Is it true?

Question

I am 7 weeks pregnant tommorrow (yey!) and I have been told that I shouldnt dye my hair. It really needs doing as I have naturally quite light hair and I dye it dark, my roots are starting to show now and I look rediculous but I dont want to do it if it will harm my baby.

If you shouldt dye your hair can anyone tell me why?

Answer 1

Dying your hair is one of those things that there is not much evidence whether it is safe or not in pregnancy. Therefore the 'blanket' advice is don't do it as health professionals don't want to be held responsible for advising something that could potentially be harmful.

The main school of thought is that chemicals can be absorbed through your scalp, into your bloodstream and then perhaps to the fetus.

I would suggest that perhaps if you were thinking about dying your hair and couldn't be persuaded not to then the best time would be waiting until you are in your 2nd trimester. The first 12-13wks of pregnancy are when all the major organ systems are laid down etc and more developmental anomalies occur then.

There are much worse things (smoking, drinking etc) that people do in pregnancy and dying your hair is really quite low down on the list! but, ultimately, it's your choice!

Answer 2

Don't worry hun, of course you can dye your hair.... The reasons that they say you shouldn't isn't because it will harm your baby, it's because the hair dye may not take as it usually does when you're not pregnant.... Generally speaking, if you use a good quality hair dye then you'll be fine, some hair dyes may not come out quite right when you're pregnant, the colour may be different. Some may make your scalp sensitive, but if you do the sensitivty test before you colour your hair then you'll be fine. Have a word with your hairdresser about using a hair dye with fewer chemicals - have a think about using a semi permanent rather than a permanent hair colour. Good luck witht he pregnancy and I hope your hair looks lovely!

Answer 3

Dying For A Change: Hair color and Your Pregnancy
Pregnancy

By Colette Bouchez
Excerpted from Your Perfectly Pampered Pregnancy

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If you're like many women, bleaching, dying, or highlighting your hair may be a regular part of your beauty regime. And if you're like most pregnant women, you probably have some hesitation or even a fear about continuing to color your hair while baby is in tow. Although research into the effects of hair coloring on baby's health are still somewhat limited,many experts now contend the dyes are most likely safe and that women needn't be afraid to color their world during pregnancy.

That said, don't be surprised if your doctor still suggests you approach hair coloring with caution. Because the dye is absorbed through the scalp and into the body (it can be identified in urine) some medical experts are hesitant to give carte blanche to hair coloring during all three trimesters. Often, many physicians advise holding off coloring hair with permanent dyes during the first trimester when your baby is undergoing important neurological developments. Coloring can then be resumed in the second or third trimester.

If you color your hair at home, look for products with the fewest number of chemicals and always work in a well-ventilated room, wearing gloves while handling the mixture. If you have your hair done in a salon, request the first appointment in the morning on their least busy day - when you are least likely to suffer excessive chemical exposure.

Answer 4

This question has been asked on here a 1000 times hun, loads will say no dont do it but its safe to dye your hair during pregnancy just some dont because of the chemicals

hope this helps

Marie McDonald answers:
No one has enough information to promise with certainty that using chemical dyes during pregnancy is completely safe, so many pregnant women wait until after the first trimester. At the same time, no one has any human data to show these chemicals cause birth defects.

Over the years, people have conducted animal studies trying to shed light on this matter. Some, but not all, studies have shown a few of the chemical compounds in hair dyes to be teratogenic (causing birth defects). However, in many cases the animals were exposed to extremely high doses of these chemicals, doses in no way equivalent to the exposure of the woman who colours her hair every month or two.

Clearly, the chemicals in both permanent and semi-permanent hair dyes are not highly toxic. These chemicals have been around a long time, and no research shows they cause defects in newborns, so colouring your hair during pregnancy is probably safe. Plus, if you apply the dyes safely (using gloves in a well-ventilated room, and not leaving solutions on for excessive periods of time), you don't really absorb much of the chemicals into your system.

One alternative you might consider is highlighting, painting, or frosting your hair. You absorb hair colouring agents into your system through your skin (scalp), not through your hair shaft. So, any process - such as streaking - that puts less of the chemical in contact with your scalp reduces your exposure to the compounds in dyes.

Some experts recommend vegetable dyes as a good alternative to synthetic chemical agents during pregnancy. Many of these dyes also contain some of the same synthetic chemical compounds that the major cosmetic companies put in their permanent and semi-permanent dyes. Pure henna, which comes in a number of colours, is the exception. Henna is a semi-permanent vegetable dye considered to be very safe, though not everyone loves the hues it may impart!

It's important for women to feel good about themselves during pregnancy. Whether colouring your hair will make you feel good or cause you to worry needlessly for nine months is something to think about. If you do colour your own hair while expecting, wear gloves and work in a well-ventilated space to minimise your exposure to the harsh chemicals used in the colouring process.

Answer 5

Use only hair dye that contains no ammonia. All hair dye used to, now most don't. Just check the back of the box. The fumes from ammonia can be very harmful to an unborn child. If you get your hair professionally done make sure to tell them to use a dye that contains no ammonia.

Answer 6

Hair dye contains quite a lot of nasty chemicals. These get absorbed into your blood stream through your scalp and they might be harmful to your baby.
However, there isn't really evidence to prove this one way or another. They don't go round doing such tests on pregnant women because it's not ethical!
Many women wait until after the first trimester, once the baby is fully developed, to reduce the risk of birth defects.

If you do want to dye your hair, wear gloves, do it in a well ventilated room and limit the amount of dye that gets onto your scalp.
Generally, it is best to reduce the toxic load on your body as much as possible during pregnancy, and especially during the first trimester.

Answer 7

Not to my knowledge! I did during my pregnancy's, surely the hair dye box would have a warning on wouldn't it? I can only assume that whoever said this is talking about the fumes from the dye - make sure you do it in a well ventilated room. All I can say is, it didn't do me or my children any harm.

Answer 8

When I was pregnant with my first (10 yrs ago) I was told it was unsafe to dye my hair due to 1) Chemicals that get into your skin and 2) the smell of the hairdye.

Now, ten years later, with my second I was told that it is perfectly fine because 1)the amount that seaps through your skin is slim if any and 2)the smell of the chemicals isn't going to do anything except MAYBE if you smell them 24/7 through your whole pregnancy.

Answer 9

Nhs 24 advise that it is safe to dye your hair in pregnancy because the amount of toxins use din hair dye are not high enough to cause harm.

Answer 10

I don't think there is any risk of harming your baby. It's more that the hormones that you produce while you are pregnant interfere with the chemicals used in hair dyes, and can result in nasty side effects.
A friend of mine dyed her hair while she was pregnant and ended up with a nasty reaction, causing great big sores and scabs all around her hairline and down her neck and back.
I really wouldn't recommend it!