braziliankeratintreatment
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braziliankeratintreatment
| Sat, 08-11-2007 - 2:46am |
I want my 15 year old dd to get brazilian keratin treatment. She has curly, long beautiful hair and it takes very, very long for her to blow dry it. This treatment gets great reviews. It is very popular in florida and is new to New York. I was going to take her to the salon at Bergdorf Goodman's in New York--a well known, lovely salon. The brazilian keratin treatment has only been a few months in New York. It has formaldehyde in it, but you wear a mask and it's been written up in The New York Times. Supposedly, 12 year olds get it. It washes out after three months. People rave about it. But my friend thinks I am exposing my dd to a cancer-causing product and makes me feel as though I am a careless mother. I never heard these reports about it. It's on the website braziliankeratintreatment.com. Also, you can read users' comments on line. I only saw one negative comment about scalp burn on message boards about curly hair and I don't where that person got it done. But there are tons of rave reviews!! Girls are thrilled with the results. Does anybody know anything about this treatment. If it's featured in the Times and tons of salons in Florida are doing it as well as some in New York, California, etc., I don't feel I'm being reckless. My daughter doesn't have time to get up so early in the morning to blow dry her hair before school. She feels happy with straight hair. She's been asking to please get it straightened for a year. I'd welcome any input/advice.

Isn't keratin a protein? If she is all for it and you're willing to pay for it, since I'm sure it's expensive, I see nothing wrong in giving it a try. So many girls and women subject their hair and scalp to harsh treatmens every 3-4 months in regards to straightening, perming, coloring, etc.
I say go for it. If it doesn't work out, at least you can say you've tried.
I don't know if it is dangerous or not from a medical POV. She is not ingesting the chemicals. As long as they are careful about the fumes and that it stays only on the hair...I would guess it would be OK. But I am not into medical research. If you are concerned, call your doctor. Don't rely on the web site or the Times for medical information on the treatment.
I would generally be concerned about using unnecessary chemicals for the sake of 'beauty'. That's just me. I never understood why other women go to such extremes lengths for the sake of "beauty" and fashion.
Why does she have to "blow dry" her hair completely? "Bone dry" strips the hair of its natural oils. It isn't good for the hair. If it is too thick, perhaps have it thinned out or cut it shorter. Get her to wash her hair before she does her homework and let it dry naturally. I seriously doubt that straight hair will make it faster to dry. The amount of hair is the same.
Two things you said struck me
"I want my daughter to get...." and "she feels happy with straight hair"
As for the first, I'd be cautious that this is something she wants/needs and not just you.
As for the second, I can honestly say BTDT. My DD16 also has beautiful curly hair. At 12-13 she became obsessed with getting her hair straightened. She said "everyone does it", "straight hair is prettier" etc. We had long conversations about beauty on the inside, not the outside, and I was not willing to do anything chemical or expensive (at that time it was "japanese" straightening that was the rage in NY, rather than "Brazilian"). We ended up getting an enamel hair straightener (her mood while we were waiting for it to be shipped was an all time low, BTW, she actually broke a window by accident while fussing about the straightener not arriving). But it came. For about a year, she straightened her hair at night, timed her hair washing so she had time to straighten, and was happy.
Then she decided she was tired of the work, went back to her natural curls, and has never asked for straight hair again. Now she looks at photos online of friends who have straightened hair and comments on how the "all look alike...UGH". Her Chinese friends laugh at the girls who straighten their hair, because they'd kill for some of the curl LOL
My advice for you and your DD would be to make sure it's what she wants. And don't do anything that will be damaging to her hair or difficult to reverse. Maybe she can do a temporary straightening to see if she actually likes herself that way. Also, keep talking to her about the importance of feeling good about yourself no matter what kind of hair you have.
Finally, one key for my DD to be happy with her curly hair was finding someone who gave a good cut. We shopped around a little - but a good cut made the curly hair less pouffy and easier to manage.
Sue
where in NYC do you live - we're in Queens
Hi,
Thanks so much for your response. You seem very understanding and level-headed, and I appreciate your encouragement. My friend--who doesn't have children--made me feel I was being reckless. Others think I'm suggesting this to my daughter to change her appearance. She doesn't hate her hair when it's curly. She just asked about a year or so ago to get it straightened because she said she likes to wear it both ways and it's easier to put in curls. She really has to plug away at the school she goes to and almost has no free time between the homework load and sports. I didn't let her do it because the Japanese method I heard really harms the hair. This repairs the hair. It's made for chemically processed hair--it makes it healthier. It never occurred to me it was risky. It's done all over Florida and humid climates. Also, I like when she takes an interest in her appearance. She had acne --which was quite bad--and that makes you want to avoid dealing with your appearance. But now it seems to be clearing up some, she is careful of what she eats and tells us what is healthy and not so healthy. (She tells me not to drink diet soda because of the chemicals.) So, I'm happy to help her make her grooming routine easier. Thanks again for your input!
I'm not sure if this is a good thing for your daughter or not.