Imagine your favorite hair smoothing treatments suddenly vanished from salon shelves—what would that mean for you or your trusted stylist? That's the potential future we're unpacking as the FDA considers a formaldehyde ban in hair products. This episode takes a deep dive into the serious health risks associated with formaldehyde, from the immediate effects of skin irritation to the dire long-term consequences like cancer. We also distinguish between the chemistry of hair smoothers affected by the ban and hydroxide-based relaxers that aren't. Sharing personal insights garnered from years in the trenches of the beauty industry, I highlight the critical need for safety and expertise in product application, ensuring stylists and clients are protected from harm.
As someone deeply ingrained in the hair care world, I understand the importance of transparency and informed choices when it comes to the products we use. This conversation extends beyond the salon chair to the actions of the Environmental Working Group and their push for clarity about formaldehyde in our hair products since 2011. I advocate for vigilance in reading labels, reporting adverse reactions, and embracing safer alternatives to hair smoothing. Reflecting on the strong bonds and knowledge-sharing within our community, I express gratitude for the support and networking that enrich our industry. Join us as we foster a collective commitment to a healthier, more informed future in hair care. ------ The first thing you can do as a professional or as a consumer is to check your labels. While the label may say formaldehyde, it may also say formalin (formaldehyde with water) or methylene glycol. If the product you are purchasing does not have a clear label, do not buy and use it.
Imagine your favorite hair smoothing treatments suddenly vanished from salon shelves—what would that mean for you or your trusted stylist? That's the potential future we're unpacking as the FDA considers a formaldehyde ban in hair products. This episode takes a deep dive into the serious health risks associated with formaldehyde, from the immediate effects of skin irritation to the dire long-term consequences like cancer. We also distinguish between the chemistry of hair smoothers affected by the ban and hydroxide-based relaxers that aren't. Sharing personal insights garnered from years in the trenches of the beauty industry, I highlight the critical need for safety and expertise in product application, ensuring stylists and clients are protected from harm.
As someone deeply ingrained in the hair care world, I understand the importance of transparency and informed choices when it comes to the products we use. This conversation extends beyond the salon chair to the actions of the Environmental Working Group and their push for clarity about formaldehyde in our hair products since 2011. I advocate for vigilance in reading labels, reporting adverse reactions, and embracing safer alternatives to hair smoothing. Reflecting on the strong bonds and knowledge-sharing within our community, I express gratitude for the support and networking that enrich our industry. Join us as we foster a collective commitment to a healthier, more informed future in hair care. ------ The first thing you can do as a professional or as a consumer is to check your labels. While the label may say formaldehyde, it may also say formalin (formaldehyde with water) or methylene glycol. If the product you are purchasing does not have a clear label, do not buy and use it.
If the product that you're purchasing does not have a clear label, do not buy it or use it. End of story. You need to know what you are putting on your body. Welcome to All About Hair, the go-to podcast for stylists, salon owners and anyone passionate about hairstyling. Whether you're a seasoned stylist refining your skills or a curious listener looking to enhance your hair knowledge, we've got you covered. I'm your host, denise Kylitz, a former stylist and salon owner with four award-winning salons under my belt, with over 30 years of experience, I've dedicated myself to helping stylists excel in foundational haircutting, color theory, client communication and more, enabling them to build six-figure careers they can be proud of. My mission is to uplift our industry by sharing valuable insights gathered along my journey. Get ready for enlightening discussions, captivating interviews and practical advice on marketing, sales and technical skills. This is the podcast all about hair skills. This is the podcast all about hair.
Speaker 1:
Today, we're going to talk about the proposed formaldehyde ban. It is spring, the humidity is upon us and everybody probably is thinking about Brazilian blowouts, their smoothing treatments. But did you know that the Food and Drug Administration, the FDA in the spring of 2023, they actually proposed a ban on hair smoothing and hair straightening products that contain formaldehyde or formaldehyde releasing chemicals, and this ban is set to be put into effect at the end of this month, april 2024. We're nearing the end of April 2024, and we haven't seen anything yet. But let's just prepare ourselves. In case there is a ban on formaldehyde, that means a lot of our smoothing services. We might have to think differently. And if you receive smoothing services cause I know I love a good Brazilian blowout love it, um. But if you receive one, you might have to have a fallback position. So let's talk about this First and foremost.
Speaker 1:
This ban only affects smoothing products and treatments. They don't affect relaxers. So a lot of the news media they say straightening and smoothing products and relaxers are the same thing. You and I know that they're not, so that's a little misleading. So relaxers are not in question. So hair smoothers typically require a file-based reaction in combination with formaldehyde. Hair relaxers, on the other hand, traditionally straighten the hair using a hydroxide-based technology. You know when you see on the news that they say hair relaxers instead of hair straighteners, just keep that in mind. Relaxers are defined and they work without formaldehyde and to my knowledge, that ingredient was not and is not commonly used with relaxer formulations. Therefore, only the smoothing, straightening products and services are under scrutiny. Keep that in mind.
Speaker 1:
So there's two main considerations with this FDA proposed ban. The first one is short-term health consequences and the second is long-term health consequences. So when you use heat styling tools, after you apply this chemical straightening solution and if you have it on too high of a heat, you can release formaldehyde gas into the air. That's the main concern here, and I know a lot of my stylists in the past. If they're not following the directions to a T and they're just trying to quickly get through the service, yeah, their flat iron can be up too high and they're releasing this gas into the air. Or you see this smoke in the air and it does, and it does it. You can feel it. The smell sometimes burns your throat or your chest. Yeah, in short term, these chemicals can cause skin sensitivity and, like I said, they can irritate your lungs. Your eyes might burn. Your nose might burn when these gases are released into the air.
Speaker 1:
As hair professionals, this is something to take note of. Yeah, you have these short-term effects that you can notice. There's times that I've done a Brazilian blowout and I haven't noticed this, and it's probably because I'm not putting too much product on the hair and I'm not using tons of heat. So there are proper ways of doing it. It's just that there is a fine line between the proper way of doing it and how we do it in the salon. Yeah, the long-term effects are much more costly.
Speaker 1:
The more you do smoothing services, the products that contain these formaldehyde-related ingredients and the gas that's released in the air, you have a higher risk of hurting your long-term health. Some of these possible reactions include eye problems or irritation. Nervous system problems that means like headaches and dizziness. Respiratory tract problems like sore, scratchy throat, coughing, wheezing, nausea, chest pain, vomiting and rash. I keep saying Brazilian Blowout. There's other companies that actually have the same ingredients. I'm just saying Brazilian Blowout because people tend to know that brand. That's what we used. We did use a couple of other brands in the salon but, to tell you the truth, they just didn't perform the same, and they either had a strange smell to them or they just didn't perform the same. So we ended up going back with Brazilian Blowout. But hey, I don't know.
Speaker 1:
I don't know if this, this podcast and our conversation today, might be changing your mind on even offering this service, which is sad because it's a wonderful thing to be able to defreeze your hair, but the FDA says that exposure to these chemicals for the duration and over time that it actually could lead to cancer. We should all be concerned with right, whether you're the client or the stylist. But, stylist, if you're doing one, two, three every week of these services, that is something to be concerned with. Yes, now the companies used to always tell us that the amount of formaldehyde that is released in these gases is the same amount of formaldehyde that is released in a brand new car. When you get in a brand new car, that car smell, that you're smelling, they would tell us that that what you're smelling is a form of formaldehyde. I don't know if that is true or not. I am not a chemist, I'm not a scientist. I'm just telling you what they used to tell us. And so when we would educate our stylists, that's what we would say you know, as long as you're doing the service correctly, there should not be a problem. And we had Brazilian Blowout. The company come into our salon many, many, many times to give us education, to give us the best education, and I know that they were updating formulas all the time, and I do know that Brazilian Blowout was one of the first companies to come up with a smoothing solution that worked, so I do believe that they were the ones that really came into the news of this formaldehyde thing. So research the product that you're using. Just research it and make sure that it's credible that it's not releasing formaldehyde. And that leads me to the conversation that this has been a problem for a long time. Right, In fact, we've seen this coming. We have, we've seen it coming.
Speaker 1:
So in 2011, the environmental working group, the EWG they actually filed a formal request to the FDA to investigate formaldehyde-releasing hair smoothing products. So this started the whole thing. But the FDA knew of their dangers since 2008, and they actually had many, many complaints from stylists of these adverse reactions that they were having and, in fact, the PBA, the Professional Beauty Association they published a article to the industry on formaldehyde and straightening products in 2008. And this is probably where we all got that information of how dangerous this can be to ourselves as hairstylists and maybe even to our guests. I don't know, because guests aren't. They're only getting it. What every 12 weeks, if they're getting it.
Speaker 1:
So in 2011, the FDA actually joined OSHA, the ICMAD and the PCPC to conduct a cosmetic ingredient review of the ingredient in smoothing products, and this review found that the ingredient and its related ingredients are safe up to a 0.2% in formulations, and they did not make determinations as to how the chemical is released in the air with heat. Nothing at that time was banned, and that was in 2011. And I remember that there was a big hoop law, if you will, back then, because 2011 is when brought in Brazilian blowout and there was conversation about that, but nothing was banned at that time. In 2016, the EWG, which is the Environmental Working Group, and the Women's Voices for the Earth sued the FDA, claiming that the agency did not protect the public from these products, so that's why they opened the book again. So in March of 2021, the FDA warned consumers that hair smoothing products containing formaldehyde or ingredients that released formaldehyde upon heating could be harmful to consumers and professionals.
Speaker 1:
This, of course, has led us to where we are now. Now I you know, I hate that. I hate that there there's dangerous chemicals in the products that we're using. I hate that, but sometimes we don't even know that it's formaldehyde in there. That's why I'm saying really investigate the product that you are using.
Speaker 1:
The first thing you can do as a professional or as a consumer, if you're getting these services done is to check your labels on everything. The label might say formaldehyde, but it also may say formaline, which is formaldehyde with water, or it could say methylene glycol. If the product that you're purchasing does not have a clear label, do not buy it or use it. End of story. You need to know what you are putting on your body, and don't be afraid to ask the manufacturer any question about whether they formulate with formaldehyde in their straightening products or if those products release formaldehyde with heat. The manufacturer should be willing to provide documentation, such as safety data sheets, upon request. In fact, in some states you're actually required to have those safety data sheets on file. I think you can have them electronically on file now, but you need to have them on file. In case anything happens to a guest, you can pull them out and know what to do.
Speaker 1:
Most agencies are trusting companies to do the right thing, but there is no requirement to prove this compliancy. There's no way of really knowing if products are made with formaldehyde or not. So make sure that you're dealing with companies that have a history of compliance, and it's best to use a trusted brand which doesn't have a history of going against the rules right, and to ask manufacturers to provide data to prove that done their due diligence and having all safety testing on all finished products. Regardless of what brand, what product you're using, and just because you have a favorite product, I do, and I'm sure you do too Remember there's options.
Speaker 1:
Smooth, straight hair does not have to come with danger right Clients can opt for hydroxide based relaxers. So if you have really super curly hair, maybe get a relaxer and not a smoother. You can also find some hair smoothing treatments that don't contain formaldehyde at all, but the results aren't going to be the same. I can guarantee you that it might smooth a smidge, but it's not going to be the same. Just make sure to double check the ingredient listing of all formaldehyde free straighteners to ensure they indeed do not contain those three ingredients that I was talking about. Okay, let me see what they were again. I have them listed here Formaldehyde, formaline or methylene glycol. I hate pronouncing scientific words because I'm terrible at pronouncing them. All right, remember, when you are using a straightening treatment, no matter what, you should be using the proper protection, meaning, maybe, face mask, maybe that means safety goggles. Make sure that you don't get anything in your eyes.
Speaker 1:
Make sure your salon is properly ventilated. Heck, some salons are actually only doing their smoothing treatments, perms, color even in dedicated rooms that have their own ventilation system. I actually used to work in a salon like that. It was pretty cool. It actually made the hair colors feel very exclusive, if you will. So it's basically just a room. They had a glass wall in it and the ventilation system you know. It just didn't go into the full salon, so you never, ever, smelled any kind of chemicals. I mean, without it being said, your salon should be ventilated anyway. You should have fresh air going through that.
Speaker 1:
And make sure, too, that if you or your guest has any kind of adverse reaction to any kind of chemical straightening, make sure you report it to the FDA. They need to know this, because what happens is people just don't report things, and so how are they supposed to collect their data? They're just going by the manufacturer's testing. Anyway, let's keep an eye on the end of this month, april 2024. Let's see if there's actually going to be a ban on formaldehyde or not. If there is a ban on formaldehyde, that's going to change things. That's going to change some services in your salon. That might change how you approach hair. Thank goodness, natural curly hair is really in fashion now. Right? Perms are making a huge comeback. Maybe you go a different direction. Perms are making a huge comeback. Maybe you go a different direction.
Speaker 1:
There are tons of products on the market that help with frizz, that help protect your hair against the humidity in the air. Of course, they're not as good as some of these smoothing products, but there are options. Just educate yourself on what those options are. Maybe opt out of services that you don't feel safe doing nor receiving. As hairstylists, we have to know chemistry. We have to know all the things. Oh well, that makes our job so much more fun, don't you think? Hope this has helped you. Hope this has educated you.
Speaker 1:
If you need more information, I'll definitely put a link in the show notes about where you can find more information on this and I will put, of course, the spell out, the names of the ingredients that you want to be looking for in your systems. And remember I'm here. I'm here to help. I'm in the background when I'm not doing my podcast and YouTube. I'm still working on my classes. Maybe I should just get one or two out. I just want them to be perfect.
Speaker 1:
There's so much information and you know, as stylists and salon owners, it is not just one thing you have to be good at. You have to be good at so many things and everything from branding your salon to opening your salon, to your culture, to your products that you have to. Do you have a front desk or do you not have a front desk? Do you carry one brand of a retailer? Do you carry eight? How do you outfit your salon? Do you do commission team-based booth rental, independent? Do you have a break room? Do you do your own shampooing of your towels, or a service or biodegradable towels? How the heck do you keep track of all the goals? And how do you coach to your team? And how do you have huddles and how do you have one-on-ones and what should you charge for your service and how do you make up for the cost of all your color and your? It's a lot. It is so much and you have to know all these things. Isn't that crazy?
Speaker 1:
As a salon owner, people just don't give us enough credit. I tell you, it takes a special, special person to own a salon successfully. So that's why I feel like what I'm doing behind the scenes is so important. I want to get it right for you and if you'd want some one-on-one coaching, or if you just need to hop on a phone call with me, if you have something that's going on that you just need to, you know, hey, I just need to walk through, or you just need an ear to listen to and say is anybody else going through this? Because I feel so alone right now, because salon ownership can be like that.
Speaker 1:
Reach out, I'm here. I would love to help you. I just love our industry. I want to make a difference. I want to help in any way that I can. I just am so, so thankful that I've spent so much time in our industry and it is provided for our family, it's provided for my mental health. Believe it or not, I've made so many beautiful friends through the industry. I just want to pass that along. Until next time, remember, when you know better, you do better, and go out and make it a great week like us to cover. Feel free to reach out. You can find us on Instagram or our website at denisekeilitzcom. Until next time, remember when you know better, you do better.