushes for environmental justice in consumer products.
Push for better regulation, so companies can’t just offload lower-quality, higher-toxicity products into underserved neighborhoods.
Final Thoughts
Everyone deserves access to safe, affordable products — no matter their zip code.
Until that’s the norm, we have to keep asking questions, sharing what we learn, and advocating for change that doesn’t just protect individuals — but protects communities.
