And by cost, I'm not necessarily referring to the dollar price!
We all want beautiful, shiny hair, and the abundance of long, gorgeous locks in celebrity magazines can be overwhelming.
A new treatment called Brazilian blow dry can tame your wild locks...
But it can also lead to increased risks of cancer, headaches, nose bleeds and more.
The Brazilian blow dry is marketed as a cure all for frizzy hair. The companies pandering the product state that keratin is the primary active ingredient, and as the major component of natural hair, the product is (nearly) all natural! Several brands go so far as to call themselves "formaldehyde-free". But new research by independent institutions into the real levels of formaldehyde have found a whopping 10% of this carcinogenic chemical in some varieties of the blow dry formula. Even levels of 2% exceed safe doses, says the US EPA (Environmental Protection Agency).
How is it possible that the treatment can be labeled as "formaldehyde-free" yet be chock full of the toxic stuff?
This can be a problem with any chemical or beauty product in your home. There are two issues. The first is that, the ingredients list on a bottle only includes ingredients that were put in to the product. In some cases, chemicals, when heated, will release formaldehyde. The second is that in the US, 'fragrance' is considered a trade secret. ANY product, whether an air freshener, hair spray, shampoo, makeup or cleaning aid which says "fragrance" on the ingredients list has the right to not disclose the contents of the fragrance. This has its roots in fragrance companies when one perfume company would try to copy the scents of another, and so it was decided that to reveal their ingredients would give away the value of their product. But, it has extended to now, and means that if a company decides they simply need a lot of formaldehyde or other toxic chemical in their fragrance to get it just right, they can put it in, and not disclose it.
Scientists at the University of Washington in Seattle tested products intended for use at home: laundry detergent, air fresheners, and cleaning supplies, and reverse engineered the products to see what was really in them. Even products labeled as formaldehyde-free contained formaldehyde or other similar aldehydes, along with a slew of other chemicals.
Given that there doesn't seem to be a simple way to read "formaldehyde" or these other toxic chemicals on the products, and the EPA doesn't seem to fully protect us... What can you do about it?
Arm yourself with knowledge about health risks of other toxic ingredients.Stick to hair products where the ingredients are ALL listed and "fragrance" isn't one of them.
Avoid the brazilian blow dry. If you must straighten your hair, use lower heat strengtheners. (And if you are straightening, note that new studies are showing that 180 degrees F is plenty hot, and higher temperatures don't result in smoother, straighter hair.)
Check out this related video at?youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=psgZV3AJZZU&w=560&h=349