Is straightening your hair every day before class becoming too tedious? Do you wish you could wave a magic wand and have silky, straight hair that was swamp-resistant? Contrary to the magical results advertised by the professional-use only chemical straightening treatments, the reality is that many chemical straightening attempts do not go as smoothly as anticipated.
Popular straightening procedures include the Brazilian Blowout, Milbon Straight Liscio Crystal and Yuko Japanese hair straightening. From my research, there is an abundance of favorable reviews as well as an abundance of extremely negative reviews backed up by cautionary news reports.
Government Intervention?
The suspicions of many salon stylists have been aroused and some are coming to believe that chemical straightening procedures, such as the infamous Brazilian Blowout, are not safe for use. Complaints have been made to the Food and Drug Administration and people are demanding a verdict on the dangers of such treatments. Generally, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration handles such professional issues but the situation might be escalating to a point where the FDA needs to regulate straightening products more harshly. Through testing, it has been shown that in certain cases more formaldehyde (what is used to preserve fetal pigs for dissection and is also found in cigarettes) is in the products than is listed on the products’ labels. Traces of formaldehyde have also been found in the air at the salons during and after the straightening treatments are doled out. Formaldehyde not only irritates the eyes and nose, but also can cause future problems such as lung cancer, as well as lead to other forms of cancer. How high is the price of beauty and how much will the women of America pay?
I suppose my first clue should have been that my usual salon refused to offer any straightening treatments, yet I was not deterred…
Last summer, I opted for a moderately expensive relaxing treatment from an upscale salon in my hometown. As the stylist began applying the formula for step one of the process, he informed me that I would still have to blow my hair dry and straighten it every day for my hair to be smooth. He went on to tell me that the treatment would not work without the use of Nigelle ER shampoo and hair treatment (conditioner) and Liscio hair protecting spray, which ended up costing over seventy dollars in addition to the two hundred I was paying for the treatment itself. Disaster struck not only my budget – after leaving the salon, it was apparent my hair was ruined. When I brushed my hair, a multitude of dark strands covered the floor. Then after I washed my hair with the prescribed products and attempted to blow it dry, my hair was a giant knot that my brush would not even go through. As the weeks passed, I would shed more hair than ever before, and I continued to not be able to brush my hair with anything other than a wooden brush. It turns out that part of the reason my hair was so severely damaged was because I had gone from almost black to bleach blonde then back to almost black several months previous to the relaxing treatment and my hair was too processed to handle more chemicals. The stylist should have refused to give me the treatment, but he neglected to do so. Needless to say, I have happily embraced my CHI and will straighten my hair on my own each day until scientists are able to develop safer treatments for my hair.
To straighten chemically or to not straighten chemically? It’s all up to you!
As with many beauty procedures, there are risks just as great as the possible rewards. It is possible that after a visit to the salon you will have hair that even the Kardashian sisters would lust after. It is also possible that you will leave the salon with hair that will be ruined until new hair has grown in to replace it – and ladies, we all know how long it takes to grow out our hair. Either way, do yourself a favor and do some research before you head in to your appointment (if I had, I would have heard about my friend’s disastrous Brazilian Blowout) and make sure you tell your stylist your hair’s history. If results do not turn out as you were expecting, John Frieda makes a great leave-in conditioner that helps remedy the damage; if they turn out fabulous, you will be the envy of many of the women on campus.
Interested?
Check out the facts for yourself using these links:
Websites maintained by companies that sell straightening products:
http://www.milbon-usa.com/home.cfm?milbon=ppliscio
http://www.brazilianblowout.com/faq
http://www.yuko-usa.com/anti-frizz-by-yuko/results/
Straightening in the news and other sites:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/Wellness/brazilian-blowout-fda-warns-formaldehyde-false-labeling/story?id=14471900
http://thestir.cafemom.com/beauty_style/125796/the_brazilian_blowout_might_kill
http://www.myfoxla.com/dpp/health/brazilian-blowout-safety-20110919