There has been a lot of controversy about all of the Keratin Treatments on the market being deemed dangerous because of the formaldehyde contained in the product.
This has been a controversy for a while now and once this started becoming an issue companies stopped saying there was formaldehyde in their products and started saying their products were formaldehyde free. But some of these products also claimed to contain aldehyde which is a form of formaldehyde.
If you're not familiar with what formaldehyde is it's best known as a carcinogen (can cause cancer), and an allergen. You may also be surprised to know that there's also formaldehyde in nail polish and some other commonly used cosmetics.
Formaldehyde is known for causing extreme eye irritation, as well as nose and throat irritation in low concentrations. There's been quite a few complaints of customers complaining about their eyes burning, and there has also been some stylists complaining about nose bleeds too!
I've done a few keratin treatments and have experienced the eyes burning. Sounds pretty interesting huh?
Well it's not only the formaldehyde that's in the product that's dangerous, with the formaldehyde being the active ingredient in the keratin treatment, once the hair is heated the vapors from the formaldehyde are released into the hair and breathed in by all that are present.
Since doing some research over the past few months, I've found out that some keratin treatments have as much as 10% formaldehyde in their product! I'm personally certified to use Keratin Complex by Coppola, as well as Brizilian Blowout (Original & Zero).
This past Monday I was in the training class obtaining my certification for the Brizilian Blowout and of course the question came up about this whole controversy. The stylist informed us that OSHA tested incorrectly. After being asked what they did wrong, she told us that OSHA thought Brizillian Blowout was a method of doing the treatments, not a brand, so when they tested, they tested different brands and put them under the “Brizilian Blowout” name.
Later after getting to the bottom of it, according to the stylist that was there, Brizilian Blowout is the only safe Keratin Treatment on the market, and it's also the only one approved by OSHA in Canada where it was once banned.
She also stated that a lot of this is coming from people using too much product on the clients hair, which in turn released more vapors into the air. While I was watching the demo for my certification, I can honestly say that I smelled no vapors, my eyes didn't burn, and I felt fine. I sat on the front row and was maybe 2 feet from the client and stylist.
To be honest, I was very impressed with the Brizilian Blowout Zero product and the results. It takes 90 minutes to complete the service, and it can be applied directly after color and relaxers. There's no line of demarcation, and they have some pretty amazing after care products.
I'm still doing my research, but I'm interested in hearing what you have to say. Have you encountered anything with these keratin treatments?
Be blessed!
Marquetta Breslin
