Brazilian Blowout Found To Contain Formaldehyde (VIDEO, POLL)

Brazilian Blowout, the chemical treatment that promises straight and manageable hair for up to 12 weeks at $200 to $500, has been found to contain formaldehyde by Oregon's Occupational Safety & Health Administration.

Stylists at an Oregon hair salon reported difficulty breathing, nosebleeds and eye irritation after coming into contact with the formula. But Brazilian Blowout maintains that its product is formaldehyde-free and is challenging Oregon OSHA's test results since the sample didn't come from the company, but from a salon.

High levels of formaldehyde could cause some types of cancers. Check out a report from "Good Morning America" and tell us what you think.

Quick Poll

Would you still get a Brazilian Blowout?

NO! Not after today's news.

YES! I'm not convinced it's bad for me.

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Comments

[Cheryl JoostMatson]

04:52 PM on 10/28/2010

We need to keep this topic alive.! I have so much information on this that I would love to share. This product is banned in many countries because of severe, life-long health issues and unfortunately, death. This affects everyone..Just be in a room when someone that has had the treatment, use heat on her hair. Enjoy the fumes..your children will too. Heat activates the formaldehyde when heated. So, time and time again you release toxic fumes. By the way, you also have that direct hit by having it seep through your pores. Excuse the graphics :)
So, are you going to believe your stylist $$$ when they say it is harmless or tests done by OSHA?? I have documents..testimonials. I want to share them so we can keep moving on this.
Know of some good journalists that want to help take on this "mission" ? :):)

[jammer0079]

04:58 AM on 10/06/2010

I guess I am one of the few guys out there, who finds a curly haired female irresistible.......especially when they come right out of the shower. :)

[Biendiosa]

11:56 PM on 10/05/2010

In the 70s, I ironed my hair, used relaxers, rolled it on OJ cans, all sorts of desperate things.
I hope women will begin to embrace their curly hair...if we were all meant to look alike, we'd all
have the same kind of hair.

[HHUA]

11:23 AM on 10/05/2010

Hhmm, 34% would still use it... That's about commensurate with the number of people who think Palin is qualified to run the White House (give or take according to polls)... See any correlation?

In fact, Palin probably uses it (and count her in the "still will" category)... After all, can't trust them scientists, gotta go with your gut (er, money... gut... money... gut)!

[lost souls rembrd]

11:11 AM on 10/05/2010

The company's pissed cause the Feds didn't get their sample from the company~such arrogance

If it costs a lot, it is worth it. Women have minerals (iron) in most makeup, hair products that have harmful chemicals and lastly

The stupid woman on the clip who had used the product, will use it again "Touch it, it's great!"

[Terence Duke]

11:21 AM on 10/12/2010

i
I wonder how that conversation might have gone:

Oregon OSHA:
Hey, lots of people are getting sick, so we’re investigating you to see if your treatments have formaldehyde in them. Rather than doing a thorough and non-biased analysis by going directly to a variety of salons to see what you’re releasing into the marketplace, can you just send us samples instead?

Brazilian Blowout:

Sure, here you go! Look: clean as a whistle!

Oregon OSHA:

Cool, thanks. Even though lots of people are having health problems consistent with formaldehyde exposure, we’ll let ‘em know they simply must be crazy. Thanks for sending us those samples! So glad they were formaldehyde-free!

I mean, honestly.

The have "world renowned leading "scientist" Doug Schoon making claims everywhere that this is bad testing and they are wrong. He will also take your thousands to be an expert witness in any beauty industry lawsuit. He is PAID by the industry he is SUPPOSED to watch over," Schoon heads the Cosmetic Ingredient Review, Described "famous for being fair and honest." The CIR is a panel of scientists funded by the industry's Cosmetic, Fragrance and Toiletry Association (CFTA) who assess the safety of ingredients used in cosmetics. They're quick to distance themselves from the manufacturers: "The industry gets the privilege of paying to support us. says Alan Andersen, PhD, the board's director and scientific coordinator. WTF? He claims EU took many chemicals out that we force people to breath because of "regulatory nonsense."

[pinkindie]

12:22 PM on 10/04/2010

Of course it does. And some contain aldehyde, another form -- just so they can say it doesn't contain formaldehyde.

[Terence Duke]

10:47 AM on 10/12/2010

it is still formaldehyde. My salon had been doing it and I was leery and did not want to. But those who have to stuff their pockets with 350.00 a pop..kinda clouds the issue; kind of like the formaldehyde cloud that fills the salon when one is being done. then my eyes sting, chest hurts and hard to breath. classic formaldehyde symptoms. they are not regulated unless they get caught doing real damage. Salon items are not regulated only cosmetics sold in stores. Its kind of like MSG can be listed under "natural flavors" on an ingredient label and the government allows a few bugs etc in PPMillion in flour rice etc.
High fructose corn syrup is trying to become CORN SUGAR anything to hide the poison you are being given

bring on the lawsuits.

http://nadinejolie.com/blog/tag/brazilian-blowout/

http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/croet/emerging-issues-and-alerts.cfm

http://www.hc-sc.gc.ca/ahc-asc/media/advisories-avis/_2010/2010_167-eng.php

why is a product named after a country to sound exotic and glamorous BANNED in that country where the only way to get it is back alleyways or get ingredients of the cheap chemicals and make it. These guys will have their billions at $350 a pop being sold by the millions safely in offshore accounts and in a non extraditing country by the time the dust settles

[Shelby596]

01:39 PM on 10/03/2010

Embrace your curls, ladies!!!!

[BebeLush]

08:44 PM on 10/03/2010

I agree. As a curlyhead myself, years of straightening irons has left my hair a complete mess. And nowadays, there are so many products that make curly hair much more manageable, there's no excuse to straighten . . . keep curly!

[Faith D]

05:57 AM on 11/30/2010

BTW use the TCB no lye/ no mix kind regular

[MaryAnn Dunham]

12:16 PM on 10/03/2010

Many hair products contain toxins, carcinogens, hormone disrupters and skin irritants. Check your products toxicity score at http://www.CosmeticsDataBase.com and the health implications.
I straighten my hair with a "HerStyler" flat iron...100% ceramic. Not just a ceramic coating on the outside...Hair stays straight for a few days until I get it totally wet! Why expose yourself, just to save a little time.

[Faith D]

06:26 AM on 11/30/2010

Couldn't find any of the product that I use here. Not one. I found the TCB relaxer but not the no lye/ no mix regular, only the coarse (super) which is much stronger and uses different chemicals from the box. I also found that this site considers fragrance to be a highly 10 point toxic thing. Which it might be if you are allergic. But not so much if you're not. There's no sure way of finding out what is in our cosmetic stuff and how it will affect us unless you can afford to have a lab, a dermatologist, a toxicologist, and a physician with you always.

I say, live your life and don't be so afraid of everything. You'll regret the things you never try just because you MIGHT get hurt. You'll spend more time looking up the things that COULD kill you or hurt you than actually living. Just steer clear of the patently stupid things like Brazilian Blowout and kissing bulldogs in the mouth, and you'll be fine. And if not, well the price of life is death. We all have to pay up. More people still die or get maimed getting out of the bed in the morning, taking that healthy daily jog, or getting in their car. There are more carcinogens introduced to your lungs just breathing the air (guess what, the air's worse 4 u inside unless you have oxygen piped in), than with 3-5 cigarettes a day.

[mamacat]

03:38 AM on 10/03/2010

Sort of gives a whole new meaning to the expression, "she has hair to die for."

[SPaMx182]

02:40 AM on 10/03/2010

This is why I only use organic products such as keragreen!

[OregonDoug]

12:29 PM on 10/04/2010

I hate to say this, but formaldehyde is considered an organic compound. Would that exclude its use in a product that is considered "organic"?

[HHUA]

11:29 AM on 10/05/2010

So is 'arsenic'... Think that would?

Come on, you are being disingenuous here.

[coco51]

04:47 PM on 10/04/2010

what's your hair texture and how long have you been using the Keragreen?

[klbrz]

08:09 PM on 10/02/2010

I don't know, is it any worse than all the other chemicals they use in salons? I know I have trouble being too close to someone getting a perm, because of the smell.

[Terence Duke]

10:57 AM on 10/12/2010

there is a difference between a SMELL and a lung and throat and eye damaging gas NONE of which a perm contains you are smelling ammonium Its the salts of a weak acid. and has a sulphery smell I have done them for years and never had anyone complain about anything but the smell. With this stuff my eyes and lungs burn. There is obviously a difference

[Queen Cassandra]

07:56 PM on 10/02/2010

Don't do it !!! Natural is the Best .

[mamacat]

03:39 AM on 10/03/2010

Natural hair, natural breasts, natural food,.... it is hard to improve on nature.

[Queen Cassandra]

06:18 PM on 10/03/2010

That's right !!!

[pgurlatl]

06:58 PM on 10/02/2010

I have preached endlessly that women using these treatments (which by the way have no keratin in it generally) are basically embalming their hair strands.

The idea that your hair has to be bone straight is ridiculous anyway. Like Marcus Garvey said, take the kinks out of your mind, not out of your hair.

[wolfdogNM]

08:43 PM on 10/02/2010

Ya, in this case they really are embalming their hair.

[Honora]

07:55 AM on 10/07/2010

Woman are so vain...the walking embalmed!!!!

[honda honey]

04:45 PM on 10/02/2010

Just one more "beauty" product to add to the growing list of items that contain Formaldehyde.

Do you paint your fingernails? There's Formaldehyde in that too.

[pgurlatl]

07:18 PM on 10/02/2010

It's best to use 3Free nail colors like London's Butter and Zoya brands. The 3 refers to DPB (dibutyl phthalate), formaldehyde and toluene. ALL KNOWN CARCINOGENS that are

[pgurlatl]

07:19 PM on 10/02/2010

It's best to use 3Free nail colors like London's Butter and Zoya brands. The 3 refers to DPB (dibutyl phthalate), formaldehyde and toluene.ALL KNOWN CARCINOGENS that are suspected of causing cancers, mutations and birth defects.

[Daisytoo]

03:38 PM on 10/02/2010

Word to the wise: My former dermatologist (sadly, now deceased) had also been Jackie Kennedy's dermatologist and warned me that black/dark brown hair dye was most likely what caused Jackie Kennedy's cancer.

[ABXNOMORE]

03:53 PM on 10/02/2010

I'm sure he was right. All hair dyes are bad but the dark shades are the worse and studies show that they cause cancer. Many older women are starting to go natural and are ditching the dyes.

[pgurlatl]

07:16 PM on 10/02/2010

Henna, Cassia, and Indigo are all natural ways to color your hair. But the added benefit is that it cleanses the scalp and promotes incredible shine.

[MaryAnn Dunham]

12:29 PM on 10/03/2010

Anything containing coal tar is bad