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Brazilian Hair Straightening ** WARNING **
By Sheila Venancia
From 1999 to 2006, I worked as a hair stylist at some of the top salons in Brazilia City, the capital of Brazil. In 2003, a new hair straightening trend took the country by storm. It was called the Brazilian Hair Smoothing (Straightening) Process. This was a new method of straightening even the most curly or kinky hair. It used a new component, known as Keratin.
At the time these products were hitting the market I had just opened my own hair salon. Given its growing popularity I decided to try the product on a test model. To my surprise, immediately after performing the procedure I began to feel ill and my body started to ache. Nothing like this had ever happened to me before. I decided at that moment that I would never use this type of product on my clients.
Even though the popularity of the Brazilian hair straightening treatments was explosive, I kept my promise. Though this decision could cause me to lose out on an extraordinary amount of income potential, I could not in good conscious expose my clients to these types of products.
It is a good thing I held to my convictions. Over the next several years there were hundreds, if not thousands, of reports of people becoming very sick from these hair treatments and dozens of reports of people even dying from anaphylactic shock after their exposure to these products, particularly hair stylists that were performing the procedure regularly. The problem became so self evident that the Brazilian government stepped in and banned the use of these types of products, but not before they made their way here to America.
The hair straightening product my stylist uses doesn’t contain formaldehyde, or does it?
Many Keratin-based hair smoothing products contain formaldehyde dissolved (and chemically reacted) in water and other ingredients in the product. Because of the way the formaldehyde reacts in these products, some manufacturers, importers, or distributors might list other names for formaldehyde on product information or might claim that the product is “formaldehyde-free.” Formaldehyde might be listed as methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanal, oxomethane, oxymethylene, or CAS Number 50-00-0. All of these are names for formaldehyde under OSHA’s Formaldehyde standard. There are also chemicals, such as timonacic acid (also called thiazolidinecarboxylic acid) that can release formaldehyde under certain conditions, such as those present during the hair smoothing treatment process. The bottom line is that formaldehyde can be released from hair smoothing products that list any of these named components on the label.*
What is formaldehyde and how can it affect my health?
Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas that presents a health hazard to persons exposed to it. You can be exposed to formaldehyde if you breathe it into your lungs, if it gets into your eyes, or if it is contained in a product that gets onto your skin. Formaldehyde is released when hair treated with a Keratin based product is heated with a blow dryer and then with a hot flat iron, as the product labeling recommends.*
According to the FDA, “When formaldehyde is in a product that gets sprayed into the eyes, it can damage the eyes and cause blindness. It is also a known carcinogen. Salon workers and customers using Keratin based hair-straightening solutions have suffered side effects like eye and throat irritation, headache, dizziness, burning sensations, breathing problems, nosebleeds, chest pain, vomiting and rash.”*
The U.S. Department of Labor recently issued a Hazard Alert for Brazilian hair straightening treatments (also called Brazilian Keratin Treatment, BKT, Brazilian Blowout, Escova Progressiva, Keratin Cure or Keratin Straightening) that are designed to temporarily straighten hair by sealing a liquid Keratin and a preservative solution into the hair with a hair iron. These products have also been banned in several other countries, including Canada and the European Union, due to high concentrations of regulated chemicals in them.
Is there a solution?
I understood the desire that many women have to straighten their hair, but the potential negative affect to their health, not to mention my health, was not worth the risk that Keratin based treatments posed. I believed that there had to be a better and less toxic alternative. So, I set out to investigate the problem and find a solution.
After performing much research, I discovered a process that originated in Japan that is referred to as, what else, Japanese Hair Straightening. The products used in this process do not contain Keratin or any other form of formaldehyde. I now have nearly 10 years experience using just such a product and can truthfully say that it is a much better alternative than the Keratin based treatments that are more commonly available. Not only does this product not have the same potential health risks as the Keratin based products, but my experience clearly indicates that it provides a much better and longer lasting end result.
“Don’t forget, your hair is very important, and so is your health”
Sheila Venancia
* References OSHA and FDA Web Sites
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Sheila Venancia has over a decade of distinguished international experience. Originally from Brazil, she trained with leading international hair professionals in London, Spain, Brazil and the USA. In Brazil, Sheila rose among the top-ranking hair and makeup artists, catapulting her into the celebrity arena. Sheila’s work has been featured on Brazilian television shows, newspapers and magazines. Her specialties are non-toxic Japanese hair straightening, laser hair extensions, and high-end modern styling. Sheila may be reached at (941) 822.2152
Copyright © 2012 REAL Magazine
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