Keratin Treatment Explained

I am writing this blog in the attempt to inform people about the potential negative and damaging side effects of getting a Keratin Hair Treatment at your local salon. I hope that whomever reads this blog will seriously consider against doing a Keratin Hair Treatment if you already haven't done so -- and if you have, and have had horrible things happen from the treatment, please email me at DawnEmerson1974@gmail.com to tell me your story.

I will be posting every one's story on this blog for other people to read. I am also interested in forming a class action lawsuit against the makers of the products (i.e. BKT, Coppolla, etc.).

So here's the low-down on the Keratin Hair Treatment that most salons have been advocating here in the U.S. over the last 1 - 2 years. The treatment is a keratin infused product (several companies make this product) that makes the hair straighter, shiny, and more "silky". It is said to be a "safe" way to straighten your hair, because it actually makes the hair "healthier" by infusing keratin into the hair shaft.

So what is keratin? Keratin is one of the main building blocks of human (and most animal) hair. Keratin is actually a family of fibrous structural proteins found in various components of organic material. The keratin found in human hair act as a bond, or a sort of "glue" (to think of it in a generic sense), for various amino acids, proteins, etc. that compromise the shaft of the human hair compounds.

The idea behind the Keratin Hair Treatment is that if the hair is infused with keratin the hair will become stronger and more healthy (different companies use different types of keratin; for instance, some use keratin from goats, although they don't say where the keratin is coming from - it would be my guess it is coming from internal organs such as liver keratin, but I suppose it could be hair/fur derived). By adding more "glue" to the make-up of the hair strand, the other elements such as protein can bind together more closely in order to create a stronger binding.

Now, keratin treatments have been around in various forms for a long time, well before the recent "fade" of the current salon keratin hair treatment (sometimes referred to as the "Brazilian Keratin Hair Treatment"). Using pure organic or synthetic keratin is of little harm to the human body, and has little or no known negative side effects.

However, the products used in this type of Keratin Treatment are made of a lot more than just keratin. Although keratin will make your hair stronger, and possibly more shiny or "silky", it will not straighten hair. This is where the chemicals join the mixture...

Formaldehyde and the Aldehyde family of chemicals have long been used in the textile trades to manufacture materials such as wool. In the keratin treatment that salons are currently performing, the products being used either contain raw formaldehyde or another form of the aldehyde family such as glutraldehyde (or glutral) or glyoxal. These chemicals help create the process of straightening the hair, as well as re-infusing the reaction of keratin to the hair strand.

Let's stop right here and talk about formaldehyde and the aldehyde family of chemicals. I am sure you have heard the word formaldehyde before, right? Most commonly, people know it as the main chemical used in embalming fluid. Formaldehyde is found in trace amounts in organic materials during the metabolic process, or when other combustion occur. However, it is a chemical that is a known carcengian that is used in a variety of situations and only in the last 20 years has started to become regulated by the FDA and REACH in Europe. It was / is used for things like building materials, germicides and preservatives. It is not good for humans to ingest or be in repeated/long term exposure to the chemical through either touching it or breathing it.

There are some companies making the Keratin Treatment products that claim it is formaldehyde free (Coppolla is one of them). However, they still use other compounds from the same family - the Aldehyde family of chemicals. When these chemicals are heated past 420 degrees, they have a similar chemical reaction as would traditionally based formaldehyde.

So, the first thing to be clear about is that if you are receiving a Keratin Hair Treatment at a salon, and it is the treatment that is meant to "straighten" your hair, there is no such thing as a formaldehyde free product. There just isn't. They say this as a marketing tool, and they use other Aldehyde compounds instead in order to get rid of the immediate toxicity of raw formaldehyde - but it is still relatively similar. I know that there are "other" types of keratin treatments on the market that don't straighten your hair at all, and these are NOT the $250 - $350 treatments being sold at most salons in America.

So here is the process at the salon during the treatment, for those of you whom have not gotten it done yet. The stylist does a shampoo clarification, then dries your hair fully. They then put the product on your dry hair, and section it off into very small sections using a straightener of at least 420 - 450 degrees, going over the hair anywhere from 5 - 10 times for each section. You then do not wash your hair for 3 - 5 days, leaving the "treatment" in your hair so it can cure. You are supposed to use sodium-free shampoo so as not to fade the chemicals in your hair so the treatment lasts longer. It "should" last between 4 - 6 months.

Stop and think about this for a minute. First, what we just read about the Aldehyde group of chemicals. The person doing your hair is straightening your hair so it will be smooth and cure that way, sure, but it is also so that the chemical reaction can occur. 420 - 450 degrees is really hot, when you stop to think about it...

Next, think about the fact that the treatment has a specific shelf life. This means a few things. One, the treatment does not change the actual bonding in your hair, or change the chemical make-up of your hair (like other straightening treatments, or perms, etc.). It actually sits on the hair strand and is slowly washed away every time you shampoo. And the worst part of this concept .... during the 3-5 days of "curing" you are walking around, sleeping, eating next to .... that's right. A head full of formaldehyde. It is rubbing into your skin, by your scalp, near your mouth. Although the chemical is in a dry state, there is still a reactive property to it. And when you wash out the initial chemicals? They are still in your hair!

When you get your hair dyed, for instance, there are some potentially dangerous chemicals being used. However, dying actually changes the chemical make-up of the hair strand (same as a perm), and therefore the chemicals are only on the hair for a short time while the process is occurring. Once you wash them out, they are no longer "sitting" on your strands - because the process is now permanent, not an ongoing chemical reaction.

Hmmm,..... makes you think right???

Now let's talk about some other elements of these Keratin Hair Treatments, and reactions people have had. I have spoken to and been in contact online with a number of people (mostly woman) whom have had some very alarming things happen in reaction to this treatment. The most disturbing has been immediate hair loss, massive hair loss. Some woman have reported loosing anywhere from 40 - 75% of their hair! Allergic reactions on the scalp are also occurring, and long terms effects (because the FDA has not approved or studied these products) are unknown, with some doctors suggesting that these chemicals found in these treatments cause cancer.

I will continue my insight on the Keratin Treatment on my next blog posting....