Brazilian Hair Treatment

Women with wavy, curly or frizzy hair perpetually search for the Holy Grail product or treatment that will give them straight, silky locks without tethering them to a straightening iron. One of the newer and increasingly popular hair-straightening techniques is the Brazilian treatment offered at professional salons.

Why Go Brazilian?

• The Brazilian hair-straightening treatment did indeed originate in Brazil, where it's known as the "escova progressiva" (progressive blow-dry). Prior to the introduction of Brazilian hair-straightening products into the U.S., the only way for women to achieve pin-straight hair was through thermal reconditioning, also called Japanese hair straightening, or the "Japanese perm." However, this treatment soon proved more successful on certain hair types over others. Women with dyed,
  bleached or damaged hair saw their hair break, thin and even fall out. Suffice it to say, those with healthy "virgin" hair made the best candidates for Japanese hair straightening.
  Brazilian hair straightening is appropriate for all hair types, regardless if hair has been processed through other chemical means. Also, while thermal reconditioning permanently straightens hair, requiring frequent touch-ups of new growth, the Brazilian treatment wears out gradually over a few months, during which time the hair returns to its former state. Women who miss their curly tresses don't have to worry about making a "permanent" Japanese mistake.

The Process

• Depending on the length and thickness of your hair, a Brazilian hair-straightening treatment can take from one-and-a-half to four hours.
  First, the stylist applies a solution that contains keratin, which is a protein, and other chemicals to the hair. Then the hair is flat-ironed straight at 450 degrees. Purportedly, the keratin bonds to the hair and smooths out the follicles' edges, giving hair more luster and shine. The cost of one treatment can range from $300 to $600.

Caution!

• In the salon industry, the Brazilian straightening treatment is a hot topic of debate: Is it really that safe?
  The ingredient that causes hair to become straight is not keratin, says chemist Doug Schoon of Schoon Scientific, but a derivative of the gas formaldehyde, formalin. Both clients and salon stylists may be subject to a formaldehyde fumes during the treatment (which is not recommended for pregnant women or those with certain lung conditions). As of July 2009, the U.S. Food & Drug Administration still does not regulate the legal amount of formalin--the same ingredient found in nail hardeners--in cosmetics.
  Whether Brazilian hair straightening poses any long-term health risks is yet to be determined. Some salons have switched to using Brazilian hair-straightening products that do not contain formalin or any of its derivatives; however, stylists note that these treatments don't quell frizz as successfully as the products that contain formalin.
  
  
  

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