THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Thursday, December 29, 1994 TAG: 9412290362
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B1 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Column
SOURCE: Marc Tibbs
LENGTH: Medium: 71 lines
No. My wife's hair hasn't turned green and she still has a full head of it.
These are answers to questions that have besieged me since the U.S. Food and Drug Administration last week warned against ``Rio'' hair relaxer.
My wife became a ``Rio Girl'' after watching the late night infomercial proclaiming that, for black women, Rio was the second coming of the hot comb.
All natural. Chemical-free, the ad promised.
Turns out that chemicals such as ammonia, copper and chlorine compounds may have caused some customers to shed hair, and may have added a shade of emerald to others.
My wife has sworn off the product, and others who've used it have taken to wearing different hair styles.
Robbin Toussaint, of Virginia Beach, for example, wound up getting a hair weave to cover the spots in her scalp that Rio left behind.
``I thought it was going to be great,'' Robbin said of the product. ``I thought it would keep me from putting chemicals in my hair, because perms don't do me any good.''
Robbin called Rio's Los Angeles headquarters Tuesday, only to be told that she could get a refund if she returned the Rio packaging. A recorded message says the product is out of stock, but FDA officials said the company agreed to hold off on sales until further studies are completed.
``There have been reports that (Rio) had a high acidity level, and that may have played a role in causing hair to break off,'' said Brad Stone, spokesman for the FDA in Washington.
But how could the company continue to make its ``chemical-free'' claims?
`` `Chemical-free' really doesn't mean all that much,'' said Stone. ``There's not a definition for those terms. Just because something is chemical-free or natural, doesn't mean it's safe.''
Stone said complaints about Rio started coming in last month, and 100 to 200 complaints have been received nationwide - a high number, he said, for a cosmetic product.
But even though the television infomercial conveniently omits it, instructions packaged with Rio warn that users with gray hair, or hair that has been colored, run the risk of getting a green tinge. Instructions also warn users of hair loss if another chemical relaxer is used on top of the Rio.
``If a product is on the marketplace, even if it has a disclaimer,'' said Stone, ``that doesn't absolve the manufacturer of responsibility.
``A reasonable standard has to exist. When people order a product for treating their hair, most would expect that it would not turn their hair green.''
But that television infomercial showing women tossing their hair in the wind seemed so real. As do many half-hour television ads.
Over the years, Robbin says she has bought a stain remover, a barbecue grill and window treatments through television ads.
``I feel so stupid now,'' said Robbin, who admits having never read the ingredients listed on the Rio package. ``From now on, I'm only going to use what I KNOW is going to work.''
Around my house, we'll store that last unused carton of Rio with the ``abdomenizer,'' the ski machine, and that last bit of that ``New Generation'' hair-renewal system, all of which we bought while shopping through the boob tube.
They all sounded too good to be true. And they were. ILLUSTRATION: Color photo
Bottle of Rio Hair Conditioner
by CNB