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The Facts About Keratin Hair Treatments

Read these expert opinions and reader reviews before deciding if these hair treatments are right for you

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If you Google "Brazilian hair treatments" or "keratin hair treatments" you will see hundreds of message board posts, blog entries and articles on the topic. These treatments are truly "the newest trend in defrizzing and smoothing many textures of hair from curly to relaxed," says Ted Gibson, a salon owner who recently starting performing the La Brasiliana treatment.

Those who have had keratin hair treatments call them a "miracle" and applaud them for making blow drying and straightening hair much easier for months at a time. But the buzz about the treatments isn't all positive, mostly because many of the brands on the market contain or initially contained formaldehyde. But as Mauricio Ribeiro, creator of the Brazilian Blowout explains, "[The treatments] have evolved so much." Saying that customers no longer complain about a strong chemical smell, but that "you need a chemical to make the process work." Chemist Doug Schoon, president of School Scientific in Dana Point, Calif., agrees. To get "shiny, straight hair for months, formaldehyde or other aldehydes must be used," he says. Adding that he "believes [clients] have no risk" of being harmed by the treatments.

Bottom line, the choice is yours when it comes to deciding if these treatments are right for you. To make your decision easier, read on to get answers to commonly asked questions about keratin hair treatments and feedback from readers on some of the big-name treatments.

There are so many keratin hair treatments available now, so if we missed one that you love or one that you had a bad experience with, please tell us about it by commenting on this story.

See Next Page: Your Questions Answered: No. 1: What is a keratin hair treatment?

By Kristen Oldham Giordani

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I love the way my hair looks & feels after having a keratin hair smoothing treatment however I almost gave up on them. During the flat ironing and blow drying phase my eyes were very irritated and I had a hard time handling the odor. I spoke to my stylist about this and she told me her other clients had complained as well. She was considering stopping this service as she too had eye irritation and frequent headaches. Thankfully she did a little research and purchased a portable salon ventilation system for her workstation and it made a tremendous difference. She uses the same two keratin treatment brands (Keratin Complex & Brazilian Blowout) but now with this convenient portable salon ventilation there is no smelly odor and my eyes don't burn. I asked her if she still got headaches and she said no. It would have been hard to go back to my frizzy/curly hair after enjoying the way my hair looks after one of these treatments. Also, the biggest bonus is it only takes me 5-10 minutes in the morning to do my hair!

by Olivia1717 Friday, January 27, 2012 at 04:10PM Report as inappropriate

I really want to try this but WOW! The price is kinda steep for me. Maybe it will get a lil cheaper once more and more brands start to do it. One can only hope!

by bayoukris Thursday, January 19, 2012 at 06:52PM Report as inappropriate

still very unsure about this

by Benahir Tuesday, December 20, 2011 at 06:01PM Report as inappropriate

Did not have the opportunity to rate this story yesterday. I had to come back and applaud the writer, she absolutely did all her homework, and wrote a great article, and covered all the important issues. I just wish she would have gotten the opportunity to cover and rate more of the other keratin products.

by nicole_iocovelli Tuesday, November 22, 2011 at 07:21AM Report as inappropriate

I happen to love my keratin products... but one must be careful when choosing a brand to use, you should research it , be confident about what you read, find a stylist that knows the brand, is educated in it, all brands work differently. I have heard a lot of horror stories, if your stylist knows what they are doing, you should have great results. I use American Cultures Simply Smooth, and their Pure NV line. I’m comfortable with the amounts of formalin, and aldehyde donors, that they contain. I find that because they have a few different smoothing products, with different smoothing capabilities, I can custom smooth my clients hair. Since I have faith in the company and its products I feel comfortable doing the treatments, even on myself, and in my home. If we all slowed down, and took a little more time investigating what we use, and allow into our salons, we would be safer, healthier and happier.

by nicole_iocovelli Monday, November 21, 2011 at 02:28PM Report as inappropriate

I happen to love my keratin products... but one must be careful when choosing a brand to use, you should research it until you are confident enough to believe everything you read about it, then find a stylist that knows the brand, and is educated on it, because they all work differently. I have heard a lot of horror stories, but if your stylist is using a good product and she or he knows its ins and outs you should have a great result. I use American Cultures Simply Smooth, and their Pure NV line. I’m comfortable with the amounts of formalin, and aldehyde donors, that they contain. I find that because they have a few different smoothing products, with different smoothing capabilities, I can custom smooth my clients hair. Since I have faith in the company and its products I feel comfortable doing the treatments, even on myself, and in my home. I find that a lot of stylist accept what they hear from sales reps. (That are just trying to make a commission. ) If we all slowed down, and took a little more time investigating what we use, and allow into our salons, we would be safer, healthier and happier. ( I believe that all the keratin treatments contain formaldehyde , in one form or another, even if they claim not to, because without it, the product will not work. So again, research the levels, be confident, and you will be happy!!)

by nicole_iocovelli Monday, November 21, 2011 at 01:40PM Report as inappropriate

these days, everything is a carcinogen. if everything that was supposedly a carcinogen, was really a cause of cancer, you'd think they'd be closer to finding a cure. keratin is actually a protein, so the keratin actually strengthens your hair, it does the opposite of thinning it out, unless of course it's applied incorrectly, that might cause hair to fall out. That's why you have to be extra careful when applying it.

by angela_mcmahan Tuesday, November 15, 2011 at 02:20AM Report as inappropriate