Dying Hair While Pregnant: Is It Safe?

Table Of Content

• Other ways to reduce chemical exposure from hair dye
• Ammonia:
• Hoping to add a fun new shade to your locks while pregnant? Go ahead, but take some precautions.
• Is there any risk with inhaling fumes or chemicals while dyeing your hair that could be harmful to a pregnancy?
• The Biggest Loser? – Weight Gain and Loss During Pregnancy

Keep reading to see why applying hair toner is safe to do during pregnancy. If you're wondering whether you should bleach, dye, or highlight your hair during pregnancy, we've gathered specific recommendations from the American Pregnancy Association to help answer your question. If you're concerned about chemicals but need to keep up your appearance for professional reasons, consider getting highlights or using a natural dye.

Other ways to reduce chemical exposure from hair dye

The bleach does penetrate your skin, but not to a degree that most doctors would consider harmful,” says Dr. Zanotti. If you decide to bleach your hair while pregnant, there are some safety precautions to keep in mind. In your efforts to keep your growing baby safe, you've dropped your second cup of morning coffee and stopped using retinol cream in the evenings. When you get a text about your upcoming hair color appointment you booked prior to finding out you were pregnant, it leaves you wondering if it's safe to have your hair bleached when pregnant. Hair bleaches are generally considered to be low in toxicity (5). However, many doctors recommend waiting until after the first trimester to bleach your hair.

Ammonia:

If you want to be extra safe and cautious, there are a few precautions you can consider before stepping foot in a salon. Her hair was and is still perfectly platinum—and of course it's not natural. You may also experience heartburn, swollen ankles, and exhaustion. It points out that the amount of chemicals the scalp may absorb is very low under typical use and very little would reach the fetus. Natural dyes may not be as long lasting as chemical dyes and may fade sooner. They may also not produce as strong a color as chemical dyes or have as many colors available.

Pregnant? Expert advice on when it's OK to dye your hair - TODAY

Pregnant? Expert advice on when it's OK to dye your hair.

Posted: Mon, 19 Sep 2016 07:00:00 GMT [source]

Hoping to add a fun new shade to your locks while pregnant? Go ahead, but take some precautions.

So, if you’re wondering whether you can bleach your hair during pregnancy, here’s everything you need to know. If you’re at home, open up the windows so you’re breathing in fresh air, not toxic fumes. Always wear gloves if you’re applying the product to your own hair, and slip into a long-sleeved shirt for extra coverage. Follow the manufacturer’s directions, leave the dye on for the minimum time recommended and be sure to wash your scalp thoroughly when the job is done. When it comes time to start coloring, experts agree you should take some extra safety precautions.

Are there any hair-coloring alternatives that may be safer than traditional dye and bleach?

Join us as we set off on a journey through pregnancy and hair care, discussing what is okay and what is not and how to rock those fabulous locks without compromising the well-being of your unborn baby. A semi-permanent color may not last as long as a permanent hair color, but it can reduce your exposure to chemicals and toxins. Small amounts of hair dye can get on your skin during a treatment. Although dye may come into contact with your forehead or scalp, only a small amount of the chemical is actually absorbed into your skin. It’s a small amount, so the chemical is unlikely to have any harmful effect on your baby’s developing body.

Your hair may react differently to bleaching than it usually does, and it might become more or less absorbent, frizzy or unpredictable. For a safer alternative, try techniques where color is painted directly on to the hair shaft — highlights, lowlights, frosting and streaking, for example. Pulling hair through a cap and then applying color is a less common method but equally as safe, since the cap covers the scalp.

Popular Pregnancy Resources

Since there is an extremely low risk to the unborn baby, getting your hair treated with a hair toner can help you relax, recharge, and allow you to indulge in some self-care during your pregnancy. Rëzo says the average person will leave a toner on for between 15 and 25 minutes. Despite the fact that the product is applied to the hair, and a small amount will touch the scalp, there is little, if any, cause for concern.

Test the hair dye first

Therefore, the chance of them entering the milk and posing a risk to an infant would be unlikely. There was a time when the ingredients in dyes and bleaching agents were a lot more dubious than they are today. "Are there any carcinogens in it? No. Are there any things that should create problems in pregnancy? No." According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), previous animal studies have found that high doses of the chemicals used in hair dye don’t cause any serious birth defects.

Still, while it’s generally considered safe to dye your hair during pregnancy, Reavey recommends avoiding it until the second trimester. “The first 13 weeks of pregnancy are critical for baby’s growth, so I’d err on the side of caution and avoid using hair dyes during this time,” she explains. Or, if you’re looking for a new hairstyle, but hesitant about completely dyeing your hair during pregnancy, Reavey recommends opting for highlights. “This will change the color and dynamic of your hair, without directly putting color on the scalp,” she says. Ross agrees, noting that treatments like highlights, streaking and frosting have little contact with the scalp and can be safer alternatives during all trimesters of pregnancy. Hydrogen peroxide is the main ingredient in several beauty products designed to alter hair color or lighten the appearance of body hair.

Plus, you’ll be using less of the product, so you might find highlights a better option than a full bleach. Ask your stylist about gentler options, like color with an ammonia-free base. Swollen ankles, stretch marks, an itchy belly...some things are inevitable when you’re pregnant. Nitha is a writer and a go-to source for the latest in beauty and fashion. An ardent advocate for inclusive beauty, she is continuously inspiring women to create an authentic self-image.

Products used to bleach hair usually contains between six and 10 percent hydrogen peroxide while bleaching creams used on body hair contain even less. Research has shown that bleaching creams, with their low concentration of hydrogen peroxide, are also only superficially absorbed and metabolized quickly. Hair grows faster during pregnancy so you may find that you have to touch up your roots more often than you normally would.

"The research on hair dyes and treatment chemicals in pregnancy has always been quite limited but most indicates they are relatively safe to use during pregnancy," says Dr. Masterson. Be sure to consult with a healthcare provider about your circumstances if you have any questions about bleaching your hair while pregnant. Many experts consider hair straightening treatments, or relaxers, to be as safe as using perms, bleaches, or hair dyes while pregnant. “If a dye says that it’s ‘all natural,’ the idea that that’s necessarily safer is not really true,” Sterling says.