I know how tempting it is to shoot the messenger, but if I could get you to refrain from any knee-jerk, sharp-object-throwing reactions for at least as long as it takes you to read this blog post, it would be much appreciated. It seems that frizzy-haired followers of the Brazilian Blowout should prepare to say a final farewell to their arguably tempestuous relationship with the follicle-smoothing formula. (*sigh *tear)

After months of speculation, complaints and debate (some concerns dating back to 2007) our very own Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has issued an official ‘Hazard Alert’ (Is anyone else seeing orange flashing lights?) for anyone using or working with Brazilian Blowout hair straightening product. To hit-home my messenger status, take a peek at the release posted on OSHA’s website:

Federal OSHA and State OSHA programs are investigating complaints from stylists and hair salon owners about exposure to formaldehyde while using GIB LLC dba (doing business as) Brazilian Blowout products and other hair smoothing products. OSHA has found formaldehyde in the air when stylists use hair smoothing products. Some had “formaldehyde-free” on the label or did not list formaldehyde on the product label or in the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS).

And since the formaldehyde is the hazardous compound in question, OSHA was good enough to also post:

Formaldehyde is a colorless, strong-smelling gas that presents a health hazard if workers are exposed. You can be exposed to formaldehyde if you breathe it into your lungs, if it gets into your eyes, or if it is contained in a product that gets onto your skin. You can also be exposed accidentally if you touch your face, eat food, or drink after using a product containing formaldehyde without first washing your hands. It can irritate the eyes and nose, and cause coughing and wheezing. Formaldehyde is a "sensitizer," which means that it can cause allergic reactions of the skin, eyes, and lungs such as asthma-like breathing problems and skin rashes and itching. When formaldehyde is in a product that gets sprayed into the eyes, it can damage the eyes and cause blindness. It is also a cancer hazard that is linked to nose and lung cancer.

So… that doesn’t sound totally cool.

A non-profit agency committed to using the power of public information to protect public health and the environment, the Environmental Working Group’s (EWG) senior scientist David Andrews remarked, "Chemicals known to cause cancer shouldn't be hidden ingredients in any products that people inhale or apply to their skin....While not as common as a haircut, these straightening procedures happen in salons across the country each day." The group points out that six other countries have pulled hair-straightening chemicals from shelves and salons due to excessive formaldehyde.

OSHA has also promised to continue to work with the Food and Drug Administration and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health to “assess the exact gravity of the situation.”




Um. Okay. Meanwhile, we here at Project Beauty.com covered the um… discrepancies between the marketing, outside research and consumer complaints of the B.B. in our ‘Brazilian Blowout Bummer’ blog post in October, to a flurry of backlash from some of our readers. But, trust me, I was elated with my first B.B. Afflicted with curly-frizzy-crazy-Claire hair at birth, I (and each and ever lock on my head) know the trauma of blow-drying and straightening my hair into a Hades-like state of parched damage. And for one brief sweet moment it seemed that the Brazilian Blowout was the answer to my prayers. But like my recent three-month relationship with a communication-challenged, yet culinary-educated sommelier (who shall go unnamed), all good things must end.

But will it?

Despite the fact that (back in October 2010) stylists in an Oregon salon reported various physical ailments like difficulty breathing, nosebleeds and eye irritation, and the fact that California filed a ‘proposed preliminary injunction’ after Brazilian Blowout Smoothing Solution was found to contain more than eight times (<strong>*gasp<strong>) the permissible amount of formaldehyde, it hasn’t exactly been outlawed. So it seems, for the time being, you’ll still be able to rush into your stylist and demand the lustrous, smooth locks you’ve grown accustomed to.

The question is: Will you? Will OSHA’s new stance on the possible dangers of the Brazilian Blowout deter you from it? Let us know what you think!