Brazilian Hair Straightening - Fabulous or Fatal?

Brazilian Hair Straightening is the hottest fad to hit beauty salons since, well, Brazilian waxing. Touted as a more natural, cheaper and less labor intensive process than Japanese hair straightening, stylists who perform this service claim it uses keratin, a natural protein, to soften, smooth and straighten hair. Before and after photos used as promotions for the treatment feature models with shiny, pin-straight tresses. The truth is, Brazilian Hair Straightening, also known as Brazilian Keratin Treatment, really does work as advertised. The only problem is, the part they don't tell you is that it can kill you!

While keratin is indeed an ingredient in the formulas used to perform Brazilian Hair Straightening, the true active ingredient is formaldehyde (as in embalming fluid). Formaldehyde is known to be an aggressive carcinogen, and its fumes are extremely dangerous. Heat and moderate humidity levels accelerate the noxious effects of the chemical. Since the Brazilian Hair Straightening treatment also involves applying heat to the hair with a straight-iron, stylists who perform it are in danger, and are cautioned to wear gas masks and latex gloves and perform the procedure in an area with ventilation. Even with these precautions the FDA considers any solution containing more than .02% formaldehyde to be patently unsafe. They don't regulate the formulas, however, most of which are manufactured in Latin America, and the higher the percentage of formaldehyde, the more effective a straightener the treatment is. Random testing performed by Allure Magazine indicated that some salons were using solutions that contained as much as ten times the safe amount.