Brazilian Blowout Presents New Dangers
From Coco + Creme — Brazilian Blowouts have been all the rage in salons nationwide. The intense smoothing treatment promises to improve the health of the hair by coating the cuticle in protein, which eliminates frizz and leaves our tresses luxuriously shiny. On their website, the company boasts several factors that supposedly set them apart from the rest: the products are non-damaging and contain no harsh chemicals, the treatment is quick and can be completed in just 90minutes, results are immediate and last for up to 12 weeks, and they claim that all products are Formaldehyde-Free.
Well, recent studies done by Oregon’s Occupational Safety & Health Administration have found that last claim to be untrue. After the FDA received complaints of adverse health effects caused during application of the Brazilian Blowout, chemists decided to test the products in the lab. Keep in mind, precautions are supposed to be taken when hair products contain even .1% Formaldehyde. The two samples taken from different salons in Oregon found that the smoothing solution did, in fact, contain about 8-10% of the carcinogen.
These findings are only the beginning, and more tests are being done to confirm the safety of the Brazilian Blowout. But for now, the effects seem to be most harmful for stylists who are at danger of being exposed to the cancer-causing chemicals so frequently throughout the day. There have been complaints of eye irritation, difficulty breathing, headaches, and even nose bleeds. Yet the hair company continues to defend the quality of their products; their argument is that since the samples weren’t taken directly from the manufacturer, the findings cannot be deemed reliable or valid. We’ll keep you posted.
Knowing this new information, would you still try a Brazilian Blowout?
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African Mami on
No Romance Without Finance?
yes. BUT he was working towards bettering his life. There's the difference, a big difference. I would get married in a heartbeat to a broke...
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jazzyphile on
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She sure as heck kept it on the low while she was milking the Disney-Good Girl money. I guess she milked that tit dry.
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jazzyphile on
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Wasn't Obama pretty much broke and in debt with college loans when he hooked up with Michelle?
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CK1 on
Why is Raven Symoné’s Sexuality Your Business?
Bravo to her. I think more celebrities ... gay or straight ... should keep their personal lives to themselves.
Worse problems exist with the use of hair relaxers, but it’s not PC to tell women that the creamy crack is dangerous, so I guess that’s why I’m not seeing articles on that.
sisters with nappy hair will live longer……..
Yep. Cus if the FDA allows relaxers, how credible are they? Those things burn holes in peoples heads!
just go natural ladies! geesh
It’s worth remembering that this investigation was only into a single product, called Brazilian Blowout and that the same name has become a generic term for keratin straightening, especially in the States.
There are many other products which produce very similar results without the use of Formaldehdye. It’s just unfortunate that it was the leading product in America that fell foul.
As a rule of thumb, Brazilian straightening products tend to come in two varieties. Thise that can be washed out on the same day and those that have to be left on for between 48 and 72 hours.
It’s the first group, that offer ‘no downtime’ which tend to contain Formaldehyde or its equally dangerous derivatives.
If you’re looking for a safe alternative, try a product from Brazil, where regulation is much tougher. For a start, you’ll always find a complete list of ingreidents on the side of the bottle. But it’s also worth noting that Brazil has much tougher legislation to protect consumers, and no products which could potentially harm end users would ever be sanctioned for sale in the first place.
Have a look around online for names like Escova Progressiva (the generic term we use for keratin straightening in Brazil), or product names like Systema Rising or Zene Progress, which are both excellent products.
Just because one leading company has decieved the public shouldn’t put people off what is a fantastic product for fighting frizz.
The FDA approves of a whole bunch of stuff, that they retract later.
Last week, I read an investigative article on how the FDA doesn’t fully conduct proper studies before approving certain medical procedures/medications; and that in many cases the approval/dangers it’s just based on assumption. Drug/surgical item manufacturers have also been accused of paying writers to write biased guidelines for their drugs. Like look at this recent Avandia case. Risk of the drug was said to have been noticed 10 years ago.
If you can live your life chemical/drug free… go for it. There so much funky business going on that the public will never know about….or until its too late.
I also heard that some studies showed that Black women suffer from certain brain issues due to use of relaxers. Whether that was true or not, they’re not gonna take them off the shelf, cause its all about money.
I would be scared to used this product since it is exclusively an “ethnic” product. The manufacturers can put anything in the product and claim that it is safe. I can’t trust it.
that’s why i stick with the creamy crack lol!
What many black women do not know or perhaps they don’t care is that creamy crack is indeed dangerous. It is loaded with many cancer causing agents and we wonder why cancer has risen among black women. When creamy crack first hit the scene a white male scientist went to the FDA to protest its use and to prevent it from hitting the market. The FDA of course could have cared less what happens to black women and thus approved the product. Look at statistics look at our prior hair care routine afros, straightening combs, braids and than take a look at the cancer rate when those styles were popular and compare them to know. Not only that black women has now added in birth control which again has harmful side affects. If you want straight hair my suggestion to you is to pull out the flat iron or straightening comb. Creamy crack is just another killer in a bottle and we slap it on our heads and our daughters head. Research and ask yourself is it worth it.
Something to thing about and research! I have wanted to go natural for so long just so scared to do it.
I had the brazilian blowout done last June. My hair was gorgeous, I had many compliments and it was easy to blowdry, especially during the humid summer months. I faithfully used the brazilian blowout shampoo, conditioner, and serum for blowing out. after a few weeks, I noticed flakes on my scalp right where my hair meets my face. My hair also seemed to be thinning out. Very unattractive! I still have flakes, and severly dry skin on my forehead. It is now January, a full six months after the process. I have been using t-gel shampoo to deal with the flakes. My hair seems thicker again, and has the body it had pre-brazilian. Has anyone else experienced this? What are our alternatives if we still want that shiny gorgeous hair without using the treatment?