Beauty, People Are Talking
Five Lessons Learned From Getting a Brazilian Blowout
By Lauren Sherman
I have a confession: Last spring, I got a Brazilian blowout. You know, that keratin treatment that’s been making headlines for years regarding its formaldehyde content. I have incredibly thick, coarse, curly hair, which I’ve been relaxing/straightening/damaging for years. The keratin treatment is the first that actually made my hair feel healthier. (Well, formaldehyde is a preservative….)
All joking aside, I’m not endorsing any of these treatments. Before you get it done you should do as much research as you can, talk to as many medical professionals as you can, and weigh the risks. Whether or not I’m going to have the treatment done again is still up in the air. But I did learn several important lessons from trying it:
1. Sodium is bad for your hair. When I was in my teens, and in the depths of my Medusa-dom, there was a spam email floating around about how sodium lauryl sulfate was a terrible carcinogen. It said that you should throw everything away in your bathroom cabinet that contained anything with at least one of those words on the ingredient list. Unfortunately, pretty much every shampoo and conditioner on the market, as well as many hair products, contain some sort of sulfate.
You can’t use shampoos with sodium when you have the Brazilian blowout. And you know what? I never will again, regardless of whether that email spam was true. For people like me with naturally coarse, frizzy hair, sodium lauryl sulfate exacerbates the problem. The brazilian blowout only lasts for three months, but my hair is still more manageable than it was beforehand because I’m using gentler shampoos and conditioners. (However, I will still use dry shampoo, which I’m sure contains some sort of sulfate. That stuff is my crack.)
2. Traditional relaxers and Japanese straighteners are not worth it. My hair is very dry, but it was literally straw when I was using a traditional relaxer. Now that my hair is semi-touchable I’ll never go back to traditional treatments, even if that means letting it go natural.
3. I am so happy that I don’t dye my hair. My hair is very dark brown, with some light brown highlights that have emerged as a result of sun exposure. (My hair is also just getting lighter: I’ve noticed a couple of grays popping up.) I played with temporary dyes in middle school, but since then I’ve kept my hair dark brown. And I’m so happy about it. I can’t even imagine putting my hair through a coloring process every three months. I feel lucky that I am content with my natural color.
4. Researching beauty treatments is essential. Years ago, it seemed insane that people would actually stop using sulfate products in their hair. Now I’m a full-on believer that they’re harmful. It’s important to research a product or treatment thoroughly so that you can make the decision that’s right for you.
5. Flat irons suck. If I’m going to apply heat to my hair–which I probably do every four or five months, letting my hair air dry the rest of the time–it’s going to be via traditional blow dry rather than a flat iron. Not only is it horrible for your hair, the result doesn’t look as natural.
Tags: Brazilian Blowout
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gret points lauren!!!! i, unfortunately, dye my hair because my pale/pinkish skin is too light for my almost black hair (but i switched to a natural brand and my hair doesn’t feel damaged after)…but i also have stopped using shampoos with sls’s in them and my hair is so amazing now! i have super thick, coarse, culry hair too, but since i stopped destroying it with commercial shampoos i get complimented on my hair multiple times daily (i don’t even comb it everyday anymore :)
Yeah, it’s crazy, I don’t have to use hair products anymore. It dries with barely any frizz!
same here! sometimes i’ll put jojoba oil at the dry ends of my hair…but otherwise i am saving so much money…less is more ;)
at least you two have hair… i’m facing MPB slowly but surely. But for the current crop of hair, I think I’m going to look into this SLS-free shampoo… never read up on it before and wonder how it would affect us guys.
at least you two have hair… i’m facing MPB slowly but surely. But for the current crop of hair, I think I’m going to look into this SLS-free shampoo… never read up on it before and wonder how it would affect us guys.
same here! sometimes i’ll put jojoba oil at the dry ends of my hair…but otherwise i am saving so much money…less is more ;)
Which brands do you guys use? I’m always so overwhelmed by the multitude of ‘natural’ products
I really like your blog post and after recieving my brazilian blowout today at the cosmotology school I attend I was just skimming the net looking for others who recieved this treatment… Theres just one lil problem in your article that maybe you should look into so others who come across it can know a little more about sulfates in shampoos,etc.
Its really not the sodium you have to worry about in your shampoos, it IS the sulfate. Sulfate in shampoo’s are the little “scrubbers” that are used to make sure your hair is left extra clean. Anytime that you want to manage dry, unmanageable, frizzy hair or hair that has been chemically altered with a perm, relaxer, brazilian blow out or even hair color you will want to stay clear of anything containing scrubbers because that sulfate will actually strip your hair and any chemical left on the cuticle layer! I hope this helps, keep posting more and I love my blow out!!
I really like your blog post and after recieving my brazilian blowout today at the cosmotology school I attend I was just skimming the net looking for others who recieved this treatment… Theres just one lil problem in your article that maybe you should look into so others who come across it can know a little more about sulfates in shampoos,etc.
Its really not the sodium you have to worry about in your shampoos, it IS the sulfate. Sulfate in shampoo’s are the little “scrubbers” that are used to make sure your hair is left extra clean. Anytime that you want to manage dry, unmanageable, frizzy hair or hair that has been chemically altered with a perm, relaxer, brazilian blow out or even hair color you will want to stay clear of anything containing scrubbers because that sulfate will actually strip your hair and any chemical left on the cuticle layer! I hope this helps, keep posting more and I love my blow out!!
Lauren, can you recommend specific salons in NYC that you’ve gotten the treatment from and like the results? There are so many places offering the service, from regular Dominican salons to super high-end. Its hard to find good recommendations since the treatment is relatively new- any suggestions you have would be great!
Hi there! I’ll do a snap poll of my friends. I actually have a hairdresser who comes to my house. Truthfully, I think the most important thing isn’t how high-end the salon is, but that the person doing your hair understands curly hair. I would look on Yelp! The reviews on there are usually really good.
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/fashion/04SKIN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl&emc=a210
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/fashion/04SKIN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl&emc=a210
I got mine from Seventy Arniotis in Williamsburg & she was awesome. I reviewed her on Yelp here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/self-salon-brooklyn-3#hrid:oCCPLbnPHCKrujNgSZQhSw
I got mine from Seventy Arniotis in Williamsburg & she was awesome. I reviewed her on Yelp here: http://www.yelp.com/biz/self-salon-brooklyn-3#hrid:oCCPLbnPHCKrujNgSZQhSw
Are there any affordable sodium lauryl sulfate-free shampoos and conditioners out there? Do you have any brands you’d recommend?
i know you’re waiting for lauren’s reply…but i’ve been using ‘kiss my face’ and it’s wonderful…sometimes i mix it up by just using castile soap as shampoo (peppermint scented…it’s supposed to help hair growth too ;)…i use DR Bronners Organic Castile Liquid Soap. also, i have some eucalyptus oil that i drop into my shampoo (also supposed to help stimulate hair growth)
Thanks – very helpful!
you’re welcome! one thing i forgot to mention is that i barely even need conditioner now too…so i will usually just shampoo and dab a tiny bit of jojoba oil at the tips after towel drying my hair.
i know you’re waiting for lauren’s reply…but i’ve been using ‘kiss my face’ and it’s wonderful…sometimes i mix it up by just using castile soap as shampoo (peppermint scented…it’s supposed to help hair growth too ;)…i use DR Bronners Organic Castile Liquid Soap. also, i have some eucalyptus oil that i drop into my shampoo (also supposed to help stimulate hair growth)
i love the l’oreal everpure line. It’s like 5.99 a bottle.
I thought this l’oreal stuff would be great, but it totally let me down. It has 2-3 chemicals in it that are synonyms for SLS. I switched to this from Aveda because of cost and my hair has become dry, strawlike and dull. I would try the whole foods brands if you have that store, or the kiss my face line.
Really? It’s works really well on my hair, (which is coarse and very wavy.) But that is interesting about it still having SLS. When my bottles run out I will look intot he Whole Foods brand
loreal has a great line out right now that says sulfate free on them.
so my mom uses the loreal ‘sulfate free’ shampoo…just looked at the label and it has several different variations of sulfates on them…make sure you read the ingredients when you’re buying…a lot claim to be sulfate free but they have other forms…this article should help with any confusion: http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2010/07/03/sodium-lauryl-sulfate.aspx
I have the same hair as you Lauren (albeit, different style I’d imagine) and I had to swear off sulfates for good. I was displeased to find almost all Kiehl’s shampoo has it, and even more so when their little in store labcoat lady swore they did not (and I didnt read the label in store as I’d already spoken with the clerk at length.) My (our?) ideal shampoo has to be Aveda clove shampoo for brunettes. A clerk told me it was their first product (so it must be the best one, if were trusting the clerk…) and it’s still sold in cute vintage-y original bottle designs. It doesn’t have that overpowering pure-fume smell, its vaguely almond/cherry scented and so gentle on my very temperamental, frizzy hair. Im almost sure there is no SLS but i cant promise. That and morrocan oil have changed my head’s life.
Basement cat asked up there if quitting SLS will help with male pattern baldness. It IS said to cause hair loss in people who aren’t even experiencing genetic hair loss, and certainly can’t be helping the looks of the hair you’ve got.
Fashion is here : http://shylersonlinestore.wordans.com
I work with formaldehyde right now, as a med student. I wear a respirator with special filters, goggles, nitrile gloves, and a tyvek body suit to protect me from that stuff, and that’s at an airborne concentration of about 0.5%. What you’ve put on your head is about 12 TIMES as concentrated, according to your own site’s article. While I’m glad you’ve switched from using SLS (it can give you inflamed gums too, check your toothpaste), you might want to reconsider how you’re unnecessarily damaging your health and your stylist’s health in the name of fierce hair–especially since you’re getting it done in your own home.
I am glad I am not the only one who read that an entire country (Canada) is banning salons from using it.
I believe the consumer safety board Ireland has also banned salons from carrying out these treatments.
I believe the consumer safety board Ireland has also banned salons from carrying out these treatments.
I believe the consumer safety board Ireland has also banned salons from carrying out these treatments.
I believe the consumer safety board Ireland has also banned salons from carrying out these treatments.
I believe the consumer safety board Ireland has also banned salons from carrying out these treatments.
Pureology shampoo is SLS-free and great for colored treated hair.
I just bought Jason brand shampoo with tea tree oil. It’s sulfate and paraben free, and allegedly the tea tree oil helps prevent flakes (I haven’t used it yet). I looked everywhere for a sulfate-free brand that can also help with dandruff (I get it in the winter) and this seems to be it. Wish me luck!
After getting JapaneseThermal reconditioning years ago I learned five things- 1) my hair was shinier but thinner 2) many hairs would break off while running my fingers through it 3) it wouldn’t hold a curl and was dead straight 4) once the hair starting growing back it was curly on the top and straight the bottom and I was stuck having to flat iron the top or get another “reconditioning”. 5)I learned to love the versatality of my curly hair and straight hair was overrated. I won’t put dark hair color on my head because it has been proven that the chemicals seep into your scalp and can cause bladder problems and cancer, neither do I use sulfates on hair or polymers on face (l’oreals everpure is great and doesnt make you smell like a hippie- and I wouldn’t recommend if you’ve had any cancer in your family to put formalehyde on your head. Vanity at the cost of your life or your future kids life isn’t worth it.
Now a days formaldehyde is prohibited in Brazil for this application, and there’s a lot of new formulas that make the same effect.
funny how it’s called a ‘brazilian blowout’
http://whycantmybestfriendbeme.blogspot.com/
funny how it’s called a ‘brazilian blowout’
http://whycantmybestfriendbeme.blogspot.com/
funny how it’s called a ‘brazilian blowout’
http://whycantmybestfriendbeme.blogspot.com/
funny how it’s called a ‘brazilian blowout’
http://whycantmybestfriendbeme.blogspot.com/
Now a days formaldehyde is prohibited in Brazil for this application, and there’s a lot of new formulas that make the same effect.
Now a days formaldehyde is prohibited in Brazil for this application, and there’s a lot of new formulas that make the same effect.
Now a days formaldehyde is prohibited in Brazil for this application, and there’s a lot of new formulas that make the same effect.
I agree with Paula.
Look out for names like Escova Progressiva and Zene Progress,
They’re excellent Keratin hair straighetning and smoothing treatments from Brazil.
And because laws are tighter down there regarding the use of Formaldehyde they’re safer than some brands manufactured in the States.
Lauren, thanks for this article – I didn’t know ANY of this. I’ll be checking out some of the suggested shampoos. To Basement Cat – have you considered trying any of the medications that stop/slow MPB? I have heard that they really work and are best to start when hair loss is not too advanced.
they also cause ed…baldness (sometimes is kinda hot) > ed
I agree – bald guys can be really hot. It’s pretty freaky, though, when your hair starts to drop out. Chemo made me sympathetic to men losing their hair!
chemo on you personally or someone you know?
a family friend had to go through chemo and she lost all of her hair too…now she’s doing well and her hair has grown out :) but she was wearing a wig before :(
they also cause ed…baldness (sometimes is kinda hot) > ed
Slightly off topic, but I quit using toothpaste with SLS too. I was starting to experience tooth sensitivity and switched to Colgate sensitive and the pain is completely gone now. SLS is not just in haircare products.
yeah sls is in almost everything we use, soap, body washes, hair care products, tooth paste, dish soap…and it’s the same stuff that is used to clean grease spills in garages…i can’t believe the wide array of products that are overpowered by this crap
I’m so glad you mentioned toothpaste. I just checked mine and *sigh* it too has SLS right there on the label. I’ll use it until it’s out and then look for something new.
To Anita: It happened to me twice. I like my bald head but I used to get approached by weird cult types, or scared people who thought I was a neo-nazi so I mainly wore a wig.
Your hair does grow back, but it’s like curly baby’s hair at first and takes a well to get back to normal.
Still, I sympathise with men losing their hair – you watch it literally going down the drain every morning and that’s not fun.
wow! you are amazing for going through that twice.
yeah i can imagine a little bit what that might feel like because i once attempted to relax my own hair (worst idea EVER)…when i got into the shower gigantic clumps of my hair were coming out and chunks of my hair were all over the shower. i was crying and felt like i was going to have a heart attack
Commiserations – quite a lot of women have had total disasters with hair products (sadly, quite often at salons). They use some very powerful chemicals which can not only damage your hair (or cause it to fall out totally) but give people severe chemical burns on their face and scalp. Yikes! One reason why I have found all your info on shampoos so interesting. Thanks!
wow! you are amazing for going through that twice.
yeah i can imagine a little bit what that might feel like because i once attempted to relax my own hair (worst idea EVER)…when i got into the shower gigantic clumps of my hair were coming out and chunks of my hair were all over the shower. i was crying and felt like i was going to have a heart attack
wow! you are amazing for going through that twice.
yeah i can imagine a little bit what that might feel like because i once attempted to relax my own hair (worst idea EVER)…when i got into the shower gigantic clumps of my hair were coming out and chunks of my hair were all over the shower. i was crying and felt like i was going to have a heart attack
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/fashion/04SKIN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl&emc=a210 Todays New York Times article on the BB
http://www.nytimes.com/2010/11/04/fashion/04SKIN.html?pagewanted=1&_r=1&nl&emc=a210 Todays New York Times article on the BB
my daugther just had it done but I was not aware that it can cause cancer :(
I must say as a stylist who provides this treatment…it is so nice to see some positive feedback on this product when the media and some people are blowing this whole thing out of proportion!!
Tragically, some of the best things in life are bad for us. With so much increase in cancer over the past decade why would we put a known carcigen on our heads so close to where our brains are. It is completely masochistic. Come on ladies, don’t believe the hype. Investigate for yourselves. IF two countries have already banned it- doesn’t that say anything?
For a Sulfate free shampoo, I use BWC – Beauty With Cruelty. It’s between 9 and 14 for a bottle that has lasted me six months already, and I’ve got a little less than 1/4 of the bottle left. The only place I can find it is at Vitamin Cottage or online, but it’s great. My hair was falling out almost by the handfuls. I changed to this shampoo (the only change I made) and I’m barely losing any now.
Hi! Thanks so much for all of this information but I can’t find any of the brands mentioned here. I have EXTREMELY THINK CURLY hair.. think Diana Ross …. and a couple of years ago I started relaxing it, not all the way, just enough to bring the curl and the hair down. While I love straight hair I don’t like it on me personally. I’ve switched between using a cream relaxer and a liquid relaxer but now my hair is just beyond hope. I was planning on getting the Brazilian Blowout but in turns out that not may be the way to go. Are there any brands I can get from a regular pharmacy or a beauty supply store like Sally’s? I want to get my hair healthy once and for all! Please help!
Best place to get hair products free of chemicals is a health/natural type store like whole foods.
There isn’t a Whole Foods anywhere nearby in my city. any alternatives?
is there a target? sometimes i use dr bronner’s castile soap for shampoo (the peppermint kind…stimulates hair growth)…are there any other health food stores near you aside from a whole foods?…if you can’t find one maybe just try shopping online
http://www.drbronner.com/
and
http://www.kissmyfacewebstore.com/index.asp
is there a target? sometimes i use dr bronner’s castile soap for shampoo (the peppermint kind…stimulates hair growth)…are there any other health food stores near you aside from a whole foods?…if you can’t find one maybe just try shopping online
http://www.drbronner.com/
and
http://www.kissmyfacewebstore.com/index.asp
BB’s changed my life! I’ve been getting them done for about a year and half now (about 6-7) and I’ve noticed extreme improvement in the health and growth of my hair right after and even 3 months after having it done. No more money spent on hair serums and creams, no need for expensive shampoos & conditioners, no need for 30 min + blowdrying my hair THEN flat-ironing. Takes me 5 minutes to fully blowout my hair (which fall to mid-back). And whalaa… healthy, shiny and straight hair. HAPPINESS!