The Brazilian Blowout is a hair straightening and hair smoothing treatment that promises to leave your hair looking shiny, frizz-free, and beautiful. While it may do all of that, there are also some Brazilian Blowout dangers you should be aware of before getting one done. Today, we’re going to talk about why some specialists consider the Brazilian blowout dangerous for your hair, safety and health.
5 Brazilian Blowout Dangers You Should Keep in Mind
1. It Contains a Lot of Formaldehyde
One of the main ingredients used to do a Brazilian Blowout is formaldehyde, which is also the ingredient used for embalmment. When people inhale this ingredient over a long period of time, it can cause cancer. That’s why the cosmetic brands that use it as a preservative only use a small amount. On the other hand, a Brazilian Blowout uses a more substantial amount, which makes it more dangerous. Furthermore, an ingredient called methylene glycol is created as a result of water mixed with formaldehyde, which is a dangerous natural chemical ingredient.
2. It Can Have Unpleasant Short-Term Symptoms
If you’re thinking of getting a Brazilian Blowout, you should know some people experience negative symptoms afterwards, even if they’re only short term. Among these symptoms, the most common are irritated skin and eyes, nosebleeds, difficulty breathing, and headaches. While this doesn’t happen to everyone, it can happen to people who are more sensitive to the substance used in brazilian blowouts.
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3. It Can Lead to Long-Term Effects
While the short-term symptoms of this brazilian hair straightening treatment that contains formaldehyde aren’t very severe, its long-term effects are a much more significant concern for people who are against it.
First, you should know that what causes formaldehyde to become an issue is its contact with heat. Exposure to heat occurs when you get a Brazilian Blowout, and this contact releases some chemicals that can lead to long-term effects such as leukemia and nasopharyngeal cancer. Even if this is only a risk for a small percentage of people (i.e. those who get a Brazilian Blowout done every day), it’s still something you should take into account.
4. It Can Also Be Harmful at Room Temperature
As we’ve already mentioned, formaldehyde is at its most potent and most dangerous when heated. That’s because that is the moment when it releases gas into the air. However, some experts claim that the chemicals found in formaldehyde are also dangerous at room temperature. The chemicals in room temperature formaldehyde don’t only have the possibility of harming you, but they put your stylist at an occupational safety risk as well as other people in the room.
5. It’s a Potent Sensitizer
The last danger you should be aware of when it comes to the Brazilian Blowout is that its main ingredient, formaldehyde, is a potent sensitizer. What does this mean, you ask? Well, it means that continuous exposure to it can cause allergic reactions like blisters, hives, and asthma. Once you become sensitized to it, you run the risk of suffering an allergic reaction every time you encounter it, even if it’s from a different source such as plastics, fabrics, plywood, or products designed for personal care. This includes the occupational safety and health of all salon workers who are constantly exposed and sensitized to this chemical.
With these five Brazilian Blowout dangers in mind, you should take your time before deciding whether this treatment is something you want to get done or not. Now that we have covered these various brazilian blowout dangers, we are going to answer some commonly asked questions about this procedure and its effects on hair.
Is the Brazilian Blowout Good or Bad for Your Hair?
Above, we covered the dangers of getting a Brazilian Blowout. This is a hard and loaded question to answer because the blowout has good effects on your hair as well. If you have less than desirable hair that is damaged or frizzy, this is a treatment that will reverse these effects and last you a decent amount of time. This treatment leaves your hair feeling brand new and gives it a shine that cannot be downplayed. The spray used by your hairstylist seals your hair’s cuticles, and that helps to reverse and revitalize the damage done to your hair, whether that be a result of dying it, using constant heat from a flat iron or blow dryer, not getting consistent trims, or simply fundamental unwanted issues such as frizzy and dry hair.
But on the other side of the coin, the Brazilian Blowout is not good for your health and wellbeing. As we have listed above in five points above, the formaldehyde ingredient in this treatment is cancer causing, and large amounts of it are found in this product. Not only is this chemical used, but other compounds live in this treatment that do contain smaller amounts of formaldehyde hidden in them. Once you get this treatment done, the formaldehyde will be seeping into your lungs daily as you maintain it at home using heat from one of your hair straighteners.
In a short answer, we would say yes. Brazilian Blowouts are good for your hair on the outside. But they are not suitable for your health, so you will need to determine how that impacts your decision moving forward. The only hope for a healthy treatment is if you get a brazilian blowout that is formaldehyde free.
Do Chemical Blowouts Damage Hair?
We know that excessive chemical blowouts can damage your hair. The constant heat manipulation done to your hair will cause long-term damage as your hair was not created to be able to sustain this. Chemicals are another culprit that damage your hair in the long term. These frequent blowout sessions may seem desirable because they keep your hair looking brand new all the time, but in the long run, they will be doing more harm than good. One long term damaging effect consists of sucking the moisture from the cuticles of your hair and causing it to break easily because of how dry it is. If you want to have more manageable hair, look into treatments that are restorative and use natural ingredients.
One of the good hair straightening treatments of this kind is the collagen hair treatment which can be done at home or in a salon. This treatment uses collagen, an ingredient already produced in your body, to keep your hair healthy. This treatment restores your hair, offering hope for long term healthy hair as well as short term beauty results.
Another good option is the keratin hair treatment which takes a naturally-produced compound as well and applies it to the hair to seal the hair cuticles. Be sure to look for formaldehyde-free products when researching a Keratin treatment. Both of these do require some heat, but the temperature is not mounted upon chemicals that will damage your hair in the long term. This heat will also not cause a release of a cancer-causing chemical as chemical blowouts do.
What Brazilian Blowout Works Well?
Brazilian Blowout is the name of a brand. When getting a Brazilian Blowout done, this brand’s line of products will be used. So to best dive into this question, we will explore the shampoos to use after a Brazilian Blowout Treatment. The maintenance will make all the difference because it will determine your needed frequency of getting recurring blowouts as well as the look of the blowout on a daily basis. There are specific shampoos and conditioners to use for certain types of hair issues you had before the treatment.
Here are Our Top Picks for the Best Brazilian Blowouts
1. Damila Salt & Sulfate Free Shampoo
For every kind of hair, the Damila Salt & Sulfate Free shampoo is a great option. This is a set of products that are great for moisturizing and are used by many salon workers and others in the hair care profession.
2. BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT Shampoo and Conditioner Duo Pack
A good set of products for hair that has been color treated is the Brazilian Blowout products called anti-frizz shampoo and conditioner set. The best part about this is that you are keeping consistent with one line of product during the treatment as well as after the treatment. These Brazilian Blowout products allow for maximum benefits since they were made to maintain the product used to treat your hair!
3. Moroccan Keratin Sulfate Free Shampoo & Conditioner Set
Next up we have a shampoo and conditioner set that is great for the restoration of breakage, dry hair, and split ends. This set of products is called Moroccan Sulfate-Free Keratin which is suitable for daily use. Moroccan oil is one of the best things you can use for any damaged or treated hair. This set not only helps to keep your hair moisturized and uses natural straightening products to do it, but the keratin helps to keep the treatment from washing out — which is why this product can be used every day.
If you notice, all these products are sulfate-free and salt-free. For any treated hair, this is a must. All of these products are great options for maintenance after a Brazilian Blowout.
Research and Decide What’s Right for You
All in all, Brazilian Blowouts are a good option for your hair. But when it comes to your health, not so much. The only way this treatment would be healthy is if you get Brazilian blowout that’s formaldehyde free as well as free of the chemicals that formaldehyde hides in. It is best to do your research beforehand to determine the best decision for you.