Is Relaxing A Young Girl's Hair Child Abuse?

I don't remember my first relaxer, though I do remember being happy to move on from the hot comb. The sizzling and burning involved in that process is definitely not missed. What I remember about relaxers is how white the cream was in the jar, and how cold it felt when it first went on. I also remember the painful burn, and the encouragement of the stylist to just "sit tight" a few more minutes. I remember how straight my hair was when the relaxer was washed out. I remember shaking my head so my hair would move in the wind. I remember my mother buying home kits and doing my relaxer in the den of my parents house. I remember how this was always a time when we could talk mother to daughter, me sitting on the floor between her legs. I don't ever remember feeling abused, or that anything she was doing was harmful to me. It was simply what you were supposed to do with kinky hair.

Now that I have a lot more knowledge on relaxers and natural hair, I know better. When you know better, you do better. So, I don't relax my hair. I'm careful about dyes and styling products. I eat well and take my vitamins. I don't rake a comb or a brush through my hair. I'm careful about who I let get close to my hair. That said, I find it to be a bit of a reach to say that relaxing a child's hair, however young, is child abuse. (See link to article at the bottom of this post) Those of us in the natural hair community have a lot of knowledge about the harsh chemicals that are sold as hair care. That said, there is very little readily available information in stores about the dangers of a relaxer. When you read the box, the most pronounced warning is about damage to your eyes. There is little to nothing on the packaging about damage to your scalp. Some even boast about having natural ingredients. We lobbied profusely to get more informative labels on cigarettes. Why not kick up the same kind of fuss to get relaxers more clearly marked?

We as a society have a tendency to want to point the finger first, and find solutions later. I find it much less productive to start chasing after parents who relax two-year-olds' hair, than going after the people who sell and distribute those products without educating people about them. I have no problem with relaxers. My problem is with their misuse and the fact that they are misadvertised. There is no such thing as a kiddie perm or a mild perm. You're putting the same corrosive chemical on your scalp. People should be informed of that.

I encourage all you readers to check out the post on curly nikki that sparked this post. Here is the link: Is a relaxer child abuse?
I also encourage you to chime in with your thoughts. This is an ongoing issue in our community, and will be until we come together to stand up for the truth.