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Brazilian Hair Straightening - Dangers Worth The Benefits?
A new treatment called Brazilian blow dry can tame your wild curls or frizzy mane. 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 curly hair. The companies pandering the product state that keratin is the premier ingredient, and as the major component of natural hair, the product is nearly all natural! Several brands of the product go so far as to label themselves "formaldehyde-free". But new research by independent organizations into the true levels of formaldehyde have found a whopping 10% of this carcinogenic chemical in some versions of the blow dry. Even levels of 2% exceed safe doses, according to the US Environmental Protection Agency. How is it possible that the treatment can be labelled as "formaldehyde-free" yet be teeming with the toxic stuff? This is a problem that pervades many chemicals and beauty products for home use. There are two issues. The first is that, the ingredients list on a bottle only represents the ingredients that were put in to the product. In some cases, chemicals, when heated, will release formaldehyde. The second is that in the US, fragrances are 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 dates back to earlier times when one perfume company would try to imitate 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 purchased a number of products intended for home use: laundry detergent, air fresheners, and others, and reverse engineered the chemicals to see what was really in them. Even products labeled as formaldehyde contained formaldehyde or other similar aldehydes, along with a slew of other chemicals. What can you do about it? Avoid the brazilian blow dry, for one. If you must straighten your hair, use lower heat straighteners. 180 degrees F is plenty. Stick to hair products where the ingredients are ALL listed and "fragrance" isn't one of them. If it's shinier hair you're looking for, you can make your own, all natural hair rinse for shinier hair. Arm yourself with knowledge about health risks of other toxic ingredients Article Directory: http://www.articledashboard.com Find out more about natural hair treatments and natural skin care at Natural Bath and Skincare. |
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