You have the good news. You are pregnant! Amazing! This is a moment of excitement and change. You may not consider about the importance of changing your hair dye routine during pregnancy. The “pregnancy glow” might not be sufficient for you to divert from the signs of colour fade and roots that are trying their best to reappearing. You have probably been colouring your hair since high school.

You are concerned if this is a wise decision now that you have a child. As worried as you may be about the potential risks and effects on your unborn child by these chemicals. It is smart to reconsider and revisit your hair colour and pregnancy. Many do. This is a great time for you to do more thorough research and ask your friends and family questions about how dyeing your hair while pregnant can affect your baby’s development.

Are Hair Colours Treatment Really Safe for Pregnancy?

Yes it is true. It is possible for colouring agents to penetrate your scalp and reach your bloodstream. However, the medical community has considered the small amounts to be safe and harmless. Moreover, the truth is that there aren’t any studies that concluded that hair dye can cause harm to a fetus.

The reason is also due to the fact that no mothers-to-be are willing to be guinea-pig volunteers for proper testing to take place. Who in their right mind would do that? Mothers have a natural instinct to protect their unborn children and themselves. There are however studies that have been performed on babies born with birth defects. There was no way to pinpoint hair dye as the primary culprit in these studies.

Instead, scientists tested the effects of hair dyes on animals. The results showed that on these tested animals, there are a greater risk for birth defects. But this isn’t enough to prove that it has the same effect on humans. On of the reason is that the chemical concentrations used in hair dyes for humans are several times lower than the concentration used on these subjects. Experts still recommend that pregnant women hold on until after their first trimester to dye their hair. Or, better yet, to delay the process until after they have given birth to their child. There are something that you should consider when thinking about having hair colour during pregnancy.

  • The first is your scalp and skin actually can absorb chemicals easily. Many hair colouring products consist of a chemical named as para-phenylenediamine (PPD) that is a mild cancer-causing agent and a contact allergen. The darkening agent PPD is used in the colouring product and for a darker hair colour, more chemicals will be absorbed. These are still considered to be very small amounts.
  • The next will be the inhaled fumes from hair colour can cause nausea in pregnant women. This is especially true if your room is not well ventilated, such as your bathroom. You might also ask the salon if they can shield your hair with a plastic bag if it isn’t well ventilated. You could also take short breaks in the salon and go for some fresh air outside.
  • Lastly, your hormonal changes are quite severe during pregnancy. This means that the colour results you get now during pregnant may be very different to the colour results you received before pregnant. The dye might also not be as effective in locking into the hair, or your hair might have changed to accept the hair colour more than before. Hence the end result might not be what your are expected. If you insist on colouring, you should be aware of these fundamental.

Consider these precautions when you plan to do hair colouring during pregnancy

Talk to Your OBGYN doctor. Before you do anything, make sure you consult your obstetrician. You can book an appointment at your preferred salon if your obstetrician has given you the green light. 

Your Colourist is NOT an OBGYN doctor. (And neither are you.) Hence, do not ask your colourist if they think the hair colouring is safe. This is putting your doctor on the spot. Your colourist should be advising you to consult your doctor before you do anything. It’s not the colourist decision or their call. Your doctor is the only person to be aware of any extenuating circumstances. Don’t expect your colourist to give you the green light. They are more likely to be cautious which is important and what you would like.

NIX the DIY: It is advisable not to purchase any box hair dyes over the selves for your home use for the next nine month. This is about chemicals and you should be cautious when applying any box hair dyes on your scalp if you have no idea what they could do. 

Colourist on Alert: Inform your colourist that you’re expecting pregnant before you allow them to touch your hair. They will be able to tell you what safety precautions they need and which available safer options they can consider, even though might not be the best choice for typical client.

Highlights Timing? One way to minimize how much dye comes in contact with your scalp is to just add lowlights  or highlights in foils. In this approach, the dye is prevented from getting near your skin or scalp.

For Even More safer Highlighting? The colourist can also use a silicone highlighter cap. With this cap, the colourist would only just need to pull the specific hair strands that are to be dyed through the holes. Thus this will effectively ensure that the dye does not even touch your scalp.

There’s another option: A demi permanent colour is an alternative to permanent hair colours as such colour doesn’t contain harsh chemicals or ammonia.

Ingredient Watch: Be proactive. Investigate and study the ingredients that go into hair colours you wished to have. If you want to be even more extremely safe, find out which hair dyes chemicals have been banned in the United States and other countries. The European Union has a list of banned chemicals. They tend to have stricter guidelines regarding chemical safety.

Healthy Scalp: You should ask someone or you can check your scalp for cuts and abrasions. If there are open wounds, you should wait for them to heal.

Be Natural: Use natural products and use the same things that our Grandma did. Natural products can temporarily add colour to your hair without the need for harsh chemicals. For example, lemon juice can create amazing highlights when it is exposed to heat by the sun. To let the sun work its magic, just expose your hair to sunlight. You can also lighten and brighten your hair by rinsing it with chamomile tea. For brunettes, you can soak your hair with strong or black tea. To further brighten the colour of your red hair, you can try to use beet juice. These are all natural and chemical-free ways to tackle the problem.

Are you hooked on Henna? You have to beware of natural dyes. Even natural dyes like henna can still contain metals that could be very dangerous. Hence, such Henna dyes are still not highly recommended. Be cautious if the Henna product is not 100% pure vegetable hair dye. Here again research can help you to make decision.

If possible, just say no to hair colouring. The best dye to experiment while pregnant is none. This is the safest and best way to go, as most doctors want you to hold off on any colouring or bleaching until after you have given birth. If you really want to colour, wait until the fourth month of your first trimester. The fetus should be able to develop enough to be less affected by this stage. This can be explained by your doctor, though.

Look into Colour Depositing Products. Now is the ideal time to explore colour depositing shampoos or conditioners. These products would preserve your hair’s current colour until you can do a colour touch-up by the second or third trimester.

Some people find changing hormones more difficult and challenging than the actual process of hair colouring itself. Such changing hormones can affect the outcome of your hair colour, but not always. If you’re wondering if pregnancy hormones can affect the finishing results of hair dye, the answer is probably yes.

As you would expect, the FDA also addressed this issue with some general guidelines. If you’re interested, the Mayo Clinic sums it all up well. The American Pregnancy Association has also provided some helpful advice. However, neither of these should replace a conversation with your professional, OBGYN doctor.

You might consider balayage to get pass this problem. An ombre, which is low-maintenance hair colouring, will protect your hair and scalp from chemicals as well as the foils also help to avoid the chemical.

There are always risks involved in anything we do in life. These ideas we share should have helped you to address your concerns. We have also shared all the alternative hair colouring approaches for the next 7 to 8 months. Your OBGYN doctor is only the best person to give you advice. Because we are not a doctor and this sharing site should not be used to give any medical advice.