Nov 20, 2008 11:15 pm US/Eastern
Consumer Alert: Brazilian Hair Straightening
There's No Question The Procedure Works Well, But A Chemical Used Can Be Hazardous To Your Health
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
It's the latest trend in hair care that all the celebrities are trying -- Brazilian hair straightening.
But now, there's a hair scare.
Some health experts said this new treatment could be hazardous to your health.
The photos tell the story. Before: frizzy, kinky curls. After: soft, smooth, straight locks -- the result of the hottest fad to hit hair salons.
"Before the treatment it was like sand paper and after the treatment it's like silk," said client Lyzette Visners.
Visners said it's the best thing to ever happen to her hair.
"On rainy days it's smooth," Visners said.
Stylists say it's the ultimate way they've found to tame unruly tresses.
Here's how it works: Using a 450-degree iron, the hairdresser seals the formula onto the outer layer of the cuticle. The formula adheres to the hair's rough edges where it then traps moisture and adds a glossy veneer. But this new hair straightening treatment contains a special ingredient – formaldehyde -- the chemical used to embalm bodies.
"It is considered a toxin, it's a carcinogen," said Dr. Theodore Bania, director of toxicology at St. Luke's-Roosevelt Hospital.
Bania warns that every time the chemical is heated it vaporizes into the air at higher concentrations which can then be inhaled.
"Every time you do blow your hair you will probably be exposed to it again," Bania said.
So CBS 2 HD took a hidden camera into salons to find out just how much hairstylists know about this ingredient:
Kirstin Cole: "The formaldehyde thing, that like ..."
Stylist: "It scares you? I've done like over 500 of them. I'm fine."
Stylists say the concentration of the chemical is so minute it's not harmful, but doctors say at any amount there is still cause for concern.
"If you have the option of not using it, I would say not to use it," Dr. Bania said.
But there are other Brazilian hair straightening formulas that don't contain formaldehyde, so make sure to ask what your salon is using.
Applications of Brazilian hair straightening cost between $200-$600, and the results are said to last for up to four months.
(© MMIX, CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved.)
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