Is Coloring Your Hair Safe During Pregnancy.

My OB was very conservative and told me no hair dying. However, prior to getting pregnant I died my hair bright red and by my 2nd trimester It was orange. So I went to a salon first appointment in the mormning to avoid fumes and my stylist used very low chemical dye. I dyed my hair dark brown to match my roots so i wouldn't have to dye my hair again until after baby was born and after I was done with breast feeding....my stylist tried to avoid dying the roots too...do what you think is best. BTW I had a healthy and beautiful baby boy!!!!

Well, they dont know if its safe, but I waited until my 3rd trimester to do it...when most of the important developments were toward the end. I just did highlighting and avoided the dye altogether and had her stay away from my scalp. Hope this helps!

Hi. I colored my hair when I was pregnant. I was told to wait until after 3 months. But, after that, color is safe. However, I was told not to use bleach. Only regular color. But, I did it and I have a wonderful, healthy, beautiful little girl!

Not sure there is any good evidence based medicine to support it's safety and many practices advise against it at least in the first trimester. Since it is not an essential activity, I opted against coloring throughout my pregnancies.

C., I try to be a stickler for the pregnancy rules and I couldn't find a truly common opinion on the matter - even between the OBGYNs (seems many do say it is OK). I find that more women are opting to cover their roots and the grays - as some of us are older and a circle of color around our scalps and ears just won't work. I had heard that highlights are safer than hair coloring at the roots and that it is best to wait until the first trimester is over. So to comprimise, I decided to go organic and avoid coloring with harsh chemicals/ammonia. Not sure where you live, but I would highly recommend this salon in Morristown, NJ (not cheap, but worth the treat) if you decide to color again http://www.salonbotaniqueecochic.com/

I too needed to color my hair, but with the ob doctors advise and even though the research is out there, I just waited till after the pregnancy. Even though research shows that it is safe for the same reasons you shouldn't hande some medications, use cortizone, vick vapor rub, etc because the chemicals penetrate the skin. Air on the side of caution and just wait. I am sure you are still looking beautiful as the day your husband met you and fell in love with you to want to have children with you.

My OB said foils or highlights are ok after the 1st trimester; no roots though! I had foils done 3 times during my pregnancy and my son is beautiful with no problems!!!

I don't think there's any scientific proof that coloring your hair can hurt the baby, but I used the natural stuff that I purchased at Whole Foods - just to be safe!

Hi C., I did color my hair through all 5 pregnancies and all is well. My daughter was told not to and highlighting was OK. I do believe that chemicals seep into your head and are not good for us at any time. Don't know if this helps. Go with your heart and best wishes for a happy healthy child. Grandma Mary

Twelve years ago it was an absolute NO. Of course things change overtime.

I'm sure that if you choose to color your hair the chances of anything bad happening are 1,000,000 to 1. Unless the benefit outweighs the risk, don't chance it. Everyone will be focusing on your beautiful pregnancy glow, not your dark roots.

I think the rule is after 14 weeks and not on your roots. Because the coloring is absorbed into your body through the roots. That said, I've skipped it for each of my pregnancies. What's a bit of bad hair versus any trouble with your pregnancy?

Hi, C.,

My colorist also told me that these days it's much safer and not a big deal -- this is for highlights btw, not dying darker (not sure about that b/c I don't do it). What he did to help was to make sure the bleach solution was only on for the shortest possible time, rinsing it out right away and rinsing twice, inspecting himself to make sure there wasn't any left on (in between while he was doing different sections of my hair). He didn't leave all of this to the assistants/hair washers - he did it himself and was careful to get everything out asap.

It is never safe to dye your hair especially while pregnant. Notice that health aware actresses go back to their natural hair color before and during pregnancy. Kelly Ripa is one who comes to mind.

I would just play it safe and wait until after your pregnancy.

Just the fumes alone in any salon would make me think twice of even stepping into a salon while pregos !!
(very dangerous to be around the permanent fumes - so if someone is getting a perm at the salon the same time that you are there, you will be breathing it.)
Could your hairdresser come to your house for cuts for now?

In the long run, it's a small, small sacrifice - and best to be safe !! I don't trust the medical advise out there - was it truly tested?? What will they find out 10 years from now?

Good luck !
And I'm sure you're beautiful, just the way you are now !

I just did foils during my pregnancy. My stylist said it was OK too, but to me there is no way that having those chemicals in your bloodstream is OK. I say, foil away!

Hi C. -
I got different opinions from different doctors -the first OB I was with said that it was ok to do it once during pregnancy -the OB I ultimately switched to and trust completely, said that he thinks it's fine to color all during the pregnancy. I don't remember if I did it once or twice - I think I only colored one time at eight months pregnant -just before my baby shower. I was afraid to do it more often-it seemed to me there wasn't enough info to be sure. I use semi permanent color --I figured it wasn't as bad as permanent color but you are right -the highlighting is supposed to be the better way to go during pregnancy.
Good luck!
M.

I'd start with checking with your OBGYN but I have a girlfriend who is a hair stylist and says it is a big no no. Not only should you not get your hair colored during pregnancy but you should stay away from coloring hair until you are no longer breast feeding.
Again - ask your OBGYN. Hope this helps.

Dear C., How wise of you to question what you are doing. We have to question every thing that we are doing now a days, because we are slowly loosing our natural instincts. Every thing effects your baby. What you think, what you eat and what you feel. Ask yourself why do I color my hair? Who is behind the idea of hair color? Who is benefiting from it and why? My daughter has been coloring her hair since she was 16. She has seen me coloring my hair since she was an infant. She still colors her hair, she is now 28. Most of the time we change the outside appearance because this is easier. I have chosen to "enlighten" my character and people notice it and compliment
me on my "look".

I would not use dye. Try Henna. It tints your hair and is completely non-toxic.

i tried to avoid coloring during pregnancy, my feeling was better safe then sorry. of course, baby showers etc come up and you want to look nice, so i went to my local natural foods store and bought something there. it is a bit more expensive but the peace of mind is worth it.

I was worried about the same thing because I have a lot of grey hair and didn't want it to show. While I feel it's probably safe to color I stuck with just highlights during my whole pregnancy because highlights don't actually touch the scalp. While it is expensive & time consuming it made me feel less nervous about it. My one month old baby girl seems perfectly healthy. I hope that helps.

W. B

Hi, C..

Because I was high risk, my OB/Gyn was not a big fan of hair coloring during my pregnancy. You may want to check with him/her. To play it safe, I would wait.

Good Luck.

S.

Hi there. I colored my hair during my pregnancy last year in the third trimester. I was advised not to color my hair within the first trimester since the baby's organs are developing. My hair stylist used a different type of hair dye that he uses on pregnant women. There are different chemicals in the dye and the fumes were not as strong.
You should be fine.

Hi C.

As an older mom, I color my hair. My doctor said if the smell didn't make me ill, likely the coloring agent wasn't going to harm the baby. I had more trouble in the salon smelling the nail enamels etc.

Vain, yes, but I didn't want to be white-haired, looking like a grandma giving birth! I'm prematurely gray and have had gray hair since I was 12, but couldn't imagine taking my kids to play dates with younger moms and looking like their mother (which in some cases I actually could be their mom too!) Oh, well. Enjoy the pregnancy and keep looking your best.

R.

I felt comfortable keeping up with my roots throughout my pregnancy and, after researching as much as I could, found no conclusive negative feedback on coloring. I continued going to my salon every six weeks and my child turned out perfect. I figured the colored was going on my follicles but not entering my bloodstream so I didn't feel that risky.

My hair stylist and I spoke about this one. Consider this: we don't dye our hair all that often compared to other things that we do to expose our bodies to far more toxins.
Some examples:
Dry Cleaning
Manicure/ Pedicure
Non-organic milk and animal products
New Carpeting
Diet soda, artificial sweeteners
Harsh household cleaners
Yard pesticides

I would color my hair but work hard to reduce the items above in an effort to reduce harmful toxins for my growing baby. could

Highlights are okay but haircolor is not advised. And I'd wait until the third trimester to do anything really.

Good luck!!

I have a girl friend that found a salon that uses all natural dye to color hair during pregnancy. I would say to ask your OBGYN and make sure they are comfortable with it.

When I was pregnant my doctor told me that it was ok as long as it wasn't bleach or peroxide of any kind. He also said to wait until the 3rd trimester. Anything early on in pregnancy can have huge side effects on your baby. I did color mine once at about 7 months and it turned out fine. However, you do have to keep in mind that like everything else when you're pregnant your hair willnot neccessarily react the way you want it too, even if it always had. It is possible for it to turn out a different color than you wanted, or for only part of it to take. A friend of mine got a perm, same concept...chemicals on hair...and only one side took, so she went around with half curly hair unless she spent the time to straighten or curl one side!! What you can consider if you're concerned about the chemicals is maybe use henna for a color boost. It's all natural and won't have any harmful side effects, and can be found at Sally's or any other beauty supply store. Hope this helps. :)

There is a product out there called, "Herbatint". I found it at Wegmans and have also seen it at the health food store. I can't vouch for its safety, but I felt better using it that than some of the more intense chemical brands. I just couldn't bear to have grey hair at my baby shower:-)

Good luck!

I was a hairstylist for several years (I have Fibromyalgia and can no longer do it.)

We were taught that the reason it's not a good idea to color during pregnancy is because the hormones in your body can effect the color and make it not turn out right.
It doesn't do anything to the baby (I also checked with my OBGYN on this, as I was pregnant while working and was coloring rather often).
I also had a perm done while I was pregnant too.

However, that was me and my situation. I would suggest checking with your OB before you do anything.

Also, keep in mind that while Henna is natural, if you use it you will need to tell your stylist that you have used it when you go back to regular color. There are certain colors and bleaches that you can not use after there has been Henna in your hair... it will literally burn your hair off.

Good luck whatever you decide...and congrats on a new baby!!

I also wanted to add that I was working in the salon during my pregnancy doing colors and perms the entire time.

I did, just once, at 20 weeks. No problems!
P.S. Highlights are always OK!