Coloring Your Hair During Pregnancy

I was a hairstylist before I became a mom. It is safe. The only reason I wouldn't suggest it is if you are sensitive to smells. If you are, then it could make you feel sick. I colored my hair throughout my pregnancy and I have a beautiful, healthy baby girl.

My doctor told me it was fine to get my hair colored. I got highlights when I was about 4-5 months pregnant and it was fine.

Hi-

I'm on my second pregnancy and my second OB/Gyn and have been told that it's okay to color my hair for both pregnancies, by both OB's.

My colorist uses Aveda products that are, theoretically, safer due to their "natural" ingredients. To be honest, I take this information with a grain of salt. It may well be true, but I don't know that that's really the case.

Since you're still in the 1st trimester it might be a good idea to give your OB's office a ring, just to make sure that it's okay to color in the early stages of pregnancy. Also, I think that your previous respondent, who said you might need to be concerned that pregnancy hormones might impact how your hair reacts to the coloring chemicals is correct, too. Maybe your colorist could do a test strand to make sure you don't come out bright orange...

Good luck!

M.

I colored my hair before my first was born, and was advised to stop during the pregnancy. I would recommend asking your doctor to be sure...

I too colored my hair during both pregnancys, my Dr said it was just fine to do so, and my colorist made a good point that if the chemicals weren't ok for pregnant women you wouldn't have all these pregnant women working in hair salons...
If you want to play it safe call your Dr and check their recommendations.
Good luck

Hello Mama JF!
I know how good I feel about myself when I have a fresh haircut and color. As I am also in early pregnancy, I would hold off on this feeling for a while, though--I recently read a study that revealed this: women who color their hair close to the time of conception or during the pregnancy are more likely to have a child who develops leukemia in childhood. I don't have a reference for this study right now and I don't know the exact details. But it scared me, since I did color my hair during my daughter's pregnancy! I've thought about trying natural dyes or going to one of those organic salons.

Good luck with your pregnancy!!
L.

I'm a hair stylist and everything you hear about it not being healthy for the baby and the color gets in your blood stream is all false! The only possibility of any problem would be because your hormones are going nuts that your color might not take like it normally does or the smell might get to you since your senses are better when pregnet but I can tell you from 8 years of being a cosmetologist and my own 3 pregnencys I've never seen that happen and all of my children are fine and I did many colors when I was pregnet nothing happened. I say go for it you will be fine and so will your baby.

I colored my hair while i was pregnant. I even asked my stylist and she said it was ok

I have read that it is not recommended, but I did it all throughout my second pregnancy without any ill effects that I know of and the "baby" is now 8 and very intelligent and healthy. He's also temperamental, but I don't think I can blame that on hair color! My stylist kept working and coloring other people's hair during her pregnancy also. You could check with your dr. to be sure, but I really needed to color my hair for my emotional and physical well being and figured that outweighed any unsubstantiated risks. Congratulations on the new baby.

Color your hair if you feel comfortable doing so. We have a pediatrician in the family. My husband tried to take away my hair color during pregnancy(he read it somewhere). She laughed and said, "Give the pregnant lady her hair color!!!" She indicated she knew of no harm, and that pregnancy is a time you want to feel good about the way you look. Feeling good about yourslef is important, and if haircolor will achieve that... good for your mental health, thus good for baby inside perhaps. If you are worried it will do harm and be more worried mentally to color, then don't color. I did used good old regular hair color. Did not change products...

I've always been a natural blonde when I got pregnant and only during my pregnancy my hair started coming in BLACK.. Looked horrible!

I dyed my hair and I would do it again!

I think most of the first trimester risk is from about 7 or 8 weeks til around 14 weeks. Right now, at 5 weeks, you're still dealing with a mass of cells and most of the vital systems are not yet forming. You might want to verify exactly when that is, but I think it's around 8 weeks. Any other moms know the exact time frames?
I know a lot of women who have had a night out and been drinking only to find out a week later that they're pregnant. Docs reassure them that at the early stages, there isn't much risk, and they all end up having normal, healthy kids.

My nurse practitioner said yes. The risks are minimal.

They have all natural hair dyes that you can use. I'm not sure how well they work but I know that they offer them at the Aveda school. If you let a student do it it's pretty cheap too!!

My ob/gyn said it was fine at any point in pregnancy as long as I could handle the smell.

Everything I have read or heard was that is was perfectly fine to get your hair colored as long as you tell the sylist you are pregnant and if you can handle the smell of the dye...same with getting your nails done...

Make your self look good!!!

I just don't think anyone really knows if things are safe or not. It's like drinking. Some women drink several times during their pregnancies and don't have a problem and others have a drink before they even knew they were pregnant and end up with a FAS child. You can never be too safe. I have a child that was born handicapped after doing everything I could to be SO careful. I would love to know what caused it but nobody can figure it out. Probably something "considered" safe?
Not to freak you out but everything that goes on you goes to your baby and you really never know. I didn't dye my hair so I'm not saying that caused it but nobody can tell me what did so obviously it was something considered safe.

Good luck with your decision,
J.
Mom to 4, soon to be 5 through another adoption.

I happily colored my hair when I was pregnant. That is after I had stopped throwing up constantly. (And that started at about six weeks for me, so maybe you should hurry!)

I have several friends who work in a salon, and the consensus is that it's okay to color--as long as you keep the color off the scalp where it can be absorbed through the skin. There's some debate whether or not to wait until the second trimester, so I agree that calling your OB/GYN is a good idea.

(Personally, I'm very sloppy with home hair color, so I would have a professional do it!)

I've been told that it's pretty safe. Most hair products now are safer for you than they used to be even a few years ago. The amount of harmful chemicals that would actually get into your blood stream through your hair follicles and your scalp are pretty minuet, if any. I also think that if you do it in a well ventaliated area where the fumes aren't as prevolent, that may help. Use a fan or ask your salon to have a fan on hand when you make the appointment. Plus, it'll make you look and feel better.

NO the chemicals you breath will hurt the baby my daughter had to wait

i agree with the other post that no one really knows if it is safe or not...i think most information would tell you to wait at least until you are 12 weeks or past. i chose not to color my hair at all during pregnancy...kept my hair shorter and it wasnt all that bad.

i think the jury might still be out on this one - some say okay, some say don't.

i think the bigger issue is that the way your hair reacts to chemical processes can change during pregnancy - perms can come out wonky, colors can take differently. may not be worth the risk in that respect.

i waited too long to color my hair too, and i'm just waiting it out. only 4 more months to go! :D

congratulations on #2! hope you're feeling well!
J.
mom to chase (4) & paige (due 6.2.08)

I think there are probably some natural, less toxic options out there. I have seen ads for someone in the area who does this professionally. Sorry I don't remember her name. The ads are usually in The Mix (a co-op publication) or local neighborhood papers. It's not as potent, but you'll have peace of mind.