Susan
Loving Mommyhood!
Member since 5/05 2391 total posts
Name:
Susan
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Brazilian Hair Straightening
Has anyone with relatively straight hair (just kind of frizzy/wavy) done this? My hairdressers always tell me I'm crazy for considering it bc after blowdrying and a 2 second iron job, my hair is straight as a pin, but I'd just love to airdry my hair and have it be pin straight. And I love that shine! I was going to do Brazilian bc I thought it was all natural and then I googled it, saw all the links to cancer/formaldyhyde and got so scared! Anyone do it and recommend/not recommend it?
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jerseypanda
Life is good.
Member since 1/07 9164 total posts
Name:
Amanda
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Re: Brazilian Hair Straightening
I have always fantasized about getting this done because I would love to "wash and go" with my hair.
But consider this.... in my mind it would be very similar to coloring your hair because as your roots grow in, they are not going to come in straight like the hair that was treated. So you may end up having really straight hair and 2 inches of frizzy, curly roots. Unless you plan on straightening your roots!
Now I am not sure if this is how it works because I have never had it done, but this is what my brain thinks would happen!
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Susan
Loving Mommyhood!
Member since 5/05 2391 total posts
Name:
Susan
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Re: Brazilian Hair Straightening
I did NOT know it was on CBS. Just looked it up:
CBS) Women are raving about a new hair-straightening process from Brazil that works and, by all accounts, works well, for up to four months.
But Brazilian Keratin Treatment (BKT) uses formaldehyde, a chemical known to cause cancer.
On The Early Show Friday, Dr. Ellen Marmur, a dermatologist at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, raised red flags about the potential health risks of BKT.
It's grown rapidly in popularity in the United States over the last six months.
It promises shiny, voluminous, straight hair -- even on colored or damaged hair -- for three to four months. The procedure, which costs between $150 and $800 or more, is available at salons across the country.
BKT claims to use keratin, a type of protein, rather than chemicals to naturally smooth out and straighten hair.
But experts say that's doubtful, and it's really the formaldehyde that makes the treatment work.
Formaldehyde is considered a carcinogen by a number of health and safety agencies.
Apparently, noxious fumes are released when it's applied, posing potential risks to the customer, the person applying it, and even others in the vicinity, Marmur says, adding that it's not just the risk from the actual application of the treatment, but from what happens in the months following it, when the chemical breaks down, that worries her.
There haven't been any conclusive studies about BKT, but experts are concerned about the possible inhalation or absorption of the formaldehyde in it.
The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, a group of doctors and scientists who assess and set recommended safety standards for cosmetic ingredients, determined point-two percent is a safe level of formaldehyde. However, samples tested by an Allure magazine investigation contained at least ten times more than that, and experts say amounts of formaldehyde in BKT vary.
Marmur stresses that, "It's not regulated at all. And why take the chance when there are other, safer options?"
Authorities have linked one death to BKT. It happened in Brazil.
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seaside
LIF Adult
Member since 6/08 3101 total posts
Name:
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Re: Brazilian Hair Straightening
I have looked into this. Even the "non formaldehyde" ones have SOME "...-aldehyde" compund that's a carcinogen making them work, which makes sense. It's not like one needs a carcinogen to work and the alternative is all safe...
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