Since there are very few studies that provide a clear answer as to the safety of colouring your hair during pregnancy, the general consensus is that only a small amount of colouring hair products won’t harm your baby. Many pregnant women who want to colour their hair also take comfort in the fact that many have coloured their hair during pregnancy with no reported harmful effects.
According to OTIS also known as Organisation of Teratology Information Specialists, animal studies were carried out at doses 100 times higher than what humans would normally use and still it didn’t affect fetal development. This and the fact stated above that many are using it point that hair colouring is safe so long as the chemicals used have minimal contact on the skin.
Though hair colouring has no known harmful effects to fetal development, many find it best to just get streaks, highlights, or frosting rather than over all hair colouring. Doing so will further lessen the amount of chemical that reaches your skin.
What about fumes?
No one likes to breathe in fumes from hair products. The ammonia of hair colouring products make some feel ill. If you don’t like the smell of hair colouring products, try going for salons that have hair colouring products that are free of ammonia.
Is it also safe to use hair straightening products?
OTIS also cited a study conducted in pregnant women which use hair straightening products. The study didn’t show any increased risk of low birth weight but the study failed to address the risk when it comes birth defects. As mentioned above, OTIS advises minimal use of such products.
Is it safe to use henna or vegetable hair colours?
If you plan to use henna or vegetable hair colours ensure that you have read the ingredients of the box because sometimes even though the packaging of the product says natural, some manufacturers still use synthetic additives.
Instead of using chemicals that may be harmful to your pregnancy, some women prefer to use henna. However, there are some disadvantages to using one. For instance, since it contains metallic salts, it is very difficult to remove. Henna also takes longer to apply. There are some hair salons that offer henna hair colouring. If you really want to colour your hair and you don’t want to use chemical hair colouring products then henna is your best bet.
Some tips when colouring your hair if you are pregnant:
- It is better to colour your hair during your 2nd trimester. By then, all the important initial fetal development stages are complete.
- If you are not going to colour your hair yourself, go to a salon that is well ventilated to avoid the fumes of hair colouring products.
- Go for hailr colouring products that are ammonia free,
- Try to opt for henna hair colouring products.
- Do a test patch to check if you have any allergic reactions to the product.
If you think colouring your hair will make you feel good and will help you lessen the stress of feeling unattractive during pregnancy then by all means colour your hair, just ensure that you go for natural products and follow our tips above!