If your hair is extremely thick, curly, or frizzy, or if you simply don't like for its natural texture, you may have contemplated having it chemically straightened. However, the high-priced salon procedures have recently come under fire for generating some really frightening adverse effects, with hair damage being the least of the problems. You should be aware of the following information before to putting your hair and health at risk and here are also some tips for using the Brazilian hair straightening process.

First and foremost, chemical straighteners work by modifying the structural integrity of your hair. Each hair is made up of a series of organized chains of keratin, which is a protein that occurs naturally in the body. Chemical treatments alter the way in which these chains are kept together, allowing each strand to be de-coiling more effectively.

In-salon chemical straightening and smoothing treatments are available in a variety of varieties, with Japanese and Brazilian treatments being the most popular. During both processes, each strand is coated with a powerful chemical, which is then heated to activate the formula inside.

The Japanese straight perm is a permanent straightening method that just requires touch-ups as your roots grow in, which should be done every six months or less frequently. Depending on the salon, a treatment might cost anywhere from $150 to $800 each session. The fact that it uses the most powerful chemicals means that it has the most potential for destroying your hair.

There are other keratin treatments available (aka Brazilian hair straightening or smoothing). You should expect to spend between $150 and $300 every treatment for the semi-permanent procedure, which can last between three and five months. According to Natalija O'Toole, a stylist in New York City, it will not give you pin-straight hair, but it will considerably minimize curls, frizz, and styling time, with results that will stand up to humidity and other environmental factors.

2. You'll be in the salon for two to three hours, but you won't be walking out with your best blowout ever. While in the salon, the stylist will shampoo your hair and then apply the chemicals to your dry or damp hair in sections as needed. Because different formulas demand different amounts of processing time, you'll have to be patient for a while. Once your hair is dry, your hairdresser flat irons it at a very high temperature before blow-drying it again. According to O'Toole, your hair will be straight, shining, and silky afterward, but it will be flat and packed with product, which can make it slightly oily and smell strongly of chemicals.

3. You are not permitted to wash your hair for at least 12 hours following a chemical straightening treatment. 4. This drying time, which can be anywhere from a few hours to several days depending on your stylist's advise, allows the product to become fully absorbed.

4. A large number of chemical smoothing treatments involve significant concentrations of potentially harmful chemicals. It turns out that formaldehyde, the chemical used to preserve cadavers, is also a key ingredient in many keratin chemical hair straighteners, allowing them to perform more effectively. Unfortunately, according to Tina Sigurdson, assistant general counsel for the Environmental Working Group (EWG) and co-author of multiple research on hair straightening procedures, even a single exposure to high doses of this toxin can result in severe symptoms.

keratin chemicals," says Kelly Merriman, a stylist from Joliet, Indiana, "every customer and stylist who has been exposed to keratin chemicals" has complained of "burning eyes, difficulty breathing, and burning feelings." According to Sigurdson, customers have also complained of throat and mouth ulcers, dizziness, headaches, flu-like symptoms such as vomiting, eye damage, loss of taste and smell, and weariness after using the medication. Additionally, because exposure is cumulative, salon workers are more prone than the general public to experience severe symptoms.

However, even though the chemicals are not supposed to come into contact with anything other than the hairs themselves, incidental skin contact may result in blisters or rashes on the scalp, face, or neck.

However, this is just in the near term. Formaldehyde is also a known carcinogen, which means that it has been confirmed to cause cancer in humans at high concentrations and over a long period of time. Higher amounts and extended exposure pose increased hazards. It is possible that this is the reason why hair straightening products containing the chemical have already been banned in Canada, France, and the United Kingdom.

Fifth, even "formaldehyde-free" hair products might contain or emit the substance.
According to a 2011 analysis by the Environmental Working Group, formaldehyde-free items can nonetheless contain the toxin. According to Andrews, "in general, the alternatives [to formaldehyde-containing keratin treatments] are preferable," referring to the severity of adverse effects induced by straighteners that are listed as "free of formaldehyde" on the packaging. "However, with repeated use, the majority of these treatments still carry the risk of allergic responses and sensitization," says the author.