Update: The Brazilian Blowout Controversy: a Formaldehyde-free Alternative
The Brazilian Blowout is blowing up the news – and this time, the results aren’t good.
Beauty mavens nationwide and celebs aplenty have swooned for their products.
Smooth, frizz-free, straight hair without any of the damage from the formaldehyde found in other relaxers and strengtheners? Yes please!
Some said it was too good to be true, and now stylists in Oregon are saying they’ve experienced difficulty breathing, eye irritation and nose bleeds when they apply the product. Is your beloved Brazilian Blowout doomed forever?
Well… yes. And no.
Here’s the deal. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen – it causes cancer, most often in your lungs. So when companies have even 0.1% formaldehyde in their products, they are required to alert hair stylists. To say the least, when the Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently found that Brazilian Blowout products consist of 8-10% formaldehyde, they weren’t happy.
But hold up. Before you go all mass media on me and freak yourself out, here’s the context. And it’s not even half as bad as you think.
Because not all Brazilian Blowout products are made by the Brazilian Blowout company.
“We didn’t offer the Brazilian Blowout for a long time,” says stylist Carrie Wabs of Beautique Beauty Bar in Belmont, CA. “It worked, of course, but we wanted to make sure we were really selective and did our homework.” Instead, the salon now offers the Simply Smooth treatment.
“There’s a difference between the industrial grade preservatives in the Brazilian Blowout products, and the food grade preservatives in the Simply Smooth treatment,” Carrie explains. “Industrial grade is used to preserve corpses. Food grade, called vanillin, can be found in Hershey’s bars. It’s chemical and animal free, so it doesn’t hair the stylist or the client.
Plus, Simply Smooth is composed of the keratin found in human hair, unlike the sheep’s hair in the Brazilian Blowout products, so the effectiveness of the Simply Smooth treatment accumulates each time you use it.”
“Simply Smooth was conceived in Brazil, and perfected in the U.S.,” Carrie reassures. “It’s also a Brazilian treatment, just not with the formaldehyde.”
So breathe deep, Brazilian beauties. Your hair (and lungs) can still be stylin’ and completely safe. Yes, you’ll need to say goodbye to the Brazilian Blowout products, but not the treatment.
Update:
In response to the international upset, the Brazilian Blowout company alleges that OSHA didn’t actually test their product, since OSHA didn’t directly request a product sample from the Brazilian Blowout company. The company has claimed that the OSHA testing standards is faulty. Now, Canada has completely banned the treatment.
But according to Sam Brocato of the Sam Brocato Salon in New York City, “that is nonsense.”
“Salon owners are busy,” Sam says. “We don’t sit around all day asking ourselves how we can, for no reason at all, ruin the reputation of the companies whose products we use. I personally had tested several keratin treatments that claim to be formaldehyde-free and guess what? I have results in my desk that prove otherwise.” The Sam Brocato Salon offers its own formaldehyde-free treatment, CurlInterrupted, across the country, and results last anywhere from one wash to 12 weeks, depending on which option chosen (temporary, semi-permanent and demi-permanent).
So breathe deep, Brazilian beauties. Your hair (and lungs) can still be stylin’ and completely safe. Yes, you’ll need to say goodbye to the Brazilian Blowout products, but not the treatment.
Just make sure you say the magic words upon salon arrival: Simply Smooth.
And check out another safe alterative called the Surface Smooth & Healthy Hair Salon Treatment -Formaldehyde Free
- Caitlin Garthoffner
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So I think it is also important to mention that The Brazilian Blowout product line HAS done testing showing that it can contain up to .0002% formaldehyde….which is the lower than the amount necessary by the Clean Air & Water Act. If you are interested I suggest you go to the website & do your own investigating instead of letting others do it for you.
”Formaldehyde-Free” Test Results Released! For the latest update visit: http://www.brazilianblowout.com/new-press, click enter & look to the bottom of the page for the link to “test results”
Brazilian Blowout DOES contain formaldehyde, and well over the legal limit.
Both the state of Oregon and Canada’s public health agency have issued alerts about this product.
Do not believe ANYTHING this company tells you.
Money on the fact that Becky B is a paid publicist for the company and is doing nothing but trolling online for negative stories so she can drive everyone back to the company website. Good luck with that. They’ll be out of business within 6 months.
Using Organic and Natural ingredients is the only way to go… it’s so amazing to me that with all the publicity surrounding the danger of using chemicals now days women are still seeking treatments that can harm their health.
Also We all know how it’s so bad for the earth, when this fumes are released to the ozone layer and over time creating natural disasters.
Regardless of any company that offers any type of harmful straightening treatments… are bad for you and its time stylist understand that making profit from them it’s not only temporary but not warted to their own health.
I suggest getting oil treatments made with delicious oils that nature allow us to use and they enhance the shine in your hair, remove toxins and improve the condition of your scalp… check out my brand YAROK
Serum 7 Spark Your Youth with Organic Avocado, Yarrow, Ylang Ylang, Apricot Kernel and Orange Blossom oils at http://www.yarokhair.com
Yarok donates 3% of its annual profits to The Pachamama Alliance,
http://www.pachamama.org, a globally flourishing non-profit dedicated to supporting
the indigenous people of Ecuador and Peru to protect over 10 million acres of
Amazonian Rainforest. So every time you purchase or use a Yarok product, you
are joining a powerful alliance to make a difference for our world and for future
Generations.
These articles are interesting and very important for anyone considering on getting a Brazilian treatment. Many do not realize that formaldehyde may be contained in these products. We need to do our research and talk to our stylists.
I don’t believe any company or brand that says it’s formaldehyde free. They are finding high percentages well over the 0.1% limit. Formaldehyde fumes are carcinogenic, no two ways about that! If I were a salon worker, I would be very concerned about that and I would make sure that client and workers wear thick masks, as the very least. All the best to all but unless there are stricter regulations on these products by OSHA then no one can ever be sure what they are being exposed to. OSHA needs to intervene. It’s that simple.
Having had the Brazilian Blowout several times, I am very concerned about the formaldehyde. However, many children’s immunizations contain formaldehyde and this stuff is being injected right into our babies and young children! Go to http://www.cdc.gov and search for “Vaccine Excipient and Media Summary” to see which vaccines contain this toxin. Then do NOT act surprised when we all develop cancer from exposure to this carcinogen! Any of you know young children with cancer?
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