I recently read a news report warning the public about the risks and dangers of getting certain salon services. This outraged me, not because this is my business, but because this report is somewhat inaccurate. Firstly, this uninformed journalist wrote that hair color is linked to certain cancers and the FDA doesn’t regulate what goes into these cosmetic procedures. Really? So I have been doing hair for more then 30 years and not one of my clients has developed any cancer as a result of the hair color I have been applying. As a matter of fact the hair color that I have been using for over 20 years, I wanted to use for many years prior but had to wait for FDA approval before it was available in this country. Since 75% of our clientele gets color services on a regular basis don’t you think we would have seen different issues or problems by now? It is very important to see a colorist that is experienced so you can have a healthy and beautiful color application without breakage or chemical burns. Some people, including myself, can have allergies to certain types of hair color. This is why it’s important to have your hair colored professionally, go in for a consultation and if needed get a patch test.

Many of my clients are Doctors and a question that has come up throughout  my career has been, “is it safe to color hair during pregnancy?” My answer has always been, ask your Doctor first but in my experience the doctors I consulted with have told me there is no link with any problems with hair color and pregnancy.  However, each color company is different and permanent hair color does have ammonia which Doctors do warn against inhaling strong amounts of ammonia during pregnancy which make complete sense. Depending on the quality of the color product or how high lift the color is the ammonia content in most high end color products can be very low (as in the products we use here). Depending on the level or content of ammonia that is in certain hair color products, the results can be damaging to the hair and chemical burns could result on the scalp. So why do we use permanent hair color as opposed to semi or demi permanent color? Depending on the color result you are looking for or the amount of grey that is in the hair, the peroxide mixed with low levels of ammonia are needed to penetrate and either remove pigment from the cortex layer of the hair or drive the artificial pigment into the cortex to get grey coverage. We have had some potential clients complain that our prices our too high, but as with anything you get what you pay for, and we use only the best products At Salon Thalia.

Secondly, to address the Keratin issue- and this is what I mean when I said “somewhat inaccurate”. Yes, there are some companies that put a small percent of formaldehyde in the Keratin products. This started out as “The Brazilian Blowout”. The FDA did approve this  ingredient , we as stylists were warned about the danger of using this carcinogenic however, the FDA claimed it was such a small amount there was little to no risk for the client only the Stylist preforming the service. At Salon Thalia we refused to offer this service until Keratin companies began offering Keratin Treatments that are formaldehyde free. Why do some salons still offer this service knowing the potential dangers involved? I can only surmise that the product must be cheaper or they haven’t educated themselves or some clients want straight hair no matter what the consequences may be. A true Keratin treatment is technically not a chemical service, this is why it is important to follow your stylist home care regime so you won’t wash it down the drain. A true Keratin Treatment will only infuse Keratin into the hair and will gradually wash out not permanently changing the natural texture of the hair.

Also, certain type of relaxers used on extremely course curly hair (as an example Black or African American hair),  can be very toxic. This again is a perfect example of why you need to educate yourself. We use a relaxer that is all plant based. No lye or sodium hydroxide is in our chemical relaxers. Black men and women have been using these types of toxic chemicals to straighten their hair for decades and I have never heard of any cancer resulting from these services. Severe breakage and scalp burns yes, but nothing fatal.

So in closing,it is important to consult with an experienced stylist to make sure any type of chemical service is suitable for you. Unfortunately it’s the media’s job to create fear and controversy.  Educate yourself before writing off a service that can enhance and make all the difference in your personal appearance.