By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:55 EST, 26 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:02 EST, 26 July 2013 . The hair-straightening Brazilian blowdry could be exposing people to dangerously high levels of a cancer-causing chemicals, according to new research. A study has found that the Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Hair Solution made the air in salons contain potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde. It is recommended that hairdressers use products containing no more than 0.1 per cent formaldehyde, but the product investigated contained 12 per cent formaldehyde. Both Jennifer Aniston (left) and Kim Kardashian (right) have both had a Brazilian blowdry, which makes hair permanently straight without the need for daily straightening or products . Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that formaldehyde concentrations in the air . around hairstylists and customers exceeded limits set by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. National . Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the California . Division of Occupational Safety and Health. ‘Our study found that using Brazilian Blowout, without proper engineering controls like local exhaust ventilation, could expose hairdressers and their clients to formaldehyde at levels above the short-term occupational exposure limits,’ study author Michelle Stewart from the University of California, Berkeley’s school of public health. ‘While installing local exhaust ventilation is a traditional exposure control, that solution may not be feasible in small salons due to the cost of ventilation systems, permits, installations, ongoing maintenance and efficacy checks,’ Stewart said. The Brazilian blowdry began in Brazil in 2005 and usually uses a solution containing formaldehyde to straighten hair. The recommendation is that salons . use products containing no more than 0.1 per cent formaldehyde, but the . products have been found to contain up to 12 per cent. The treatment involves washing the hair with a . special shampoo that opens up the hair cuticles in preparation for the . straightening solution which is . applied, combed through, then left on the hair for 30 . minutes. In the last stage, straighteners are applied to ‘lock-in’ the formula and set the blowdry. The heating stage is where . problems can arise. Combining heat and formaldehyde prevents hair from . curling, creating a long-term straightening effect. But when the . solution is heated, the formaldehyde emits a vapour which can bring with . it a whole host of symptoms . There is additional concern that if . formaldehyde comes into direct contact with the scalp it can penetrate . the hair follicle and permanently damage the cells that produce hair . growth. The result is that when hairs fall out, they are not replaced with new ones. The Brazilian blowdry began, as the name implies, in Brazil in 2005. Exactly how the straightening properties of formaldehyde were discovered are unclear, but its use in the textile industry to straighten wool may have sparked the idea. Better known as a key ingredient in embalming fluid, formaldehyde is also one of the main ingredients in many of these hair straightening treatments. First, the hair is washed with a special shampoo that opens up the hair cuticles in preparation for the straightening solution which is applied next and combed through, then left on the hair for around 30 minutes. In the last stage, extra-hot straighteners are applied to ‘lock-in’ the formula and set the blowdry. But the heating stage is where problems can arise. Combining heat and formaldehyde prevents hair from curling, creating a long-term straightening effect. But when the solution is heated, the formaldehyde emits a vapour which can bring with it range of health complaints including  watery eyes, runny nose, upper respiratory tract irritation and nosebleeds. There is additional concern that if formaldehyde comes into direct contact with the scalp it can penetrate the hair follicle and permanently damage the cells that produce hair growth. The result is that when hairs fall out, they are not replaced with new ones. The chemical is also strongly linked to cancer. According to EU rules, the level of formaldehyde in the hair solution must be less than 0.2 per cent to protect the health of both stylist and client. Hair straighteners may be the healthier option now that a study has found that the Brazilian Blowdry exposes people - particularly hair stylists - to high levels of formaldehyde . But in the U.S., where the straightening . treatments have been popular for longer, some manufacturers have been . caught using solutions containing up to 50 times the limit. The explanation for this is the stronger the solution, the longer lasting and more effective the result. The product is available in more than 6,000 salons within the United States, according to the news release. The findings appear in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional .
Smoothing Hair Solution was found to make the air in salons contain dangerous levels of formaldehyde .
Recommended that salons use .
products containing no more than 0.1% formaldehyde, but product investigated contained 12% formaldehyde .
Formaldehyde can cause a variety of symptoms including a runny nose, difficulty breathing, nosebleeds and has been linked to cancer .
By . Rachel Reilly . PUBLISHED: . 10:55 EST, 26 July 2013 . | . UPDATED: . 11:02 EST, 26 July 2013 . The hair-straightening Brazilian blowdry could be exposing people to dangerously high levels of a cancer-causing chemicals, according to new research. A study has found that the Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Hair Solution made the air in salons contain potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde. It is recommended that hairdressers use products containing no more than 0.1 per cent formaldehyde, but the product investigated contained 12 per cent formaldehyde. Both Jennifer Aniston (left) and Kim Kardashian (right) have both had a Brazilian blowdry, which makes hair permanently straight without the need for daily straightening or products . Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley, found that formaldehyde concentrations in the air . around hairstylists and customers exceeded limits set by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. National . Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the California . Division of Occupational Safety and Health. ‘Our study found that using Brazilian Blowout, without proper engineering controls like local exhaust ventilation, could expose hairdressers and their clients to formaldehyde at levels above the short-term occupational exposure limits,’ study author Michelle Stewart from the University of California, Berkeley’s school of public health. ‘While installing local exhaust ventilation is a traditional exposure control, that solution may not be feasible in small salons due to the cost of ventilation systems, permits, installations, ongoing maintenance and efficacy checks,’ Stewart said. The Brazilian blowdry began in Brazil in 2005 and usually uses a solution containing formaldehyde to straighten hair. The recommendation is that salons . use products containing no more than 0.1 per cent formaldehyde, but the . products have been found to contain up to 12 per cent. The treatment involves washing the hair with a . special shampoo that opens up the hair cuticles in preparation for the . straightening solution which is . applied, combed through, then left on the hair for 30 . minutes. In the last stage, straighteners are applied to ‘lock-in’ the formula and set the blowdry. The heating stage is where . problems can arise. Combining heat and formaldehyde prevents hair from . curling, creating a long-term straightening effect. But when the . solution is heated, the formaldehyde emits a vapour which can bring with . it a whole host of symptoms . There is additional concern that if . formaldehyde comes into direct contact with the scalp it can penetrate . the hair follicle and permanently damage the cells that produce hair . growth. The result is that when hairs fall out, they are not replaced with new ones. The Brazilian blowdry began, as the name implies, in Brazil in 2005. Exactly how the straightening properties of formaldehyde were discovered are unclear, but its use in the textile industry to straighten wool may have sparked the idea. Better known as a key ingredient in embalming fluid, formaldehyde is also one of the main ingredients in many of these hair straightening treatments. First, the hair is washed with a special shampoo that opens up the hair cuticles in preparation for the straightening solution which is applied next and combed through, then left on the hair for around 30 minutes. In the last stage, extra-hot straighteners are applied to ‘lock-in’ the formula and set the blowdry. But the heating stage is where problems can arise. Combining heat and formaldehyde prevents hair from curling, creating a long-term straightening effect. But when the solution is heated, the formaldehyde emits a vapour which can bring with it range of health complaints including  watery eyes, runny nose, upper respiratory tract irritation and nosebleeds. There is additional concern that if formaldehyde comes into direct contact with the scalp it can penetrate the hair follicle and permanently damage the cells that produce hair growth. The result is that when hairs fall out, they are not replaced with new ones. The chemical is also strongly linked to cancer. According to EU rules, the level of formaldehyde in the hair solution must be less than 0.2 per cent to protect the health of both stylist and client. Hair straighteners may be the healthier option now that a study has found that the Brazilian Blowdry exposes people - particularly hair stylists - to high levels of formaldehyde . But in the U.S., where the straightening . treatments have been popular for longer, some manufacturers have been . caught using solutions containing up to 50 times the limit. The explanation for this is the stronger the solution, the longer lasting and more effective the result. The product is available in more than 6,000 salons within the United States, according to the news release. The findings appear in the August issue of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene.
Brazilian Blowout Acai Professional Smoothing Hair Solution made the air in salons contain potentially dangerous levels of formaldehyde. It formaldehyde, but the product investigated contained 12 per cent formaldehyde. Both Jennifer hair. The recommendation is that salons . use products containing no more than 0.1 per cent formaldehyde, but the . products have been found is also strongly linked to cancer. According to