Brazilian Blowout Responds to formaldehyde accusation

See Brazilian Blowout's Official Statement here.

Brazilian Blowout was recently accused of having formaldehyde in their professional solution, which is labeled "formaldehyde-free." See follow-up information and their initial response here (updated statements on homepage at link above):

VIA WWW.AMOMINREDHIGHHEELS.COM

This investigation into the contents of Brazilian Blowout™ smoothing treatment began when a stylist, Molly Scrutton of Platform Artistic Salon in Oregon, claimed she was experiencing physical reactions from performing the keratin hair treatment on clients. It should be noted that Molly is NOT a Certified Brazilian Blowout™ Stylist and if she was performing the treatment, she was doing so untrained. Molly’s salon submitted a sample of product that they claim is Brazilian Blowout’s Acai Professional Smoothing Solution. Brazilian Blowout™ has checked their files and according to their records, “the last bottle of solution purchased from this salon was back on January 18th, 2010 (Shipped to Platform Artistic Salon but billed to a different stylist). Certainly, nowhere near the August 12th 2010 date that OHSU claims a bottle was shipped to Platform Artistic Salon.”

It appears that there are some unanswered questions regarding the sample submitted to the Oregon branch of OSHA.

Brazilian Blowout addresses the claim with the following statement [as seen on their website]:

“At Brazilian Blowout, the safety of our products, stylists and consumers is our number one priority. We stand behind the integrity of our product, and affirm that our professional solution is indeed formaldehyde-free.

As a result of the Oregon division of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA)recent claim, Brazilian Blowout is conducting a thorough investigation of these allegations to ensure that accurate data is released to the public.

With regards to OSHA’s claim, the actual source of the formulation tested has not been identified, and was not submitted by the Brazilian Blowout company itself. Because OSHA did not request a sample from the company directly, there is no reason to believe that the formulation tested and found positive for traces of formaldehyde was indeed Brazilian Blowout product. This represents a clear violation of proper testing protocol, and this gross negligence on the part of OSHA invalidates all findings that have been released as a result of OSHA’s testing.”

We look forward to hearing what else comes of this. Increased training for stylists, stricter purchasing power of product for salons and increased safety for stylists and clients via appropriate air filtration systems would all be wonderful things to come of this controversy.

Disclaimer: Jordana Lorraine and Tammy Gibson are not employees or representatives of Brazilian Blowout™. The information given here was provided by a Brazilian Blowout representative, and the opinions expressed are those of Jordana Lorraine and Tammy Gibson based on our personal experiences with this and other smoothing treatments. We are not authorized to field calls or answer questions on the company’s behalf.

Brazilian Blowout: Go for the cheap deal, or splurge for the experienced Specialist?

As you probably already know if you are my client, read this blog, or know me at all...Brazilian Blowout is one of my favorite things on the planet. It has changed my life dramatically, both as frizzy-haired girl (can you saw Jew-fro??) and as a hairdresser. So it BREAKS MY HEART to hear some of the tragic stories I have, about other stylists either doing it wrong, and/or misleading the client as to what product is being used on them. I've said it before, and I'll say it again...if the price seems TOO GOOD TO BE TRUE, it probably is. This product is expensive, and doing it properly (and well) requires special training and equipment, extra time and personalized care (Halle Berry and Lindsay Lohan have both had it...but should their hair be treated the same? No...duh?) So ask some questions, such as, how did the stylist get certified? Did you know this can be done by simply watching a 5 minute video? Or, a more professional stylist may have taken an actual class or workshop. Unfortunately, BB salon locator will not tell you which method someone trained by, and everyone is given the same certificate. So how can you know? Research and interview the stylist. Some tips can be found here at A Mom in Red High Heels.

When looking at the price, also consider the cost of the stylist's time; if she charges $30 for a haircut, what does that say about her skill and experience even prior to learning Brazilian Blowout? (Sorry, Kansas...I am going by city standards, which generally bill a good haircut from an experienced stylist at $75-100.)

This is a relatively new service, and everyone wants to jump on the bandwagon, but you don't want someone from the bandwagon messing up your hair! Even if your Mom's friend owns a salon and has been cutting your hair since your were 2, and you trust her implicitly, but she just learned how to do BB, she may not be the one to go to for this.

Allow me to share some examples of what I've seen and heard:

"My co-worker got it done for half the price."

A long-time color and haircut client of mine (let's call her Jenny) had a Brazilian Blowout with me in December. She wanted another one to help her beat the summer heat (and humidity, ick!) but it wasn't in her budget. A co-worker of hers said she's had it done for really cheap, and curiosity set in. Jenny called the salon, asked a few questions and made an appointment. They jumped right in and shampooed her hair, then she saw the stylist pull out a purple bottle (the Brazilian Blowout bottle is bronze, as she had seen in my salon where we proudly display the products we are using.) Jenny asked the stylist, "What is that?" and was told it was "The Brazilian Blowout solution." Not one to have the wool pulled over her eyes, Jenny asked to see the bottle. She engaged the stylist in a conversation, in which the stylist claimed the product was "just the same as Brazilian Blowout," but when asked about details the stylist fell short on knowledge of her product, and it became more and more clear to Jenny that it was definitely not "just the same as Brazilian Blowout" (3 day wait to wash hair, for one thing.) In the end, she left without having the service done. I don't even know what they were trying to use on her; I have searched and searched and not found any keratin treatment that comes in a purple bottle.

"I got Brazilian Blowout with a friend, and hers looked great but mine got fried."

A client I've seen a few times for BB was telling a friend she was visiting how amazing it was, and a local place had a "bring a friend" deal, so they both got it. The friend's hair (curly/frizzy, fine, colored) came out great; nice waves when air-dried, easy to blow straight, as it should be. My client's delicate, heavily-highlighted hair on the other hand, literally melted. It looked like what I've seen when someone uses a flat-iron overseas without a proper converter. Seriously! Several areas of her hair were absolutely MELTED. Please note that heat damage is virtually irreparable; it can be re-moisturized, but really needs to be cut off. When she asked the stylist what happened, he guessed that 'maybe he used too high of a heat setting for her hair condition.' YA THINK???

"The salon down the street is offering it for a lot less."

Scenario 1: There is a salon about a mile away from mine, which always has some kind of Groupon or other 'deal' going on.  I have recently learned that not only is the owner not Brazilian Blowout-Certified, but she doesn't even have a CA Cosmetology license!  She does do them herself, as well as her other stylists, but guess who else?  She has hired a beauty school student, also not certified (you must have your stet license before BB will train and certify you,) to do these BB deals.  This makes my head spin!  It is not 'in' me to rat her out to any of these regulating boards/companies, but I have seen several clients who have had bad experiences there.

Scenario 2: A salon down the street has a dry-erase board out front saying they do Brazilian Blowout. So, I pop my head in and ask to buy the BB shampoo. They don't have it. That's weird...I ask a few more questions and it turns out they don't do Brazilian Blowout at all, they don't even know it's a brand name, they're just advertising something they've heard is popular. I ask what would be done on my hair if I made an appointment there for "Brazilian Blowout," and the guy says, "A Brazilian Blowout." I reply, "I thought you just said you don't have Brazilian Blowout? So what would they be doing to my hair?" The poor guy doesn't have a clue how to answer my question. Awesome.

Scenario 3: Another salon in my general area has been advertising BB for a super-low price, but I've heard from three clients now that "theirs doesn't work." Once again...there is only ONE Brazilian Blowout! There's no "mine" or "theirs," but there is proper application and execution. After interviewing these clients, I have learned that this salon is basically using the BB solution (maybe? Not sure really) as a conditioning treatment. They shampoo the hair, pop it under the dryer, and rinse it out. In other words they skip all of the important steps; light, consistent application, blowdrying, flat-ironing at a high temperature to seal it...they just put it on and rinse it out. This does soften and defrizz the hair, maybe for a week or two, but it certainly won't give the amazing results that a true Brazilian Blowout will. Why would the salon do this? Lots of money for virtually no work, I suppose....wow.

"I love my hair, but it burned my scalp and caused flaking, sores, hair loss..."

Brazilian Blowout is not intended to be applied to the scalp. While there may be some incidental contact, it is meant to be applied to the hair only, not slathered onto the scalp like color. It doesn't shock me that doing so would irritate or suffocate the skin...after all, the treatment is designed to fill in and seal off cracks in the hair, so it could presumably do the same to the skin or follices if improperly applied to the scalp. Wanna bet this stylist got "certified" by watching a 5-minute video, rather than taking a live class where they could see it done start to finish and ask questions? Yes, unfortunately, this is an option.

"I tried Brazilian Blowout before, but I hated waiting several days to wash my hair. I was so excited to read on your website that yours doesn't have a wait time."

This poor client has either been bait+switched, or straight-up lied to. I handled it more delicately when discussing it with her, but here's the deal: There is only ONE Brazilian Blowout. It says all over their website that it has "No Downtime." You can wash, style, pull back, even braid your hair that same day and it will not hurt the treatment's results. Most other keratin treatments make the client leave with the product ironed into their hair, and it cannot get wet, sweat on, clipped, bent or ponytailed for 24-96 hours. That's FOUR days! Ick. Anyway, if you have to wait before doing any of these things, it's NOT BRAZILIAN BLOWOUT.

I'm sorry to get so worked-up over this, but it really is emotional for me. I LOOOOVE my Brazilian Blowout, but if any of the above things happened to me, I'd be PISSED. How do these things happen? The false advertising and trademark infringement can be difficult to track down and pursue legally, especially when it is spoken and not written. There are various levels of training for this service, and the certification process has become rather simple. This leaves it in the clients' hands to research the stylist and make a wise decision. For tips on how to do so, I will once again refer you to this blog post from A Mom in Red High Heels.

WOW! How flattering!!!

I must say I am honored to have been written about by a classmate from so many years ago (won't say how many...) in this amazing article on modern feminism!

How to Choose a A Brazilian Blowout Stylist (other than, come see me of course!)

From A Mom in Red High Heels, my favorite site for stylish Moms:

"Most of us have wandered into a mall salon sometime in our lives, taken advantage of a “great deal” from a new salon or stylist, maybe even colored our own hair. But a keratin hair treatment such as Brazilian Blowout...is a much bigger deal. Even once you’ve done some research and chosen the treatment that sounds right for you, it’s still important to choose the right stylist. "

Read the entire post here, to help you find a skilled and experienced stylist in your area:

http://amominredhighheels.com/keratin-treatment-choose-stylist/

Unless, of course, your area is Los Angeles...then you need not look beyond me. Read about my credentials and experience at

http://www.brazilianblowoutspecialist.com

New Brazilian Blowout before and after shots!

New Year's Brazilian Blowout Special: DISCOUNTED OR FREE HAIRCUT!

Brazilian Blowout is all over the news, magazines, and celebrity blogs. As you've seen, it's the best way to fight frizz and smooth unruly curls. In fact, it changes your hair texture so much that a trim or re-shaping is recommended.

Now through February 2010, new clients can have that haircut for only $50 (regularly $95) when you see me for a Brazilian Blowout.

Better yet, how about a FREE HAIRCUT? Come in for color and a Brazilian Blowout, and the cut is on me!

My service has been voted the "Best Brazilian Blowout in Los Angeles." Check out that article, and/or my website for information, FAQ and testimonials.

Call 310-922-2645 or email jordanalorraine@gmail.com and mention this blog post to take advantage of this great offer. Time and space are limited, so CALL or EMAIL NOW to reserve your appointment!

Offer also applies to other keratin treatments with Jordana Lorraine. Must mention this blog post when booking. Valid only for clients who are new to Jordana Lorraine and Dino Clark Salon.