In February 2026, Consumer Reports tested synthetic braiding-hair products for heavy metals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs). The coverage put a hard question in front of every braider and parent: what is the hair I put on my scalp, or my child's, actually made of? Here is what EZBRAID is, what the tests found, and what we're doing about it — in plain language.
What Consumer Reports found
In its February 2026 coverage, Consumer Reports reported detectable heavy metals in braiding-hair products across the category, including in EZBRAID. Lead was one of the substances that drew the most concern in the reporting. On the record, the company's position is: “We do not intentionally add lead, arsenic, cadmium, or other heavy metals.”
What we're doing about it
Rather than treat the testing as a one-time event, EZBRAID is expanding independent U.S. third-party testing. That work is in progress, and we will share results as they are completed — including tests for heavy metals and for volatile organic compounds such as vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), benzene, toluene, and formaldehyde.
What EZBRAID is made of
What a product is made from is the part that doesn't change batch to batch. EZBRAID is made from PP (polypropylene) and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) — not the modacrylic used in much conventional braiding hair — materials widely used in consumer, medical, and food-contact products. It is PVC-free, with no acrylonitrile, and made without added hair dye.
Antibacterial fiber
EZBRAID is built on SPETRA fiber, which carries an antibacterial zinc-sulfide layer built into the fiber to help resist odor-causing bacteria. Because the antibacterial function is part of the fiber rather than a surface coating, it holds up through wear, and there is no factory coating that needs to be rinsed off before use.
What it means for you
The Consumer Reports cycle made one thing clear: not all braiding hair is the same, and what a product is made from matters more than how it is washed. Because EZBRAID is built from PP and PET with a built-in antibacterial fiber and ships without the alkaline factory coating found on much conventional braiding hair, it is designed so that no pre-rinse or vinegar soak is required before use.
Read more on our braiding-hair safety guide, or find EZBRAID near you.