Safety fears over hair straightening treatments
Publication date: Thursday 14 July 2011
The safety of one of the hottest hair products on the market is in question following concerns about the amount of formaldehyde present in some of the brands, posing a danger to health.
In response to these concerns, Haringey’s Trading Standards and Environmental Health officers are asking hair salons and retailers for details of the "Brazilian" or Keratin hair straightening products they use or sell, to ascertain which contain illegal amounts of the chemical.
Haringey's Cabinet Member for the Environment, Cllr Nilgun Canver, said:
"Formaldehyde is legally allowed in the EU for safe use in cosmetics, up to specific concentrations, but tests in some places have revealed excessive amounts in some of these hair products even when they are labelled as formaldehyde free.
"It's best for everyone that we find out which products are safe and which are not so that everyone who enjoys the benefits of this new treatment can continue to do so knowing they are not putting their health and that of the hairdresser at risk."
"Brazilian" hair straightening products, which come under many brand names, can turn wavy, frizzy, damaged or curly hair into a glossy head of straight hair and are gaining popularity in the high street.
The reason many of these hair straightening products are possibly illegal is because some contain very high levels of formaldehyde, in some instances between 10 and 75 times more than is legally allowed.
Additionally, inadequate ingredient labelling, relating to a product being free from formaldehyde, may lead to salons unwittingly using a product they have researched as being safe.
The hair straightening method in question uses liquid keratin, a preservative, and intense heat, to turn a head of curls into straight hair. Some, but not all, keratin treatments contain a form of formaldehyde which can endanger health.
For the most part, keratin treatments are advertised as being virtually chemical free. While this can be true, some of them do contain it even though it is not specifically labelled as such, and the council, along with several others, is asking for help in identifying which products are safe and which are not.
Besides the longer term risks to health, there have been reports of immediate ill health and damage to hair, associated with this hair treatment.
Hair is prepared to receive the treatment solution by washing it with a specially formulated shampoo that causes the cuticles of the hair to open up.
Next, the keratin straightening solution is put on the hair and combed all the way through.
Half an hour later, a flat iron is applied to the hair. It's now that the keratin straightening solution is locked into the hair cuticles, making the hair appear straight. During this process formaldehyde gas may be released, presenting as a pungent odour.
When formaldehyde is used in excessively high levels, with the high temperatures involved in the straightening procedure, it can cause skin irritations, breathing difficulties and even collapse.
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