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Beware The Brazillian Blowout
Stick-straight hair is so coveted by some women that they’re actually willing to risk their lives to get it with a new treatment called “The Brazillian Blowout” (escova progressiva). Trouble is, many women don’t know just how dangerous the procedure is.
It works like this: a stylist coats your hair with a solution containing the known carcinogen formaldehyde, then uses a 450-degree flat iron to perfectly straighten your strands. If you’re lucky, you’ll be instructed to wear some sort of mask during the procedure to prevent you from directly inhaling the noxious fumes. You’re then supposed to leave the solution on for up to 3 days before washing it out. The results are impressive: silky, straight, shiny hair. But are the risks worth it?
Allure Magazine conducted an investigation and found that most Brazilian Blowout solutions contain far more than the .2% formaldehyde considered safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel. In fact, the magazine reported finding up to 22.1% in some solutions they tested, a number experts consider to be highly dangerous.
The procedure is being touted as “revolutionary” (stylist Mark Garrison) and “seriously liberating” (Vogue beauty editor Sarah Brown). A recent post on DailyCandy.com titled Smooth Sailing called it “pure genius.” The New York Times was a bit more cautious but fell short of offering a warning:
“There are risks. There’s the hot iron. And the formula often contains formaldehyde, a known carcinogen that can irritate the eyes and lungs if the fumes are inhaled. A spokeswoman for the Food and Drug Administration, however, said that the agency has no restrictions on the use of formaldehyde in cosmetics,” The Times reported. (Click here to read the entire Times article.)
Elle’s beauty editor, Emily Dougherty had the most sense of anyone: “You need to do due diligence and challenge your stylist. Ask questions about where this chemical cocktail is coming from.” That’s because solutions coming directly from Brazil have been known to have the highest concentrations of formaldehyde.
Definitely do your homework and ask a lot of questions first before even considering this treatment.
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