By Rita Colorito on September 21, 2011 in
Luckily, not all of this fall's hair trends need sleek straight hair since the popular and pricey salon treatment for turning frizzy hair lustrous, Brazilian Blowout, recently got slapped with its first official warning letter by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. The agency claims the Brazilian Blowout "contains a deleterious substance that may render it injurious to users under the conditions of use prescribed" and is "mislabeled" because it claims to be formaldehyde-free when FDA tests show that's not the case.
What's the problem?
Tests by the FDA show anywhere from 8.7 percent to 10.4 percent of the straightening product contains methylene glycol, a liquid form of formaldehyde that when heated with a blow dryer and then a flat iron as per the product's instructions releases formaldehyde into the air. Formaldehyde is a dangerous known carcinogenic chemical that affects the mucous tissues lining the respiratory tract and eyes.
When the formaldehyde is airborne, it's easy for customers and salon workers to inhale it. The FDA has already received numerous reports of injuries associated with Brazilian Blowout, including eye disorders, such as irritation, increased tearing, and blurred vision; nervous system disorders, such as headache, dizziness and a burning sensation; and respiratory tract disorders, such as cough, nasal discomfort, wheezing, and throat irritation. Other reported symptoms include nausea, chest pain and discomfort, vomiting, and rash.
The hair straightening treatment can cost upwards of $500 at a salon. The product is also available at beauty supply stores and on the Internet for purchase for home use, notes the FDA letter.
Women are often told they shouldn't wash their hair for several days or weeks after the procedure. Several of my Facebook peeps that ponied up the money for their luxurious mane were told to wait a month before washing it out. The warning letter doesn't say anything about the potential for further formaldehyde fume exposure from blow dryer or flat iron touch ups at home.
The company's claims
The FDA gave the North Hollywood, California-based company 15 days in which to comply and respond to the infractions or else risk the product being taken off store shelves. The company says it's already notified the FDA, claiming it's in full compliance of safety standards.
On its website, the company claims that Brazilian Blowout is safe for salons to use and meets even the most stringent safety standards set by the Occupational Health and Safety Administration. As for the formaldehyde levels, the website statement reads that "...it is important to understand that this relates to the measure of potential formaldehyde released at a level that never occurs in a real world application."
The ugly truth
However, in this debate, a picture just might be worth a thousand words. And I'm not talking about before and after photos of overjoyed straight-hair-challenged frizzheads.
I'm talking about the "during" photos. A New York Times piece on the FDA warning features a photograph of a woman getting the Brazilian Blowout treatment at a Manhattan salon. She's wearing a respirator mask.
Brazilian Blowout and similar products have already been banned in Australia, Canada, Ireland, France and Germany, according to the National Healthy Nail and Beauty Salon Alliance, which hopes the FDA takes further action to eliminate these products from the U.S. marketplace. But despite the FDA's stern warning, as of this writing, the suspect straightener continues to be sold and available at salons.
"If consumers have been wondering why they've still been able to get Brazilian Blowouts despite so much troubling news, the answer is because our regulatory system is broken," wrote Anuja Mendiratta, a representative of California Healthy Nail Salon Collaborative, an Alliance member in a released statement. "Laws that are supposed to protect consumers and workers simply aren't enough. Even when a product has clearly been shown to poison people, the FDA has little authority to take immediate meaningful action in the case of cosmetics."
In the meantime, you can straighten your locks with a bit of product and strong arm tactics using a hair dryer and flat iron.