Formaldehyde-free “Brazilian blowouts” Contain Formaldehyde!
Oh, hey, look at this: A hair product claiming to be formaldehyde-free isn’t. Which is not surprising to us as all, but is still big news. The Center for Research on Occupational and Environmental Toxicology in Oregon was contacted by a Portland salon when the straightening solution they were using in their salon caused difficulty breathing, nose bleeds and eye irritation in stylists using the product as directed.
Guess what the product was? Brazilian-blowout straightening solution, which was labeled explicitly formaldehyde free.
The Oregon OSHA laboratory analyzed the sample using four different test methods. Formaldehyde was reported to be detected by each method at 10.6%, 6.3%, 10.6% and 10.4% of the product.
Because our Brazilian blowout inspired us to write our book in the first place, we get asked about this a lot. And in the last little while, we keep getting the question-statement: But Brazilian blowouts don’t use formaldehyde anymore!(?) To which we always say: Perhaps not, but they do use biformyl, which is also known as glyoxal and Oxaldehyde, and is a relative of formaldehyde, that isn’t particularly safe and also sometimes also contains the big F.
You can see some toxicological info for that chemical here and here. Note how the second one, under “exposure” it says: “AVOID ALL CONTACT!” (Caps and exclamation mark are, for once, not ours.)
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Check out what others are saying...[...] including the allegedly “formaldehyde-free” Brazilian Blowout, contain formaldehyde, or chemicals that are closely related to formaldehyde and they’re making workers sick. Here’s a piece I wrote about the controversy over on [...]
[...] really like to work in a beauty salon. Think: Long hours, bad tips, and a lot of the same health issues we’re hearing about now from hair stylists performing Brazilian blowouts. Meanwhile, like most 20-something women, I was going to salons, [...]
[...] list I just read, it is formaldehyde-free. Yes, there may be a lesson to be learned from the recent events in Oregon, and we know that labels don’t always tell the truth. But let’s assume this label is [...]
[...] case you’re new to the topic: Brazilian blowouts can and often do contain formaldehyde, even when the packaging or salon says it doesn’t, which is why Canada and France have both yanked it, and why the California government is suing a [...]
[...] Dirty Looks have a great post about this OSHA finding along with toxicological information. Click here to read. Remember, No More Dirty Looks was conceived in the salon chairs during this questionable [...]
[...] used in some nail polishes and chemical straightening procedures like the Brazilian blowout—yes, even in formulations that claim to be formaldehyde free (it’s the active ingredient, y’all; doesn’t work without the poison)—but it can [...]
[...] including the allegedly “formaldehyde-free” Brazilian Blowout, contain formaldehyde, or chemicals that are closely related to formaldehyde and they’re making workers sick. Here’s a piece I wrote about the controversy over on [...]