Flewellen’s Hair Salon has been a staple in Oak Cliff for more than 50 years. Flewellen offers chemical hair relaxers to her clients but not without warning.
DALLAS — As thousands of women file lawsuits against chemical hair relaxer companies, claiming the products caused serious health issues, a longtime Dallas hairstylist is weighing in on the debate—calling for more education and professional oversight.
Flewellen’s Hair Salon has been a staple in Oak Cliff for more than 50 years, with Kaye Flewellen currently at the helm.
“My mother founded the salon in 1970 and I’ve been a part of the salon since its inception. And then when she retired in 1992, I took over the salon,” Flewellen said. “It’s actually the longest continuously running African American salon in Dallas.”
From the rise and fall of the Jheri curl — to the push for bone-straight hair and a recent surge in clients wanting to embrace their natural curls and kinks, Kaye Flewellen has seen and served it all.
“I’m a student of the craft,” Flewellen said. “My entire life I have studied the industry. I have read about the industry. I’ve paid attention to the trends…at what made this product work, why this was such a stellar product, and why that product failed.”
When it comes to chemical hair relaxers, Flewellen offers them to her clients but not without warning.
“I have clients who really like the relaxer,” Flewellen said. “We talk about the possible hazards of the relaxer.”
As thousands of women around the country seek legal action against the companies that make and market chemical straightening products following two scientific studies revealing a possible link between chemical relaxers and uterine cancer cases , Flewellen questions whether the products are fully to blame.
“I don’t believe that the relaxer is as dangerous as it has been [portrayed],” Flewellen said. “I’ve read the whole study.”
Instead, Flewellen said she believes chemical hair straighteners become dangerous when they’re misused.
“I think the problem with relaxers is that consumers started doing their own hair because, as a stylist, we made it look easy. We made it look like something you can do at home,” she said.
“It does have to be monitored. It does have to be taken care of like any chemical. Who would go into a scientific lab and then just take some of those chemicals home and just start playing with them?”
Both of the studies that have found a potential relationship between chemical hair relaxers and cancer cases considered how often women were using the products as a risk factor.
Flewellen believes that professional application is key, as improper use—such as overuse, leaving the product on too long, or failing to take proper precautions—can lead to damage.
For that reason, she said she doesn’t believe chemical hair relaxers should be available for over-the-counter purchase. She believes the products should only be administered by professionals who are licensed and trained to use them and who have to be accountable for their products and practices.
“You definitely know your hair, but I’m a professional, and I have given my life to studying and understanding hair—so have many other professionals,” she said. “I think it’s important that we consult people who are experts in their craft.”
For Flewellen, hairstyling is more than just a business—it’s a legacy, an art, and a science.
“I think a lot of people overlook the fact that this is a science,” Flewellen said.
While Flewellen offers hair relaxers, she is discerning about which products she uses.
“I have never favored a product that had formaldehyde in it, and there are a lot of them,” Flewellen said. “My mind tells me that if formaldehyde is used in embalming, then I just can’t logically use that same product.”
Formaldehyde has been identified as a carcinogen, and the FDA is currently considering banning hair straightening products that contain the chemical.
Flewellen said she has, and will continue to, push for accountability and oversight in her industry from the ingredients used in products to work practices for stylists.
“I believe that without regulation in the industry, you absolutely remove the accountability for the stylist and then people have the opportunity to just run rogue in the industry,” Flewellen said.
After watching the shop thrive for 55 years and working as a stylist herself for more than 20 of those years, Flewellen knows you can’t succeed in this industry without putting people first. It’s a standard her family has always held to and one she plans to never let go of.
