Dying your hair in pregnancy?

[rm1234]

I'm 20 + 5 and haven't dyed my hair since I was like 8 weeks. But I feel so shit about myself and really want a change, to go back red like I was before I was pregnant. People keep telling me it goes to the baby and stuff? Does anyone know if there are any risks? xxx

 

[3Beans]

It's fine. It doesn't cross into your blood stream. It's typically just the fumes from the salon products that are concerning. Let your stylist know your pg.

 

[Leamarasmall]

I've read that home dyes can harm your baby if used to much but every now and then should be fine as the chemicals are not enough to harm your baby unless used to often or in huge quantitys, I wouldn't recommend bleaching though as that is to strong, any foils or cap highlights wouldn't harm baby as its not on the scalp and holds no risk, I dyed my hair a few weeks ago for the first time in 6 months and has done no harm to my baby at all, my advice would be to leave on min amount of time and stay in a well ventilated area while doing it, plus do a strand test even if you've used dye before as your hair can react differently in pregnancy due to hormones x

 

[Leamarasmall]

Most salons won't put colour onto scalp if the women is pregnant due to them covering there back if anything was to happen x

 

[shocker]

I have my hair bright red at the moment, I've got naturally dark hair so have had to touch up my roots with bleach, I waited til I was in 2nd tri and then got my sister to touch up my roots with me sat outside so it would be well ventilated, its the fumes that can cause the harm so long as you are careful and in a well ventilated area with someone helping it will be fine! If your talking about just putting a colour like red/pink on then those hairdyes are totally fine, they've got as much chemicals as shampoo! I do it as little as possible anyway but have to say the boost its given me has been great I feel like my old self again, I asked ny hairdresser and did a lot of research and all said that so long as its well ventilated, you've got someone to do it for you and your out of the first tri its totally fine

 

[Lattam]

Try and find a hairdresser that uses herbal hair dye. I did that and dyed my hair at about 14 weeks. There are no fumes and although the dye may not last as long and not as effective as normal dyes, I was quite happy with the result if it meant that I was going to have piece of mind that it wont harm bubs.

 

[FlowerTots13]

I had my hair dyed at the hair dressers 3 weeks ago, and she didn't have any problem with dying it.
My Midwife just advised after the first trimester was fine, and obviously with home dyes, the fumes, so keep the room well ventilated

 

[Mrs Bee]

I've been dying mine and our little girl is doing great in there... It's not like ur eating the dye

 

[joo]

I always thought you could still dye your hair when pregnant & thought well hairdressers still work while they're pregnant! Anyway this is my 1st pregnancy & I wanted a new do to perk myself up a bit. I asked my SIL who is a hairdresser if I could dye my hair, she said only highlights not full head colours. She said they won't put anything on the scalp, in case it passes on to the baby (not sure if she meant chemicals or breathing in fumes?) I was most disappointed because I've been growing my blonde out & gradually going darker, was hoping to get a nice warm auburn but will have to wait till after baby is born now

 

[Jenny_J]

My midwife says you can dye your hair, so long as there is no amonia in the dye. So check the box before you buy it, I have 3 boxes of red hair dye here, that I cant use lol

 

[bubbles19]

the problem with using herbal dyes and ones with no ammonia is that just because it says herbal or no ammonia doesnt mean they dont use other chemicals and some herbal rememidies are harmful too, you need chemicals to make the colour penetrate and stick in the cortex of your hair. do you see my point?
i'm not saying dont use them because im sure its fine, as is normal dye.
just patch test and ventalate the room, your past the 1st trimester so its okay as long as you take the precautions it states in the manufacturers instuctions.

 

[3Beans]

Another thing to keep in mind is that your hair may take the color differently now that you're pregnant, so be careful with your color choices!!!

 

[wamommy]

^^ wss My SIL is a stylist and advised against highlighting my hair during pregnancy. She said while the hair dye won't get to the baby (especially foils, not all-over dyes) it could be an unpredictable result. She told me that with my hair color and texture it could turn orange!! YIKES!! I feel so frumpy, and am thinking of getting highlights anyway, so I'll let you know if I turn into a pumpkin for Halloween

 

[allybaby]

I'm 20 weeks and I've had my hair done 2x with highlights. My doctor told me it's safe.

 

[RKW]

I've continued with foil highlights as nothing touches the scalp and it's taken the same as normal. It's so nice to feel good about yourself getting your hair done, makes me feel a bit better about my frumpiness!!

 

[cupcaker]

I made a choice based on the info on the NHS website. I home dye and make sure it's well ventilated and not left on for any longer than absolutely necessary nor topped up more than absolutely necessary.

 

[OCmommy]

I've dyed mine twice already this pregnancy! :]

 

[Kiwigurl]

I had foils done about 19 weeks and while everyone said it was fine, it just made me anxious for some reason. I just didn't want to be around the chemicals - even though it was a well ventilated place. So probably just going to keep getting it trimmed rather than coloured until afterwards. Weirdly, first time in my life I'm kind of liking my natural colour

 

[wellbe30]

My best friend is a hairdresser and she told me its fine. I had my hair dyed every 6 weeks during my last pregnancy and am due to have it done for the 3 rd time in this pregnancy next week.

She said you need to tell your stylist as changes in your hormone levels can effect how quickly the dye talkes into the hair so they need to keep an eye on that

 

[_jellybean_]

Definitely do a patch test on your skin first, even if you've never had an allergic reaction before. Can you use a semi-permanent dye? They say only a small amount of the chemicals are absorbed through your skin. From APO (link below): "Permanent hair dyes contain ammonia which has a strong chemical fume. The recommendation is to avoid hair dyes that contain ammonia. "

This is from the American Pregnancy Org: "Are hair dyes safe during pregnancy?
According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), hair dyes are probably safe to use during pregnancy because so little dye is absorbed through the skin. However, it is still important to be cautious, therefore many health care providers recommend that pregnant women not use permanent hair dyes during the first three months.

While the absorption through the skin is minimal, the concern is that breathing fumes during the process could be harmful to the developing baby. Permanent hair dyes contain ammonia which has a strong chemical fume. The recommendation is to avoid hair dyes that contain ammonia. The chemical fume warning also applies to straightening products as well."

Personally, I would be fine with it, but I would follow the above guidelines--if you read the page, these are the safety tips:

"Consider waiting until the second trimester for hair dye, bleaching, permanents or straightening.
Have the treatment completed in a well-ventilated area.
Don’t leave the chemicals on your head any longer than necessary.
Rinse your scalp thoroughly with water after treatment.
Wear gloves when applying chemicals.
Carefully follow directions on the product package.
Do a patch test for allergic reactions before completing the process
Never dye or bleach eyebrows or eyelashes. This could cause swelling or increase risk of infection in the eye area."