A cornerstone of life for just about every Black girl is sitting down to get her hair braided. The slice of a rat-tail comb through blow-dried hair, the slather of grease on the scalp, the tug of the first few plaits, and the satisfaction of walking out ready to act brand new for the next three to five weeks. But right alongside that joy is another deeply embedded ritual in the Black beauty lexicon: slapping your head to ease the itch. The flakes that show up after a few weeks. The scalp irritation we learn to live with.

We tend to laugh these moments off as part of the process, but it’s deeper than that. There’s a hidden cost: chronic irritation, toxic fumes, and long-term health risks that have gone ignored for far too long.

A recent article from the Harvard School of Public Health spotlighted a 2023 study that found synthetic braiding hair contains unsafe levels of lead, a chemical linked to kidney damage, cardiovascular issues, reproductive harm, and brain damage in adults. Even more alarming, the study revealed that exposure can have devastating effects on children, including nervous system damage, learning disabilities, behavioral issues, and developmental delays.

Naturally, Black women are behind this surge in mindful beauty products. Researcher Dr. Donna Auguste conducted a study on VOCs (volatile organic compounds) released when synthetic hair is heated. Dr. Tamara James-Todd, an epidemiologist at Harvard who studies the long-term health effects of beauty products, especially on Black women, published work linking commonly used products to cancer and endocrine disruption.

It’s a troubling trend, and if we want to reverse it, that work has to start with us.

Ciara Imani May, founder of Rebundle, a plant-based braiding hair company, is flipping that script with a mission that goes beyond hair. “Dating back as far as I can remember, people have been talking about braids being itchy and irritating,” Ciara says. “You experience it for yourself and think it’s just part of it—like if you get braids, expect it to be painful and itchy.” That normalization of pain led Ciara to ask a deeper question: why is discomfort still the default?

Rebundle answers with a first-of-its-kind plant-based braiding hair made from banana fibers. It’s biodegradable, reusable, and free from the carcinogenic ingredients found in traditional synthetic extensions. “What I knew about braiding hair was the frequency of use and the price point and the availability meant there was a ton of waste being created and not accounted for,” Ciara says. “I wasn’t going to launch something that was going to add to that problem.”

  Rebundle is changing things up in the beauty industry. Jennifer Silverberg

The founder’s approach pushes beauty beyond the surface and challenges the status quo to redefine what ‘beauty’ means. The emerging redefinition includes physical health and longevity as well as climate change. “It’s 2025. The climate crisis is here. You can’t just discount those things,” Ciara demands. “I don’t see a world in which products that come to market don’t take into consideration the environmental impact of the materials we use, the life cycle of those products, the disposal of those products.”

As consumers and stylists alike look for alternatives that care for both body and planet, brands like Rebundle prove that beauty rooted in wellness isn’t a luxury, it’s what we’ve always deserved. Ciara’s forthcoming documentary, Reclaimed: Beyond the Braid, which is currently raising funds for post-production and completion costs, aims to shine a light on the health risks of synthetic hair and the power of Black-owned innovation in beauty. And it goes beyond Rebundle.

“It’s not just us being mentioned. There are other brands, and there’s enough for all of us,” she says. “From the products to the distribution to the manufacturing to the formulations, we’re reclaiming all of it.”