Frizz or formaldehyde? Trendy 'do poses a hairy dilemma

“Suffer for beauty” has been taken to a whole new level with recent controversy surrounding a trendy hair treatment called the Brazilian Blowout.


The product, used in pricey salons, turns frizzy, unmanageable locks into the luxurious pin-straight looks made popular by celebrities like Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow.
The catch? Tests conducted by the state of Oregon determined that the product contains unsafe levels of formaldehyde â€" as in, embalming fluid â€" a known carcinogen.
But that’s not deterring some from the pursuit of fabulous wash-and-wear locks.

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“Chemicals are a way of life now,” says Stefeny Anderson, a 36-year-old event planner from Renton, Wash., who got her first Brazilian Blowout two weeks ago in an effort to tame “corkscrew curls” that frizz at the slightest hint of rain (a given in Washington state). “It’s not like you’re putting it in your hair every day.”
Introduced at salons a few years ago, the Brazilian Blowout costs about $250. But after the two-hour treatment â€" which involves coating the hair with the chemical, then flat-ironing it â€" coarse, kinky hair becomes soft, smooth and straight for two to three months. Sort of an anti-perm, the Brazilian Blowout has been touted as more effective and less time-consuming than other hair-straightening methods such as conventional relaxers, Japanese thermal processing or other keratin-based treatments (there are several available), although concerns have been raised about the product’s possible formaldehyde content in the past, when Allure magazine did an exposé.
These concerns soon dissipated, though, once the company reformulated the products and began distributing bottles labeled “formaldehyde-free.”

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