In this discussion, we’ll explore the transformations our hair undergoes during pregnancy, along with five essential tips for women to ensure the safety of themselves and their baby when coloring their hair.
Pregnancy heralds significant changes in your body. It’s not just your abdomen that expands; rather, it triggers transformations throughout your entire system, from hormonal shifts to mood swings. During pregnancy, it’s crucial for a woman to prioritize self-care, not only because she’s nurturing a life within her womb but also because her body becomes exceptionally sensitive, undergoing numerous changes. Alongside alterations in lifestyle and dietary habits, hormonal fluctuations also affect our hair and skin. Here, we’ll delve into the hair changes experienced during pregnancy and outline five essential tips for women to ensure their safety and that of their baby while coloring their hair.
Is it Safe to Dye Your Hair While Pregnant
A frequently pondered question among women globally is whether it’s safe to dye their hair during pregnancy. Hair dyes and colors contain chemicals like ammonia, which can pose some risks. Research conducted worldwide suggests that the chemicals in permanent and semi-permanent dyes aren’t highly toxic and are generally safe for use. While the exposure to these chemicals is typically low, pregnant women may choose to avoid using these products in the first 12 weeks of pregnancy, as this period is critical for the baby’s organ development.
Guidelines for Hair Coloring During Pregnancy
As stated, pregnancy induces significant and enduring changes in a woman’s body, impacting not only the pregnant woman herself but also the well-being of the baby developing within her womb. It is crucial to prioritize the care of pregnant women, as even minimal exposure to risk factors can result in numerous potential complications in the future. Below are five recommendations that women can adhere to when considering dyeing their hair during pregnancy, while ensuring safety.
1. Wear Gloves
Gloves are an indispensable component of any standard hair coloring kit. They not only shield your hands from the dye’s color transfer but also from its chemical constituents. By wearing gloves, you safeguard your hands from potential chemical absorption resulting from permanent or semi-permanent hair dyes. Hair dyes can pose risks to your skin, potentially causing pigmentation, discoloration, irritation, and skin rashes. One such chemical, para-phenylenediamine (PPD), commonly found in hair coloring dyes, is known to trigger allergic reactions, manifesting as dermatitis, resulting in irritating and itchy skin rashes.
2. Adhere to the recommended duration
Exceeding the suggested duration for leaving the hair dye on is among the gravest mistakes when coloring hair at home. Allowing chemical-based hair dye to linger on your scalp beyond the recommended time frame can have adverse effects. Not only can it stain your scalp and render your hair brittle and dry, but it can also permit these chemicals to penetrate your scalp and subsequently your body. Once these chemical-laden hair colors, whether semi-permanent or permanent, infiltrate your body through the scalp, they can pose serious health risks to you and your baby. Prolonged exposure to high quantities of hair dyes penetrating the skin can even lead to fatal conditions such as cancer.
3. Ensure proper ventilation
Certain odors can induce headaches, and you may be allergic to others. Whether pregnant or not, it is always advisable to work in a well-ventilated area when using chemical-based hair dyes. These products contain chemicals like ammonia and persulfates, which emit toxic fumes. Inhaling these fumes can lead to respiratory issues. It’s not just asthmatic individuals who may experience breathing difficulties due to inhaling these toxic hair dye fumes but others as well.
Being in a well-ventilated room facilitates the dispersion of fumes, lowering the risk of inhaling them and thereby shielding you from their harmful effects.
4. Thoroughly rinse your scalp
After every hair coloring treatment, it’s crucial to rinse the scalp thoroughly. When hair dyes are applied to the roots, they often spread onto the scalp. Failure to rinse the scalp can lead to the accumulation of these harmful chemical-based dyes. Over time, this buildup not only stains the scalp and makes hair dry and brittle but also increases the risk of conditions like cancer. The prolonged presence of this chemical residue on the scalp allows it to seep into the body, potentially resulting in serious consequences.
To prevent the buildup of chemicals on your scalp and its potential consequences, it’s recommended to rinse your scalp with your regular shampoo followed by a conditioner.
5. Perform a patch test
It’s crucial to conduct a patch test not only with hair colors but also with any beauty product containing chemicals. Regardless of whether you’ve been using the same hair color for years, conducting a patch test is essential. Pregnancy brings about numerous changes in a woman’s body, causing it to react differently to even the most familiar and commonly used products.