Fashion + Beauty
Friday, November 27, 2009
Is Formaldehyde Part of Your Hair Routine?
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So there we were last night,
reading the Daily Beast, when we stumbled upon a column that had us
scratching our heads: In "My Illegal, Flammable, Fabulous Hair
Treatment," a woman writes about getting a formaldehyde-laced
Brazilian hair straightening treatment. She writes that "the
Centers for Disease Control describes [formaldehyde] as a
'colorless, highly toxic, and flammable gas'" but
"like parents who lock the liquor cabinet, everyone knows the
FDA's main purpose is to keep us from the good stuff."
Curious what else the FDA is banning? Learn about their
investigation into eye washes and skin creams.
She then compares formaldehyde exposure to having Botox injected,
wearing high heels, and drinking diet shakes that induce gas, and
asks, "In light of all this, what's a little formaldehyde
between friends?"
Well, friends, we thought we'd take the opportunity to link to
the story we did in October 2007 on the potential health risks of
the Brazilian hair straightening treatment. Check it out—then tell
us what you think.
Freaked by the prospect of flattening your locks with
formaldehyde? Check out our Top Five Hair Tips to get perfect
hair sans volatile toxic chemicals.
More from
Allure:
Related: straight hair, hair, beauty
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Posted by Ahleah G Tue Jul 14, 2009 12:44pm PDT
Formaldehyde is a toxic chemical that can cause harm through inhalation or if you get it on your skin. I'm pretty sure it has been linked to cancer too. I don't think it's worth the risk.
I can see a bit of a comparison to botox, which is an actual toxin, not a chemical that is toxic, but botox injections don't have the same risks of inhalation or other exposure problems. I don't think it's worth the risk.
Also, isn't there a Brazilian straightening treatment that doesn't require the toxic chemicals? I thought I saw a blog post about it on Shine a while back.
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Posted by Dude Tue Jul 14, 2009 1:06pm PDT
Ughh what's next? Using illegal drugs to lose weight? Aka coke. Oh no wait, lots of people do that already.
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Posted by MeghanF Tue Jul 14, 2009 4:25pm PDT
formaldehyde is what they used to use (maybe still do?)to kill warts - its pretty nasty stuff. Inhalation is the big issue, so soaking ones foot isn't nearly as dangerous as putting it on your head. Botox is a bad idea to but at least that's limited to adminstration by trained professionals. Its amazing what people will do for beauty.
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