You’ve read about the wonderful benefits and promises of a Brazilian Blow Dry and are looking to get one done but are worried about the risk. At the same time you have heard much about the danger of formaldehyde but what is it really?
Formaldehyde is a chemical that is used as a preservative, an embalming agent and a disinfectant. However, formaldehyde can also modify our hair proteins, called keratins, causing the hair to return to its original, smooth, healthy state. Some of the other chemicals that can cause health issues are methylene glycol, formalin, methylene oxide, paraform, formic aldehyde, methanol, oxomethane, oxymethylene and CAS Number 50-00-0. The chemical methylene glycol is formed when formaldehyde gas is added to water; when heated, this chemical turns back into formaldehyde gas and is then released into the air.
These chemicals can be harmful at room temperature. The real danger occurs when they are heated. The intensity is increased and can cause harm to both you and your stylist. Some of the acute side effects include nosebleeds, burning eyes and throat, skin irritations and asthma attacks. These chemicals can also lead to long-term health issues, including nasopharyngeal cancer and leukemia.
Now any doctor will tell you that toxicity is in the dose. For example, very small doses of Arsenic can be used to treat certain cancers, but take to much and it will kill you. The same goes for pretty much everything, even too much water or oxygen will kill you. The LDLo (the lowest dose that can kill) in humans for formaldehyde is 70mg/kg or 4.2g (teaspoon is 5ml), to kill a 60kg woman. Now Brazilian Blow Dry’s typically claim to contain 0.2% formaldehyde, however a recent study showed that they contain on average 5.7% formaldehyde. This equates to about 2.85g, just over half a fatal dose or enough to kill a 40kg child in a normal application. If you have longer or thicker hair then you will get a higher dose!
Doses of 8.6ppm (parts per million) or 0.0086% formaldehyde have been shown to cause cancer in rats. In humans it can illicit a toxic response in concentrations of as little as 0.05-2 ppm or 0.0005-0.002%. That’s probably why your eyes get irritated when you have a Brazilian. If you have symptoms that are worse than this, then you could be being exposed to a much higher concentration. Now you know the risks involved. Remember the average concentration of formaldehyde in a Brazilian is 5700ppm or 600 times a proven cancer causing dose.
As a result, the dangers of Brazilian Blow Drys were well publicised in a ground-breaking report by the us based EWG (Environmental Working Group) titled Flat Out Risky as early as 2011.
While there was some actions taken by companies to address these concerns, even up to now these danger still exist. Hair companies, unfortunately have tried a bit of window dressing by using different names to hide the fact they use it. They have even moved away from using the name Brazilian Blow Dry and coining new brands/terms that seemingly address the core issue of formaldehyde use. These have been confirmed by more recent surveys, internationally and locally and of particular concern was the dangers that this would pose to children and pregnant women.
The sad truth is that due to the unregulated nature of the beauty industry most companies do whatever they feel like and they will do whatever they feel like as long as popular opinion allows them to do so. This is no better illustrated by the instance where the leading manufacturer of this treatment insensitively stated that they would “… get to sell the product forever without reformulation.” In South Africa things are not any different. An example pointed out by a local hair salon in Port Elizabeth indicates that companies will still try and pass of unsafe products as safe.
“Recently, a reputable hair company informed us of a new Brazilian that was completely formaldehyde free. We checked the ingredients and sure enough could not find any of formaldehyde’s usual cover names. One did catch our eye, DMDM Hydantion. Which when you heat it will release 2 molecules of formaldehyde for every molecule of Hydantion. Hence, they could claim it was completely formaldehyde free, on the bottle. And you wondered why your eyes still itched with the formaldehyde free versions?”
At the end of the day if you are a regular Brazilian blow-wave client or go to a salon that does a lot of Brazilians you may be at just as much risk as your hairdresser. Studies on hair salons found during and after a Brazilian, toxic levels of formaldehyde could be found all over the salon.
Well, think of this blog as a drug commercial. I know you’ve seen them: someone running on the beach, laughing and enjoying life, while the voice tells you how well the drug works. But then the voice quickly spouts off a laundry list of all the side effects. It’s the same thing with these products - all you ever heard about were the benefits. You can decide whether you want to take a risk by getting a Brazilian blowout. It’s like anything in life: You weigh the risk against the reward. There are other genuinely formaldehyde free straighteners out there. It really boils down to the salon owner/stylist to be wary of these options to ensure the safety and well-being of their clients. There is no better time than now to have a heart-to-heart with your stylist to ensure you look good but are also being responsible to yourself and those around you.
