You’ve heard all about these Keratin Treatments and seriously want one. Ok, maybe you’re not 100% sure what it is, but it’s getting so much buzz, you think you should want one too! You’re never one to be left out, but hmmm… what is it? How does it work? What will happen when I go to my salon and sit in the chair? We get asked about Keratin Hair Treatments all the time, and there seem to be plenty of treatments to choose from, so do your homework carefully if you are thinking of keratin treatment like this for your hair.
Most Brazilian treatments (BKT) contain as much as 2% formaldehyde. Yes formaldehyde, and many treatments can contain higher percentages than that. Now there are many Keratin Treatments that are Formaldehyde Free.
Formaldehyde is a carcinogenic, and used in this application as a volitile liquid (quick drying) component to keep the keratin compound in liquid form, which dries once you have applied it to the hair. Formaldehyde is an acceptable additive in cosmetic use but the FDA doesn’t have to approve cosmetic products as they do drugs.
This is essentially a plastic polymer coating over the hair that will seal out moisture, the keratin helps to completely seal the hair straight after you have ironed it.
In this article we review a few Keratin hair treatment products and try to find the products for Keratin hair treatment without formaldehyde.
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The Keratin Complex solution is gel-based and has almost no fragrance. The treatment is formaldehyde-free, but does contain an organic aldehyde which works similarly but causes irritation in fewer people. Because it is gel-based and not cream-based, the steam that evaporates during the treatment is not as thick in the air as with some other treatments that are cream-based. In my salon, we do all keratin treatments in a private room to minimize both fumes and irritation. Keratin Complex by Coppola is headquartered and manufactured in the US (Florida).
Brazilian Blowout is now FREE of ALL HYDE FAMILY CHEMICALS (formaldehyde, aldehyde, glutaraldehyde or any ‘hyde’)! This is great news for anyone with a formaldehyde sensitivity or allergy! It’s a safer formula for the stylist, salon employees and clients of the salon, including the one receiving the Brazilian Blowout!
The official Brazilian Blowout website states, “The ONLY Professional Smoothing Treatment that improves the health of the hair. No Damage! and No harsh chemicals! NO FORMALDEHYDE!!” But we had Jordana do some investigating. She spoke with 3 different employees at the company (on three different days at three different times!) and is satisfied that the new formula indeed does not contain Hyde-family ingredients!
But is keratin hair treatment safe? Now that the heat’s been turned up on Brazilian Blowout, the beauty industry is taking a closer look at all the players in the brazilian keratin blowout industry. These reports were just sent to me by somebody who recently tested key brazilian keratin blowout industry players, including Keratin Complex and Global Keratin. I actually understand the desire for anonymity–the industry is currently having a collective heart attack, fingers are being pointed, and we’ve barely scratched the surface. Methinks it’s going to get ugly.
The brands tested were Keratin Complex, Global Keratin, Marcia Teixeira, Brazilian Gloss and Simply Smooth.
The “results” column is the smoking gun–here you’ll see a large number (such as 15000000) under the formaldehyde and acetyaldehyde testing. Formaldehyde is tested in parts per billion; the limit considered safe by the Cosmetic Ingredient Review Panel is 2 million parts per billion, which equals .2%. Divide the result by 1 billion and you’ll get the percentage of formaldehyde. In case you can’t view the PDF for whatever reason (or still find yourself confused), the results of these tests conducted in the past 2 weeks are as follows:
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Brazilian Gloss and Global Keratin market themselves as formaldehyde-free. Meanwhile, it’s worth noting that Simply Smooth At Home Smoothing Treatment, which is below the safe limit, is for an at home spray–it’s still nearly .1% formaldehyde, which you would not want to spray in your eyes, nose, ears, etc.
I couldn’t find anything on the Keratin Complex website saying “formaldehyde-free,” but a quick internet search of “Keratin Complex formaldehyde-free” yields thousands of results, so somehow Keratin Complex enjoys a formaldehyde-free reputation that does not appear to be warranted.
In fact, it appears that none of these brands have yet come under scrutiny for potentially unsafe levels of formaldehyde–which, again, is a human carcinogen.
