In the past few years, we have seen a huge trend toward straight shiny hair. The fashion runways are dominated with models brandishing their long, easy to manage locks, and celebrities are spotted at A-list salons lining-up for what is known as keratin hair treatments. Although created for managing frizz, these keratin treatments became well-known for its ability to straighten hair or at least make it much easier and less time consuming to manage. A fashionistas dream with women paying prices ranging from $350 to as high as $700!
So what more could a girl ask for? To save all that time ...wake up in the morning with beautiful hair and out the door. Well, as with many things, it looks as though keratin treatments may be falling into the category of Too Good To Be True.
The internet has been buzzing with a lot of disturbing information about keratin treatments and their serious health risks! One company in the headlines more than others is Brazilian Blowout. But, aside from a few jealous vixens, why would anyone not want women strutting arrow straight tresses? The problem is not the beautiful effect on your hair, but rather what is in the bottle that has people, and now the state of Oregon, wondering if the federal government should be getting involved... Formaldehyde! Formaldehyde is the simplest in the aldehyde chemical family and is a known carcinogen which causes a variety of respiratory and skin problems. It is no secret that these treatments contained Formaldehyde, but they have been flying under the radar. In the last few years there has been a variety of publications, news stories and talk shows, including Oprah, Dateline and The Today Show that have voiced concerns about the use of Formaldehyde. Recently, one hair stylist's symptoms have resulted in investigations in both Canada and the United States, all with some brow-raising findings! Full story here.
After certain symptoms became apparent, OSHA removed two bottles of Brazilian Blowout from an Oregon salon and tested them. It is important to note that OSHA deems safe levels of Formaldehyde at (legal definition) - The employer shall assure that no employee is exposed to an airborne concentration of formaldehyde which exceeds 0.75 parts formaldehyde per million parts of air (0.75 ppm) as an 8-hour. OSHA's testing revealed levels ranging from 4.85 to as high as 10.6! And what's worst is that this brand of Brazilian Blowout stated NO FORMALDHYDE! Health Canada issued a statement on October 7th recommending that salons stop offering the treatment, and although some salons have voluntarily pulled the product in the US, the FDA has made no official statement yet.
So what do these numbers mean? The Cosmetic Ingredient Review Expert Panel, an industry organization responsible for monitoring cosmetic safety, declared that a product should contain less than 0.2% formaldehyde to be considered safe. That being said, the numbers we are seeing in some keratin treatments is almost 60 times more than the "safe" amount.
As a law firm, Thomas and Pearl is here to protect the public and our clients, but we cannot help if individuals do not step forward and let us know about their experiences in salons that perform this service. Companies that put the public's health at risk need to be held accountable for their actions. If you have or are presently experiencing symptoms such as serious eye irritations, difficulty breathing, nausea or other respiratory symptoms, please contact our office to speak to an attorney. Everyone wants to be beautiful... but at some point you have to ask yourself whether the cost is worth it.
With over 100 years of collective experience, the firm of Thomas & Pearl has successfully protected the rights of individuals from corporations and insurance companies. From Fort Lauderdale's humble beginnings in 1973, Thomas & Pearl's legal expertise and reputation grew across Florida to cover everything from Workers Compensation to Auto Accidents, Personal Injury to Labor Law.
