Brazilian Blowout Found to Have Formaldehyde Galore

October 2, 2010

File this under "bad hair news." The Brazilian Blowout, a popular hair-straightening treatment, has been found to contain formaldehyde, a known carcinogen. After stylists at Portland-area salons complained of symptoms such as nosebleeds and difficulty breathing, Oregon state officials tested the formulations in question. Even those advertised as formaldehyde-free contained from 4.85 percent to 10.6 percent formaldehyde. (Brazilian Blowout has released a statement.) We've long been wary of straightening treatments because of possible health risks, and this news is just one more reason we'll stick with the styling iron for now.

27 Comments

serenity2 2 years 27 weeks

as a hairstylist myself, i have worked with this product and the side effects are not worth it. burning and itchy eyes, upset stomach severe headaches, sore throat and such are only a few of the symptoms my colleagues have experienced no you may not be drinking it but you do inhale the smoke from it. and you have to wear gloves while applying it because it affects your skin

2 years 27 weeks

Brazilian Keratin treatment has been the best thing I have ever done to my curls. I think it's fantastic and the odds of harm are small. With everything comes a certain risk. Inhaling the toxic fumes of hair dye in a closed bathroom will also cause harm. It's all about going to a GOOD and EXPERIENCED specialist and having proper ventilation :)

2 years 29 weeks

I had it done for $30 (included products to take home). Not impressed. The first 2 weeks it was indeed, shiny and smooth. But once I started trying to do it at home, the results were not the same. When air drying and wearing curly, hair looks dry. It definitely works better when Iblow dry the hair. Treatment wise, when they applied the solution, it had an awful odor. They gave me a towel to cover my face and opened a window. It was very strong and my eyes teared up. Lasted a few minutes. Once everything was done and over, the smell was gone. I can't remember if the smell started during the application process or the blow drying of the hair -sorry. I DO like the condition of my hair and I've had no hair loss or irritation at all. Hair was done early Sept. I won't repeat it though. For the money, and the controversey, I'll just go back to getting it blown straight weekly by my hairdresser.

2 years 31 weeks

I definitely agree that the Brazilian Blowout treatment is a no-go! I have the treatment done last January, and my hair was very difficult to revert back to curly. I ended up have to grow my curly hair out for months, and finally cut off the straight ends. The Brazilian Blowout definitely acted like a "chemical straightener" on my hair! Never again! I'll just keep my frizzy hair and be happy.

nicky360 2 years 32 weeks

I have a Brazilian blowout and I love the results. If it truly is dangerous, the I won’t be getting anymore. However, I question ditching the treatment without further studies. Formaldehyde is a carcinogen, but are we not exposed to hundreds of carcinogens daily? Also, isn’t formaldehyde used in an abundance of products from vaccines, to household glue and even some beauty products like nail polishes? I think more research in independent laboratories needs to be done, but until then I’ll keep my blow out.

gianna12 2 years 32 weeks

My advice is do NOT do it. your hair WILL fall out... I have been in the beauty industry for 15 years and I would rather have frizzer hair than no hair at all. I am 32 year old healthy woman who is losing hair from this. Its actually falling out as i sit here and type, its all over my desk. Stay AWAY, do yourself a favor.....

2 years 32 weeks

Annie Tomlin 2 years 32 weeks

Well, that's a good point. Personally I've always been wary (<a href="http://www.bellasugar.com/Brazilian-Hair-Straightening-review-1550772">as you can see</a>). Our PopSugar TV beauty reporter, Zelana, tried it for a video. Overall, though, especially now that even the formaldehyde-free formulas are suspect, I say it's a big "no go" and would not recommend the treatment.

Annie Tomlin 2 years 32 weeks

Well, that's a good point. Personally I've always been wary (as you can see). Our PopSugar TV beauty reporter, Zelana, tried it for a video. Overall, though, especially now that even the formaldehyde-free formulas are suspect, I say it's a big "no go" and would not recommend the treatment.

2 years 32 weeks

I'm sorry but I find this a little disingenuous: "We've long been wary of straightening treatments because of possible health risks...". You were plugging this treatment like crazy on your earlier post and a few readers (myself included) did in fact comment on the health risks but Popsugar's position seemed to be anything but cautious.

Wedgie Queen 2 years 32 weeks

Yep. No doubt about it - it was the supposedly formaldehyde-free Brazilian Blowout (TM) acai formula (which I was told was all natural and safe) that has tested positive for formaldehyde. I have no reason to distrust OHSU, and every reason to be skeptical of a company that is making money hand over fist. I'm very upset that I was sold a toxic treatment and told how safe and how great it was for my hair. I've heard that this treatment is actually banned in Brazil. Anyone know more about that?

Wedgie Queen 2 years 32 weeks

prblms4loki 2 years 32 weeks

Re anonymous: It was actually a Brazilian Blow Out product - the Acai version. You can see the link to the press release here: http://www.ohsu.edu/xd/research/centers-institutes/croet/emerging-issues-and-alerts.cfm.

roma18 2 years 32 weeks

please keep us updated bella

roma18 2 years 32 weeks

please keep us updated bella

2 years 32 weeks

They haven't verified that it was official product and not some off brand. I am waiting for confirmation of that. My stylist only uses the official products, so I am waiting to hear more before I swear off getting this done.

socalbeachgal 2 years 33 weeks

I have a Brazilian Blowout and love it. My stylist (who has allergies) said she hasn't noticed any issues from it. There are some off-brands that are known to have formaldehyde in them. Let's see the further testing results.

ClassicalTorture 2 years 33 weeks

Oh no! I was hoping to get this done to my hair. I'm glad I found this out before he did. :(

2 years 33 weeks

I've been trying to tell people this since the beginning of this Brazilian Blowout nonsense. There's a reason why it was banned from the US for so long--it has killed women before in Brazil! It's not the keratin that straightens the hair; it's the formaldehyde. Seriously, it's hair straightening properties were discovered by a coroner! Can you say, "Ewww?" Why would any woman want to do that to their hair (or their stylist)?

roma18 2 years 33 weeks

This is more of a warning to the stylist, who work all day breathing it in!!

prblms4loki 2 years 33 weeks

On a related note-do you know if perms contain formaldehyde too? I never thought abputlooking this up!

elramos 2 years 33 weeks

This is nothing new. I heard about this last year. Salons really should do more research into what products they're working with, especially when it's putting their workers at risk.

postmodernsleaze 2 years 33 weeks

katie225, you're the customer, though. The people that have complained are the stylists who are exposed to it every day that they go to work and do a Brazilian Blowout, maybe even multiple times a day. I'm sure that's more than what you had in high school biology.

postmodernsleaze 2 years 33 weeks

katie225 2 years 33 weeks

even if it really does have formaldehyde, it's not like we're drinking it. i've been exposed to more formaldehyde in high school biology classes than when i've gotten a blowout. i've never, ever had a bloody nose from it (uh, don't breathe in any fumes from ANY chemical and i think you'll be fine) nor have i ever had bad side effects. i will continue to get this done to my hair because it has been a LIFE-CHANGING experience. as someone who has always dealt with curly/frizzy hair and hated every second of it, this has completely altered my life. so, formaldehyde or not, as long as it works i'm going to keep getting it done.

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