Behind the Chair.com recently celebrated their 13th Annual Stylist Choice Awards and the ceremony was AH-MAZING!! It included our favorite educators (we love you Beth Minardi ♥) and our favorite celebrity stylists (we love you Tabatha ♥). We agree the evening featured a “glittering roster of crowd favorites and industry superstars” but for so many in this industry, not all that glitters is gold!
The good times came to a halt when Sam Villa ♥ announced he was presenting the “Favorite Chemical Hair Smoothing Product/System.” My heart started racing and for the next two minutes every word that was spoken sent shivers down my spine like fingernails slowly scraping a chalkboard…..Screeeeeeeech!!!!
We can’t figure out how this industry’s biggest supporter, Behind the Chair, could give an award in this category when these HIGHLY controversial products are making clients and salon workers sick?!?
Well they did, and the “winner” is …drum roll please … Keratin Complex!
(Hold on…um….I think I just threw up in my mouth a little bit!)
While Martino Cartier accepted the award on behalf of Keratin Complex he said:
“Thank you for drinking the Kool-Aid, and thank you for believing in Keratin Complex.”
Oh Martino, Martino, Martino!! We had to rewind it to just make sure we heard him right, but yep, that’s what he said!!
“Drinking the Kool-Aid,” according to Wikipedia, “suggests that one has mindlessly adopted the dogma of a group or leader without fully understanding the ramifications or implications.” And also, “refers to a person or group holding an unquestioned belief, argument, or philosophy without critical examination.” So this made us wonder…
Are YOU drinking the Keratin Complex Kool-Aid???
Keratin Complex leads consumers to believe their product is safe and harmless, but this “Kool-Aid” has been sugar coated and the truth isn’t so sweet! Turns out the “benign” aldehyde they use, Timonacic acid, releases formaldehyde when heated and this product is making people sick.
Did you know Coppola/ Keratin Complex has the second most injuries reported to the FDA according to documents made public in 2011? Yep, but don’t take our word for it, check it out for yourself! here & here (Brazilian Blowout has the most, which…HELLO…no surprise here!!)
Some of the injuries are described as:
– “Hospital 2X, dizziness, severe headaches, dermatitis, sinus problems, on and off voice, lungs treated with inhaler, nasal spray, pain meds, breathing treatments”
– “severe neck rashes, itching, welting, redness, eventually also rash appeared on sides of face…severe eye burning reaction, also slight bleeding in right nostril two days later”
– “she becomes nauseous, dizzy, gets a sore throat, has a racing heart, double vision, eyes burn, gets a tightness in her chest, headache, fever and has a lack of oxygen to the brain”
– “Hair loss about the size of a silver dollar on the temple area of the head”
– “experiences heart palpitations, lightheadedness, and burning in her eyes, nose and throat”
Does this sound safe and harmless to you? The scary thing is when the product is heated and releases formaldehyde gas, everyone in the salon is exposed. So if one person CHOOSES to take a drink of this Kool-Aid the entire salon is FORCED to drink right along with them!
In our own “Best of the Worst Awards” we gave Keratin Complex the “Boldest Move Award” and boy did they deserve it! Amidst the controversy swirling around formaldehyde in Hair Smoothing Treatments, they put out a press release announcing “Keratin Complex Becomes First Smoothing Treatment to Receive OSHA Compliancy” and started printing “OSHA COMPLIANT” on their bottles. But guess what? OSHA does not certify the safety of products and the company is now currently under investigation for making false and misleading statements!
Silly Keratin Complex, did they REALLY expect us to believe they were all of a sudden “OSHA COMPLIANT” when Copomon Enterprises (Keratin Complex) had just been cited by OSHA for three “serious” violations and fined $12,600 shortly before this?!? Well, you might be surprised how many do!
To show you just how reckless it is when a company misleads consumers, we went to Behind the Chair’s Facebook Page and Twitter so you could see how fast this misinformation gets spread.
These are some of the comments made after Keratin Complex was announced as the “Favorite Chemical Smoothing Product”…
Is she drinking the Kool-Aid?
How about her?
Gulp?
Gulp?
Uh oh, she’s not drinking the Kool-Aid…
We don’t know any of those people, but we do know Natalija so we weren’t surprised when we saw this:
Knowing Natalija continues to get sick when her coworkers use Keratin Complex, we asked if there’s anything she would like to say:
“Many are under the impression that Keratin Complex is safe or even formaldehyde free because it’s marketed as a “Natural Keratin Smoothing Treatment” and “OSHA COMPLIANT,” but this is absolutely false!
I used to perform both Brazilian Blowout and Keratin Complex, but quit after I developed significant health issues. My salon still uses Keratin Complex, but now utilizes a “source capture” ventilation system. I still however experience symptoms whenever a treatment is performed by another stylist in the salon. I feel nauseous, light headed, have difficulty breathing and just one exposure will trigger a bloody blister in my nose, much like the ones that plagued me while I did the treatment myself.
Innocent clients and salon workers who want nothing to do with this poison continue to be harmed through second hand exposure every day. I was horrified when a pregnant client was in the salon while one was being done a few weeks ago! Enough with the false marketing … Keratin Complex needs to be exposed for the dangerous product it really is!”
Natalija is so passionate about getting formaldehyde out of hair treatments, she started a petition on Change.org to keep clients and salon workers safe! Please sign here.
After seeing these comments on Facebook and Twitter, we contacted OSHA and this was their statement:
“OSHA does not register, certify, approve, or otherwise endorse commercial or private sector entities, products, or services. Unauthorized use of the OSHA name, trademarked logo, or both, to promote a private enterprise, product, or service is inappropriate and in some cases against the law.”
And if you’re still questioning whether Keratin Complex is “OSHA approved,” take a step back and ask yourself this…
If OSHA really “approves” of this product or thinks that it’s so “safe,” then why do think they continue to warn you about it…here…and here…and here…and here???
When it comes to something as important as your health, you might not want to put all your faith in the hands of a company trying to sell you a product. As you can see, even your stylist may have gotten misinformation, too. Do your OWN research and please, don’t take a drink of the Kool-Aid!!
*For the record, we really do love Martino Cartier ♥!! He was hilarious on Tabatha Salon Takeover and does amazing things for women and children battling cancer by creating Friendsarebyyourside.com.
But Drinking the Kool-Aid Martino?!? Come on, you handed this to us on a platter!!
Want to learn more about these products? Check out:
Pretty Toxic 
I can’t believe people are STILL buying into these smoothing treatments! Thank you once again for a job well done on keeping us updated on these toxic chemicals. I myself want nothing to do with any of them.
Thank you Gina 🙂
I love your hilarious take on this! You’re so good at bringing humor into a horrifying situation – and then using it to get people to wake up. Thanks for the great commentary!
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Thanks for the compliment Women’s Voices for the Earth! You know we love you here at Pretty Toxic ♥
You are my idol! So glad I found this. I am having some of the same side effects, just went to the doctor and he gave me an inhaler too. My question is what will happen to us in 10 or 20 years. I have never given a smoothing treatment, but have inhaled many. I would like to join together with others to have these dangerous products banned! Thanks for your voice!
I have long hair which has always been frizzy, esp. in humid weather. Now, I have grey hair coming in and it is so unruly that now I have to contend with that, too. I don’t want to dye it. I was excited when I heard about the keratin treatment until I started to research it. Now I am discouraged. I have tried so many things. IS THERE ANYTHING THAT WORKS THAT IS ALSO SAFE?
If Martino Cartier endorses a product, that is an absolute sign to stay far away from that product. Cartier is, for lack of a better word, a scumbag. He is lauded as this great guy who does so much for people. Truth is, he does nothing but steps on people to prop himself up on his pedestal. He whines and complains whenever he is slightly inconvenienced or doesn’t get his way (look no further than his tweets for verification). He blames everybody for anything. He doesn’t pay his vendors. He has been convicted of insurance fraud for trying to scam his into paying a $19,000 auto repair bill.
Doesn’t surprise me in the least that he would endorse such a product in an attempt to line his pockets a little more
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