Coloring Hair while Pregnant or Breastfeeding
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May 2006
I am an older mom and pregnant with my 2nd child. I have several
gray hairs just in the area of my bangs which are very
noticeable and am wondering if there is anything quick and
harmless that can be used to cover it up....even a temporary fix
would be fine that I could use through pregnancy. I have very
black hair and I've tried henna but it is so messy and hard to
use and it also doesn't seem to work very well....any advice
would be appreciated. I checked the archives but most people
recommend highlights which I'm not sure will work for me....
anon
You may want to check with Aveda. I am not positive about how sage
their dyes are for pregnancy, but I do believe they are something like
95% natural. They also have shampoos that ''stain'' your hair. A
temporary thing, but you can use them daily.
Again I am pretty sure they are all natural and would be fine to use
while pregnant mary
A friend of mine had a similar problem and used waterproof black mascara
to cover it up. She used the wand that came in the tube, ran it down
several strands of hair, and them did not touch it for the rest of the
day. It washed out when she shampooed her hair.
Andrea
My doctor said it was perfectly safe to dye my hair during pregnancy. So
I did.
March 2004
Hi, I am a nursing mom who is considering having her hair
colored. Is there any danger to dying hair while nursing?
Julie
Don't know if it would be the same for hair dye, but I asked my
doctor about perming my hair when I was nursing and she said I
shouldn't.
Cathy
When I was pregnant I asked my doctor about hair dye and nail
polish. He replied, ''as long as you aren't drinking it, it's
fine!'' Another pregnant friend with a different doctor asked the
same question and her doctor replied, ''what color?'' I think it's
even safer while nursing (unless of course you drink it).
;)
Feb. 2002
After our son was born, I started dying my hair (because I didn't
like the idea of being a new mom with so many grey hairs - oh,
vanity!) I tried to keep the color the same as my natural color,
but it ended up lighter. So when it grows out, the roots are
noticeably darker. Now I'm pregnant again and, of course, can't
continue dying my hair. Have other moms been in this situation?
What have you done? Are there any safe alternatives? -- Anonymous
One alternative to going gray while pregnant is highlighting. The color does
not touch the roots. My hair stylest did this for me while I was pregnant.
Gwynne
I have been dyeing my hair nonstop for 15 years and was concerned about
this when I was pregnant too. I researched it a lot and spoke with my ob/gyn
about it. I came to the conclusion that it was safe and waiting until the
second trimester to do it was smart. My doctor said that the fumes are what
can be a problem and really that it could make me nauseous rather than be
dangerous for the baby. She also said some women notice that the color
doesn't react as it normally does on the hair. I had thought about not doing
it at all but needed something to make me feel prettier (I had even just
started going gray)! My hairdresser and I decided in my fifth month to do
highlights rather than an allover color so it wouldn't touch my scalp, just to
be even safer. But, he said he had colored dozens of pregnant women over
the last 15 years who all had healthy babies. I colored a total of 3 times
during my pregnancy and had a healthy little girl who came complete with a
full head of bright red hair! Good luck.
I had my second child at 45 and also didn't want my grey hair showing. My
OB said that coloring my hair was o.k. (I get highlights and you could ask
the colorist not to have the dye touch the scalp--though I am sure none
does). She said to just be in a well vented room. You might check w/ your OB
if you feel comfortable trying.
Kathy
I don't agree that if you're pregnant "of course" you can't dye your hair. I
did, many of my friends did, and all our babies were & are fine. If you look
closely at your scalp after the dye job, you'll see that the dye doesn't even
reach all the way to the root. Personally I think that the hair dye scare is
part of the male-dominated medical profession's conspiracy to enslave
women (if they could tell you it was safer to be barefoot during pregnancy,
they'd do that too). My advice would be to head to the hair salon, look your
best, and don't worry!
Blonde floozy (with healthy baby)
While I'm cheerfully turning grey w/ a baby in the house, I have read about
this. The suggestion is not to use a permanent dye in the first three months
(for fear of dye entering body through the scalp?). Rather, use a rinse or
other less permanent color during this time. After the first trimester there
shouldn't be a problem.
Heather
Highlights throughout your hair can camouflage your roots and is safe
during pregnancy because the dye doesn't come in contact with your scalp. If
you're extra worried, AVEDA makes some vegetable-based highlights
(although as a chemist, I don't really think there's a difference -- they're all
compounds that change your hair color, vegetable-based or not). I got
permission from my OB to have highlights done during my pregnancy.
anonymous
I had the same problem...
There are several non-chemical/vegetable dyes you can use. A lot of the
brands [Manic Panic, etc.] have only unnatural colors, but there are quite a
few brands of henna floating about that will give you something more muted
than flamingo pink. Ask at your local beauty supply store.
The main problem with these was that they don't last nearly as long as the
semi-permanent stuff, and I ended up getting a short haircut because it was
too much hassle to keep up.
anonymous
I was informed not to dye my hair during the first trimester of my
pregnancy. After that I was told that it would be okay. I used a temporary
rinse as close to my own color as i could find during the first trimester and
then some. I also stretched out the coloring sessions as far as i could stand it.
dawn
in response to dying hair during pregnancy...
i had my hair relaxed (similar chemicals) during pregnancy (my doctor said
it would be ok) and there was no problem. i think it's best not to during the
first 3 months. that seems to be the fragile time.
anonymous
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