Hidden Dangers In Brazilian Hair Treatments

Reporting
Liv Davalos

MIAMI (CBS4) ― Stick straight hair. It is what many women wish for, especially in hot and humid South Florida. So when Barbara Amoils and her friend heard about the Brazilian hair straightening treatment, it was the answers to their prayers.

"My entire life is geared to when I got my hair done. If I got it done I wouldn't go boating, wouldn't go for run, wouldn't exercise because then my hair would be ruined," said Amoils.

"Without it being blown straight its very curly," said Amy Link, "and being in South Florida it's frizzy."

The Brazilian hair straightening treatment has been sweeping the nation, promising shiny straight hair for up to four months with salons charging from $3-hundred to $8-hundred. But what some hairstylists and women were not aware of is that it contains formaldehyde, a chemical known to cause cancer.

Hairstylist Robert Caro knew something was wrong when he started to get a sore throat and not feel well after using the formula on a few clients, even while both wore masks with a fan blowing. In fact, the fumes affected everyone in the salon.

"Some people complained they were dizzy, their eyes burned, their nose tingled," said Caro of the Las Olas Hair Salon.

At the Avant-Garde Salon in Coral Gables, owner Renan Garcia refused to offer the popular treatment to clients after one of his hairstylist's suffered some side effects while training with the product.

"I felt my lips and tongue were numb, like when you go to the dentist and get something done," said hairstylist Maria Rodriguez.

"I think the product is too harsh," said Garcia, "there are some products you have to be careful with and this is one of them."

Since hair straighteners are considered cosmetic they are not subject to pre-market approval by the FDA. While the panel that reviews cosmetic ingredients determined that .20-percent of formaldehyde is considered safe, we found some products available online that contained up to 4 percent and an investigation by Allure magazine found some salon samples tested "contained at least ten times more formaldehyde than the panel considers safe."

The amount of formaldehyde that could be absorbed into the skin is a concern of dermatologist Debra Price who feels it should be looked into.

"The scalp would absorb it and any part of the skin that touches the formaldehyde would get absorbed," said Price.

While many salons like Avant-Garde are offering formaldehyde free hair straightening treatments, some women are choosing to go to people's homes where the treatment costs less.

"First you get an email," said Link, "then you call the cell phone. I was a little nervous because it wasn't a salon."

"She wore a mask and gloves," said Amoils, "I didn't wear anything. It concerns me for the safety of my kids and family."

Now that Amoils knows more about the dangers, she says she won't go back and ask more questions before trying anything that sounds too good to be true.

Until more conclusive tests are done on the Brazilian hair treatment with formaldehyde, doctors say the best advice is to just say no.

To find a salon that uses the Formaldehyde-Free Coppola Hair Therapy by Coppola, call 561-206-6050.

Click Here to find out what's really in your cosmetics.

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