Is It Safe To Dye Your Hair During Pregnancy?

Going to the salon for beauty treatments and hair treatments is an important part of beauty regimen for all women. However, when a woman is on her way to becoming a mum, some of these routines are likely to change.

Hair colouring is one of them. Since most hair dyes contain chemicals, the question most pregnant women have is whether it is safe to dye their hair during pregnancy. Read on to know whether hair dyes are safe to use during pregnancy.

What Is Hair Dye? 

There are many types of hair dyes to choose from. While permanent hair dyes are dyes that last for a longer time, colours like semi-permanent colours and temporary colours can be done from the comfort of your home.

Temporary hair dyes are the ones that can be easily washed away in a few washes. They usually come in spray bottles and can be easily sprayed on your hair without touching the scalp.

Semi-permanent colours are mostly done to touch up grey hair or cover grey hair. Hair dyes like highlights, balayage and lowlights are used on individual strands of hair to create a contrast. 

Is It Safe To Dye Your Hair While Pregnant?

The good news is that dyeing hair while you are pregnant is considered safe. Having said that, it is safer to dye your hair in the second and third trimesters. Hair dyes mostly have little contact with the scalp since it is applied to the strands of hair, so the chances of chemicals reaching your baby via the bloodstream is low. So if one is careful while applying hair dye and avoids the scalp, it is considered to be safe even during pregnancy.

Here are some tips on safer options for hair dye and how to use hair dyes safely during pregnancy and safer options for hair dye.

Tips To Color Hair Safely During Pregnancy

Taking precautions while dying your hair during pregnancy is necessary to avoid any problems for you and your baby. 

1. Wait Until your Second Trimester

During pregnancy your body produces more hormones and more natural proteins, therefore hair and nails tend to grow faster, so you might need more touch-ups of the colour near your roots. It is advisable to wait till your second trimester to colour your hair. It is recommended that you avoid colouring hair in the initial twelve weeks as there are chances of danger to the foetus.

2. Go for Alternative Hair Treatments

While hair dye in pregnancy is usually considered safe, it’s a better idea to choose dyes that do not cause any harmful effects.

• Switch to more natural forms of hair treatments to reduce the chemical exposure to your scalp.
• Instead of dying your hair from top to bottom, choose to colour only the tips of your hair, or half hair down, making sure the dye does not touch the scalp. Two such options are Balayage (the dye is applied to create a graduated, natural-looking effect) or highlights. These not only look trendy but are safer options.
• You can even purchase detachable hairstreaks that are easily available in various interesting colours. These are easy to clip on your hair and give you a trendy streaked look effortlessly. The best part about detachable hairstreaks is you can experiment with different colours as and when you like.
  

3. Pick a Hair Colour That is Safe

Permanent hair colours might give you the desired look, but there are many alternatives to chemical based hair dyes that you can safely use when you are expecting. 

• You can pick from temporary hair colours or even try a DIY. If you love a reddish tint, mix some beetroot with oil and let the mixture sit on your hair for an hour by wrapping your hair with a towel or shower cap. 
• Choose hair dyes that are free from chemicals like ammonia or bleach. 
• Henna and coffee are also great natural alternatives for dying hair.

4. Be Careful of Skin Conditions

Consult a doctor if you have skin conditions on the scalp like contact dermatitis, psoriasis or eczema before colouring your hair. For those who are allergic to hair dye, there can be swelling of the eyes and the irritation can spread to other areas too. 

Moreover, the reactions can be adverse and cause the skin condition to worsen. Do a small patch test and wait for 48 hours. A safer choice would be to stick to a dye you’ve used before and not experiment with a new one. 

How to Colour your Hair Safely During Pregnancy

During pregnancy most women are sensitive to certain smells, some hair dyes have a strong smell and it can make them feel nauseous. 

While the same smell might have done no harm before pregnancy, using the dye during pregnancy can sometimes make a pregnant woman feel nauseous, so doing a test (by taking a small amount of hair dye and testing to see if the smell irritates you) before applying the dye is recommended.

If you decide to get your hair dyed with a chemical based dye, it’s safer to sit in an open area or near an open window to avoid inhalation of the chemicals found in the hair dye. 

If the room is not well ventilated then wearing a face mask is a good idea.  

Post the colouring, wash off everything well including the forehead or any area that might have been exposed.

Looking and feeling good during pregnancy is important and as long as all proper precautions are taken, pregnant women can colour their hair without any worries.

DISCLAIMER: We have taken steps to check the accuracy of information & practices shared above; however, it is not a replacement for a doctor’s opinion. Please check with either your doctor, or an expert, before trying any suggestion, practice, or medication mentioned here.