Pregnancy and Hair Dye
Along with many other questions that women ask during pregnancy is whether or not they should dye their hair during that stage. Pregnancy is a point in life when you are not feeling the best of yourself and in such a situation dyeing your hair either at home or through visiting a hairdresser surely does boost your self importance characteristic. So are there any recommendations that should be followed during this period, yes there are.
If you are seriously concerned on the effects on the baby it is advised that you opt for highlighting instead. As highlights are not required to go deep down in the scalp it is considered a much healthy option. Other than highlights there is an option known as ‘water color hair dye’. The specialty of this type of dye is that it is completely deprived of any form of ammonia, peroxide or PPD though this service may not be available in every salon so for women who want to go for it should check on which salons provide the service.
The other hair treatments that can also be taken are coloring of hair which includes all types of hair coloring such as temporary, semi permanent and permanent hair dyes. You can also get your hair curled permanently by using waving solution which is used to firstly shape your curls and next a neutralization solution is used to permanently set the curls. Bleaching is also done on hair though this treatment requires use of hydrogen peroxide. Other treatments include hair straighteners which use different types of chemical and are also considered as a relaxant to the person having it.
As far as use of these chemicals are concerned during pregnancy as these solutions usually change chemicals frequently they are not effectively checked for use during pregnancy and so there is almost no information available as to whether there use is safe or not.
It is however assumed that since not much of the solution really absorbs in the scalp so there is no reaction of these chemicals to the body or the baby. Even if a small amount is absorbed in the scalp the chemical inserted is too minute to harm the baby. During getting your hair permanently curled the fixation solution or some other chemical used in other hair treatments may cause some reaction to the scalp but even it does not have any effect on any other part of the body let alone the baby.
Though it is taken that hair dyes have no effect on babies and this statement is supported by the ACOG (American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists) but still due to lack of evidence it is recommended that permanent hair dyes should be abstained from at least during the first three months of the pregnancy.
The reason to avoid permanent hair dye during pregnancy or the first trimester is because even though it does not absorb much in the scalp the fumes that are exhaled during the procedure might be harmful for the baby. Hair dyes contain ammonia which has a very strong fume to itself so opting for a dye that excludes ammonia is not restricted. This caution remains for all hair treatments that contain strongly fumed chemicals.
Other temporary or semi permanent hair treatments are considered safe. Also highlighting is safe as the hair is foiled so it doesn’t soak in the scalp. Also vegetable or natural dyes namely henna is perfectly safe to use during pregnancy.
There are some safety tips suggested for pregnant women who wish to dye their hair. Firstly never consider dyeing your eyebrows or lashes as you can get infected if the solution enters the eye. To check on any allergy you might develop consider going for a patch test first. Always follow the instructions and guidelines given on the product package. Always use gloves when using chemicals. After the treatment is over with make sure the content is completely washed of your hair and head. Also never leave the content on the hair for a longer period than required. Always choose an area that is well ventilated and wait for after the first trimester is over.
However if you are working as a cosmetologist you may be exposed to threats. However increased quality of dyes used have to a large extent lowered the risk posed to pregnant women. Also better working conditions lower the risk of exposure to harmful chemicals.
By a proper working condition it is meant that the area you work in is well ventilated, you should always use gloves and should not ever eat or drink in the working area. By following these methods exposure to chemicals involved in dyes can be reduced.
Also breast feeding women incur no harm from any such chemical as absorption is very minimal and on the scalp only. It has no effects on the milk produced. But again with all the facts mentioned above, it is still the safest not to dye your hair during pregnancy as pregnancy and hair dye might not go well alongside.
