HLBrown asks…My hairdresser swears by a process called the “Brazilian Blowout,” saying it can actually change and rebuild the hair’s structure. A shampoo is first applied which removes all build-up. Then the solution, using the solution by Brazilian Blowout is applied all over the hair with a comb. The hair is then flat-ironed to “bake in” the treatment. Once entirely flat-ironed, the solution is washed out with Brazilian Blowout shampoo and a deep conditioning cream conditioned is left in for 5 minutes. Could this $300 + in chair treatment make the hair healthier?
The Left Brain responds:
The Blowout sounds like another name for the so-called Brazilian Keratin Straightening process which uses a high concentration of formaldehyde (or similar compounds) in combination with flat ironing to restructure hair.
Does it work?
Does it make your hair healthier? Well, it certainly makes it straighter. (Did you read our post on 7 Ways To Get Straighter Hair?) And as I pointed out in our Forum, the reason hair looks shinier after one of these treatments is because the hair is straighter. Straighter hair has less curves, reflects light better, and thus looks shinier. Straightened hair also feels softer and smoother because the cuticles are flattened down. A rough feel is a result of uplifted cuticles.
The treatment doesn’t actually re-build hair in the way that is implied (or directly claimed). The protein structure of a hair fiber is much more complicated than a simple straightening iron + hair treatment could ever reconstruct. It would be like trying to fix a hole in a blouse by putting it in a waffle iron with yarn and glue. You might cover the hole but you certainly haven’t “rebuilt” the purse.
Is it safe?
The problem with this process is safety. While low levels of formaldehyde don’t pose any problems, exposure to high levels has been linked to health problems, including cancer. Unfortunately, this is exactly the scenario that the Brazilian kits promote – the heat of the flat iron vaporizes the formaldehyde and exposes you to unacceptably high levels of the gas.
In the UK, the Cosmetics, Toiletries and Perfume Association recently reported that some products contain up to 10% formaldehyde (the limit under the UK Cosmetic Products Safety Regulations is only 0.2%). They’ve posted a warning on their website www.thefactsabout.co.uk to inform the public that there are legal, safe limits of formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde and glyoxal that are allowed in cosmetic products and that some ‘Brazilian’ hair treatments may use dangerous levels of these chemicals.
What do YOU think? Would you use a risky product to get straighter hair? Leave a comment and share your thoughts with the rest of the Beauty Brains community.
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Brazilian Keratin Straightening with more than 0.2% of formaldehyde is NOT allowed here in Brazil. So, “Brazilian” is just the name…
Um, girls, I think maybe you shouldn’t blog before coffee. There’s one little sentence that doesn’t make sense.
It would be like trying to fix a hole in a blouse by putting it in a waffle iron with yarn and glue. You might cover the hole but you certainly haven’t “rebuilt” the purse.
I didn’t know a waffle iron had the magical properties of turning a blouse into a purse.
I’ll never understand why women want straight hair anyway. Curly always looks so much better.
@Jami: Good catch. And the Left Brain gives ME crap about sloppy editing!
Note to Pedro: while Brazilian law may limit the use of formaldehyde at 0.2%, this is not necessarily respected by manufacturers and salon owners. Case in point: the 27 year old woman in Brazil who suffered severe respiratory difficulties and cardiac arrest while she was waiting out the 3 days before she could wash her hair. Much higher doses of formadehyde were found in the product used on her hair. Hopefully after this tragedy the 0.2% limit is truly being respected.
How about the Coppola Keratin Treatment, Keratinology and other systems manufactured in the US which claim to contain no formaldehyde? Are they safe? Can they damage the hair? I’ve seen the results and they are remarkable. Even if these products don’t truly repair damaged hair (what does?), hair looks great, dries quickly and is easy to manage.
Wonder if you can tell me where keratin in keratin treatments comes from…have heard various stories – that it’s whizzed up hair thats infused into your own hair, and then maybe its lab made keratin or keratin taken from sheep’s wool. I have never been able to find a definitive answer. I was concerned in case it is made from human hair.
As a fellow blogger I have to say I love your site, and this post is exactly why.
I want to say so many things I don’t know where to start…
First the original piece. Formaldehyde – Yes it’s dangerous, but it’s nowhere near as prevalent as people think. The solution is to ask questions. If you’re buying online get the supplier to give you the ingredients, and if you’re having the treatment applied in a salon or by a pro take a look at the bottle. Check what it contains and if you see the dreaded F-word, walk away.
It’s not neccersary for the Keratin to be activated. It used to be the only chemical that worked with Keratin to form an emulsion which can be easily absorbed by hair. Nowadays there are many alternatives and here in Brazil the use of Formaldehyde is virtually non existant, except in certain relaxing products.
New products, known as Escova Progressiva, or Brazilian Blowout, include Zene Progress (http://escovaprogress.com/default.aspx) the country’s best selling Keratin hair straightener, are completely Formaldehyde free and work every bit as well, if not better, than earlier formulas.
Next up, Lee’s comments… Is s/he seriously suggesting that manufacturers illegally mix in extra Formaldehyde to boost the effectiveness of their products? I’m sorry, but as somebody who works with Brazilian hair products I can personally assure her (or him) that this country is pretty strict on these sort of things.
As for the story about the woman, does he have a link? I’d like to see that one, because Formaldehyde is not easy to come by here.
Finally to British Beauty Blogger and the origins of Keratin. Generally it’s taken from the boiled bones of dead babies.
No seriously, it’s extracted from sheep wool, which contains higher levels of the naturally occuring chemical than most animals and, incidently, human hair too.
OK. That’s it. Happy Christmas all and a prosperous new year.
Keep up the good work and let’s swap links.
Love from the beach,
BB
Hi, I wrote this article a long ago about the process of Keratin and its benefits, as well as the myth on the use of formaldehyde. What do you think?
http://www.squidoo.com/BenefitsBrazilianKeratinTreatmentHair
I just launched a website and have been meaning to write a post about this treatment. I had it done about six months ago. I wasn’t very knowledgeable on the process but can tell you a bit about my experience.
First of all, the texture of my hair really did improve. Not only was it straighter, but it seemed much healthier than before. It was softer and I had fewer split ends. Yes, some of this may be the cause of the increased straightness, but, when I straightened my hair before and used a flat iron it was nowhere near as healthy as it is now.
It has actually lasted for about four months which has been great.
On to the negatives, as I was getting the treatment done, I knew it was bad. The chemicals stung my eyes so badly I had to keep them shut. That is definitely not good and the chemicals were so harsh that my head actually peeled about three days after the treatment. Knowing what I do now about these types of toxins, I will never go through that again. BUT, I have heard of a few healthier options that do just as good of a job and am excited to look into them further as I loved the outcome of the treatment. My “get ready” time decreased by about thirty minutes!
Let me know if anyone knows of something specific they would recommend.
Thanks and Merry XMAS!!
Sydne
Thanks for the response regarding the origins of Keratin…I’ve already linked you to my site – for over a year….love your site and am regular reader! JX