Makers of hair-care products market keratin formulas as a miracle cure for kinky, frizzy hair. A simple web search will bring up dozens of such products and treatments, all claiming to be able to tame your unruly curls. However, not only are such claims not supported by scientific research, some keratin products can even be harmful to your health.
Keratin
Keratin is a type of fibrous protein that makes up part of your skin, hair and nails, and is the compound that makes your skin tough and waterproof. Cells in your skin that contain keratin are constantly being shed and replaced by new cells. Hair grows by forming new rods of cells at the base of the root that move up through the skin as new cells form beneath them. This process cuts off the rods from their nutritional supply, and they form keratin in a process called keratinization. The dead cells and keratin form the shaft of the hair.
Use in Hair Care
Over-the-counter keratin products include serums, shampoos, conditioners, sprays, kits and even dietary supplements. Some promise to give instant results, while others warn it could take days or months to notice a difference. Keratin hair treatments are typically given by a salon professional. They originated in Brazil and became popular in the United States around 2005. Sold under brand names like Brazilian Blowout and Keratin Complex, the process takes one to four hours and involves applying the product to your hair and then sealing it in with a flat iron heated to 450 degrees. As of October 2011, the cost ranged from $150 and $600.
Results
Although no scientific trials can vouch for keratin's results, beauty experts praise the keratin salon treatments. Sarah Brown, the beauty editor of "Vogue," said the treatment is perfect for people who can’t master the techniques at home to replicate a salon blowout, the term given to using a blow dryer and brush to straighten hair. Recipients of the treatment, such as Elaine Roake, photo director at "Fitness" magazine, say it tames frizz and flyaways for up to three months and keeps hair smooth even after dips in the ocean. Other experts, including Mort Westman, a cosmetic chemist and president of Westman Associates, says that it's doubtful keratin does anything other than provide a good marketing story, and that it's really the formaldehyde in the treatment that straightens hair.
Dangers
Formaldehyde is a strong-smelling gas that can irritate the eyes, nose and lungs and is considered a cancer hazard. Many of the keratin products and treatments include formaldehyde. A 2007 expose in "Allure" magazine on the dangers of formaldehyde in keratin straighteners led to warnings about the products by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and Health Canada. Even products labeled as "formaldehyde-free" have been tested and found to contain amounts ranging from 2 percent to 11.8 percent formaldehyde.
References
- The New York Times: Curls, Split! Ringlets, Be Gone!
- Allure: Scared Straight
- Chicago Tribune: Keratin Hair Treatments Popular, But Draw Health Warnings
- Occupational Safety and Health Administration: Hair Smoothing Products That Could Release Formaldehyde
- U.S. Department of Labor (Work in Progress): Blowout Blowback
- Fitness: Straight Talk: Keratin Hair-Straightening Treatment
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