Two years and many research dollars later, it hasn't happened and I don’t believe it ever will. But I don’t want all of that knowledge and research to go to waste, so I’m going to give you the inside scoop on Brazilian keratin treatments. The Good, The Bad & The Ugly.
1. The Promise
2. The Problem
3. The Verdict
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1. The Promise
“Do you want shiny, straight, healthy, gorgeous hair? Hair that you can run your fingers through and that men will long to touch?”
This was the intro for the marketing piece that I came up with for the products I would offer to the market. It sums up my hair fantasy - and if you're reading this, probably yours too.
We could spend hours examining why, but for whatever reason, millions of women want long, gorgeous movie-star hair. Instead they have coarse, frizzy, unruly hair. And there has never been an easy way to turn frizzy and fried hair to flow-y and fabulous hair without severe damage.
Traditional straightening methods, like the reverse perm and Japanese thermal reconditioning, destroy hair, especially over time. But Brazilian keratin promised to turn back the clock, to repair, and to actually make hair better, not just straighter.
No wonder I got hooked.
2. The Problem
Unfortunately, there’s a catch: Formaldehyde.
Formaldehyde is often used as a preservative. It’s found in lots of household products (like glue and nail polish). Intense exposure can be irritating and cause severe reactions (especially in the mucus membranes and respiratory system: eyes, nose, mouth & lungs). It’s also a carcinogen, though some challenge that assertion.
In Brazilian keratin treatments, the formaldehyde is the active ingredient that straightens the hair. Supposedly it is also what binds the keratin to the hair to make it feel thicker and healthier. I’ve had Brazilian keratin done, and it is true that my hair was both straighter and it felt healthier and stronger and thicker.
Problem is, the amount of formaldehyde that’s effective is a lot higher than the amount of formaldehyde that is considered safe. Though there is debate about what “safe” is.
Let’s back up a minute. The problem is that there is little or no regulation about the amount of formaldehyde in Brazilian keratin treatments. The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, an industry group, says that the maximum allowable concentration of formaldehyde for products that touch the skin is .2% (that's point-two-percent, not two percent, big difference by an order of 10). At .2%, formaldehyde is not effective as a straightener, effectiveness really starts at around 2%.
The convenient confusion between .2% and 2% has had at least some impact on the popularity of Brazilian keratin treatments. I know because I’ve seen it firsthand – in fact the woman who applied it on me assured me (before I knew better) that 2% was the allowable amount “by the FDA” so I shouldn’t worry about applying it...
And this is where it gets tricky – perhaps with proper precautions (fumes extractor and no skin contact), it really is possible to safely go higher than .2% concentration. Problem is, since the process is completely unregulated, there is just no way to guarantee this. I'd venture to say it's nearly impossible to apply Brazilian keratin and not touch the skin at least a little. Don’t forget that breathing in the fumes is dangerous as well.
Furthermore, the higher you go with formaldehyde, the more effective the treatment. So there is a real incentive to use higher concentrations. In fact, Brazilian keratin treatments go as high as 5%, 6% or even 8% (and that's when things get scary).
Some other interesting tidbits:
Formaldehyde substitutes: Manufacturers and distributors are getting smarter and using formaldehyde substitutes (like Urea) that are no safer or better, but that don’t have the stigma of the name.
Labeling: As long as a hair product is labeled “for Professional Use,” manufacturers are not required to list the ingredients.
Distributor tampering: Even if the product comes from Brazil without formaldehyde, I discovered – from a manufacturer that I was negotiating with – that many distributors receive shipment (i.e., get through customs and inspections) and then ADD formaldehyde HERE.
To “seal” the Brazilian keratin treatment, you’re supposed to use a 450-degree ceramic flat iron. That is ridiculously hot!!
All that said, Brazilian keratin is still booming because it works. Maybe we'll find out in 20 years that it was a terribly risk to take, but most women know it's risky, and do it anyways.
Why? Because the results are phenomenal. My hair looked great. I have no idea how much formaldehyde was in what she put on my hair (by the way, this was before I knew what I know now). My eyes did water and I did cough a lot, but when I walked out, my hair looked spectacular.
3. The Verdict
I gave up on trying to create the perfect product, but never on improving my hair. I’ve instead turned to understanding and educating about how to go "From Frizzy to Fabulous" safely, using regular products and by taking care of your hair and styling it differently. It IS possible. I'm doing it.
See, most frizz (about 80%) is NOT natural - it’s the result of damage and abuse from blow-dryers (“blow-fryers”), flatirons, chemical processing, UV exposure, improper handling, and more. Furthermore, there are ways of styling hair beautifully withOUT damaging it.
For example, do you know why your hair gets "pouffy" in humidity? What happens is that the damaged and dried out hair tries to grab needed moisture from the environment and swells up, looking frizzy. If we can get hair filled up and healthy, then it won't try to pull moisture from the air. That's just one way that we can combat frizzy hair... without putting dangerous chemicals in it.
By treating the hair differently and styling it properly, you can mask the frizz in the short-term while getting hair healthy and strong in the long-run.
And it's fun!
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Michelle
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5 comments:
Excellent article on this subject! As a fellow frizzy-haired sister, I have done a ton of research as well! Please, please, please follow-up with information as BKTs evolve!
Escova Progressiva, Brazilian Blow-out or Brazilian Keratin Treatment are all the same. ALL of them use FORMALDEHYDE or GLUTARALDEHYDE as hair straightening.
KERATIN DOES NOT MAKE YOUR HAIR STRAIGHT. IT IS WILDLY USED IN BRAZIL TO TREAT HAIR THAT HAS UNDERGONE CHEMICAL PROCEDURES WITH THIOGLYCOLIC ACID, HYDROXIDE (SUCH AS GUANIDINE, LITHIUM, SODIUM), HAIR DYING, etc.
In Brazil, Formaldehyde and Glutaraldehyde are allowed to be used as preservatives, NOT AS HAIR STRAIGHTENING. The Brazilian Governamental branch that is responsible for allowing these products as preservatives is called ANVISA.
Here in Brazil it is allowed to use 0,2% of Formaldehyde OR 0,1% of Glutaraldehyde, but producers (industries) use much more than this. How they get the product approved? The company send a sample to ANVISA with the allowed quantity of one of these preservatives and when it is approved for “consumption”, they increase the quantity to as much as 5%.
Everyone here in Brazil knows that 0,2% of Formaldehyde or 0,1% of Glutaraldehyde DOES NOT straighten the hair. That is why most hairdressers used to buy Formaldehyde in supermarkets ou drug store to add it in the “original” formula. Until ANVISA prohibit. Now they buy over the Internet and alter the products.
On the other hand, if any hair salon is caught with altered product, it is condemned to pay from US$1,200.00 to US$1,000,000.00, plus the hair salon owner goes to jail from 10 to 15 years.
Please understand that KERATIN is GOOD for your hair because it acts from INSIDE OUT reconstructing the hair fiber. FORMALDEHYDE or GLUTARALDEHYDE, on the other hand, are NOT good at all. They act ON the hair by sealing the cuticles, not allowing anything, like proteins, vitamins, etc, to get in the hair when you wash it with a good shampoo for example.
Plus, both of them are toxic and causes more long term problems than solutions:
- FORMALDEHYDE (carcinogenic): http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Formaldehyde#Safety
- GLUTARALDEHYDE: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glutaraldehyde#Safety)
The salt-free shampoo is a myth once EVERY shampoo has salt in it. Just look at the formula composition. It might contain Sodium laureth sulfate, sodium lauryl ether sulfate or any other salt since it is used as thickener. In fact, you have to look at the shampoo pH which should be between 4.5 to 5.2 (neutral), so the cuticles are maintained sealed.
Thank you so much for this article. I am multiracial and have super tight, super fluffy curls. I recently began working at a salon where many of my coworkers have been trying to talk me into getting the bkt done, and I haven't done it yet - something about it just didn't sit right with me. I've never used a relaxer, and all my life I've been able to achieve straight, smooth hair with just a flat iron and the right products. I never even considered my hair as being "too curly" or "too frizzy" until being told that it was so many times recently. Anyhow, you've given me more info here than any of my "Friends" at the salon on whats really inside the bkt - before now I was lead to believe it was "100% natural with no chemicals." THANK YOU.. you have saved me from making a decision I probably would have ended up regretting.
How about the brazilian keratin with 0% formaldehyde? My stylist said that it doesn't straighten hair because it's 0% and that it's more of a deep conditioning treatment. What do you think??
Thanks to all for your comments, particularly Alexandre for giving us the TRUTH about what happens with the Formaldehyde. If it doesn't have formaldehyde (or some variation of it or other caustic substitute for it), it doesn't straighten! Plain and simple...
Michelle
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