Straight Talk: Beware the Brazilian

An article in the October 2007 issue of Allure shocked me to the core. According to the magazine, a new Brazilian hair straightening treatment could be a health hazard. But it hasn’t stopped women from jumping on this beauty bandwagon, or hairstylists from performing the procedure.

The treatment, referred to as escova progressiva in Brazil, promises shiny, voluminous, straight hair – even on colored or damaged hair – for two to three months. Brands in the United States include the Brazilian Keratin Treatment, and the Brazilian Blowout. The procedure, which costs between $150 and $600, is on the menu at salons – large and small – across the country.

Sounds like a beauty breakthrough, right? Far from it, actually - as escova progressiva often contains high concentrations of formaldehyde, a carcinogen (cancer-causing chemical). Even scarier – most customers have no idea what straightening their curls really costs them.

Allure collected samples of some of the most popular treatments on the market, and sent them to an FDA-registered lab for testing. The tests revealed that the formaldehyde concentrations in the samples ranged from 3.4 to 22.1 percent – much higher than the .02 percent that is regarded to be safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel (CIR), a group of scientists who assess and set safety standards for cosmetics ingredients.

Most stylists using the treatment said they were taking recommended safety precautions, such as wearing latex gloves, using gas masks, and working under ventilation hoods. Unfortunately these safety measures do little to prevent harmful side effects. During the escova progressive treatment, the solution is painted onto the hair and, using a 450-degree flat iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. In the process, noxious gases are released that are inhaled by both stylist and customer – and depending on the formaldehyde concentration, the fumes can seriously irritate the eyes and tissues in the nose and throat.

According to Allure, “rumor has it that the process was born when an embalmer in Brazil found that the formaldehyde he used on corpses also straightened their hair. The embalmer allegedly reasoned, ‘Why wouldn’t it work on the living?’ And with a hairstylist, he created a solution thought to have a formaldehyde percentage in the 20s.”

This past March, a 33-year old Brazilian woman died after using escova progressiva, which she applied herself and left on for the four days, the amount of time salons recommend. Experts suspect that when she finally washed it out, the toxic vapors were released and asphyxiated the otherwise healthy woman in the shower.

Many hairdressers claim that the protein keratin is the ingredient that straightens the hair. But an Allure source says “it’s doubtful that the keratin does anything other than provide a good marketing story.” She says, “that it’s really the formaldehyde that makes the treatment work.”

Despite all of these caveats, no health agency has deemed it illegal in the U.S., but that’s because no group approves beauty products before they come to market.

Bottom Line: Do women really want hair that’s to die for?