Not everyone who used chemical hair straighteners has a legal claim. The litigation focuses on specific injuries allegedly caused by these products, and qualifying requires meeting criteria related to both your health history and your product use.
Cancer Diagnosis
The hair relaxer litigation centers on cancer—specifically uterine cancer and ovarian cancer. These are the conditions for which scientific evidence most strongly supports a connection to chemical straightening products. The NIH Sister Study found over double the uterine cancer risk among frequent users, and additional research has linked these products to ovarian cancer as well.
If you developed uterine cancer or ovarian cancer, you potentially qualify for the litigation. Your diagnosis should be confirmed by medical records, pathology reports, and treatment documentation. The specific type of uterine cancer matters less than having a confirmed diagnosis—endometrial cancer, uterine sarcoma, and other uterine malignancies are all included.
Other cancers aren't currently part of the litigation. While some research has examined connections between hair products and breast cancer or other malignancies, the evidence isn't as strong as it is for uterine and ovarian cancer. This could change as science evolves, but for now, claims focus on uterine and ovarian cancer specifically.
Product Use History
You need a meaningful history of using chemical hair straightening products—relaxers, keratin treatments, or similar products that use chemicals to straighten hair. Occasional use years ago is unlikely to support a strong claim. The research linking these products to cancer focused on frequent, long-term users.
What counts as sufficient use? The NIH study found elevated risk among women who used straighteners more than four times per year. More frequent use correlated with higher risk. Women who used these products regularly for many years have the strongest usage profiles for litigation purposes.
The products involved are chemical straighteners—not hot combs, flat irons, or other heat-based styling tools. The allegations concern chemical formulations containing potentially carcinogenic and endocrine-disrupting ingredients. If you're unsure whether the products you used qualify, describing them to an attorney can help clarify.
Documentation Considerations
You don't need perfect records to have a case, but documentation helps. Medical records confirming your cancer diagnosis and treatment are essential—these are typically obtainable even if you don't have personal copies. Product use history is harder to document formally since most people don't keep receipts for hair products purchased years ago.
Other evidence can establish usage history. Salon records may exist if you had professional treatments. Photographs over the years showing straightened hair support claims of regular use. Family members can provide testimony about products they saw you use. Even your own detailed recollection of products, brands, and usage patterns contributes to the record.
Timing Issues
Your product use should have preceded your cancer diagnosis—you can't claim products caused a cancer you developed before using them. Beyond that basic requirement, timing questions get complex. Cancers develop over years, so products used a decade before diagnosis may still be relevant. Attorneys and medical experts evaluate whether the timeline in your specific case supports causation.
Statutes of limitations also impose timing requirements on filing claims. These vary by state and typically run from when you knew or should have known that hair straighteners might have caused your cancer. Since the major research emerged only recently, many women are still within filing windows. But statutes of limitations are real deadlines—missing yours means losing your right to file regardless of case strength.
Special Situations
Family members may file claims on behalf of women who died from uterine or ovarian cancer after using chemical hair straighteners. These wrongful death claims seek compensation for medical expenses before death, funeral costs, and the loss suffered by surviving family. Typically spouses, children, or parents can bring these claims, depending on state law.
Women diagnosed before the research emerged and the litigation began still potentially qualify. The relevant question isn't when you were diagnosed but whether your diagnosis and product use history meet the criteria. Some women diagnosed years ago may have valid claims they didn't realize they had until the science caught up.
Getting Evaluated
If you have uterine or ovarian cancer and a history of chemical hair straightener use, the clearest path forward is consulting with an attorney handling this litigation. Evaluations are free, and experienced attorneys can quickly assess whether your situation fits the claims being pursued. They'll ask about your diagnosis, your product use, and your documentation, then give you an honest assessment of whether you have a viable case.
Don't assume you don't qualify without asking. Many women used these products for years without thinking much about it—it was just part of their routine. Now that routine may have legal significance worth exploring.