Pregnant women often wonder if hair treatment is safe during pregnancy. Some health professionals say stop hair treatment during pregnancy and others say it’s  okay. Most however recommend waiting until after the first trimester to treat hair.

The different types of hair treatment includes the following :

• coloring which includes  semi permanent, permanent and temporary dyes
• bleaching treatment that uses hydrogen peroxide
• relaxers also known as perm. These may be either   lye (sodium hydroxide) or no lye (potassium, lithium, or guanidine hydroxide)  and is used to permanently relax hair.
• curling which creates permanent waves by using a waving solution or solution for neutralization/fixation

Are all hair treatment safe during pregnancy ?

Most research indicate that semi permanent and permanent dyes are not highly toxic therefore safe during pregnancy. Only small amount of dye is absorbed into the skin , leaving a minimal amount that may be able to reach the fetus. The quantity is too small to cause any harm to the fetus.

The same goes for hair treatment during breastfeeding. A small quantity is absorbed into the bloodstream. Therefore the chances of the chemicals entering the breast milk and causing harm to the child is small.

You can however use safer alternatives if you are unsure about the safety of hair treatment during pregnancy. You may use pure vegetable dyes such as henna. You can also opt for highlights instead because the dyes is placed on the stands on hair and may not touch the scalp.

What precautions should I take during my hair treatment ?

Take the following precautions to decrease the  risk of hair treatment causing harm during pregnancy.

• the best option is waiting until the second or third trimester before treating your hair
• rinse your scalp thoroughly with  water after hair treatment
• do not leave chemicals longer in the hair than indicated
• make sure the area where you are having  your hair treated is well ventilated
• wear gloves when applying treatment
• never dye  or bleach your eyebrows and lashes. It may cause swelling or increase your risk for infection

 
You should also note that pregnancy changes the texture of hair. This may cause different reaction during hair treatment. In this case you may want to wait until after pregnancy to treat your hair.

I am a cosmetologist and pregnant. What risk do I face ?

Your risk depends on the amount of exposure to hair treatment chemicals. The risk of miscarriage is increased in women who

• apply large amount of bleach and dye
• work more than 40 hours a week
• work in salons that offer  nail sculpturing services

You can however take the following steps to reduce your risk

• make sure your work area is well ventilate
• do not eat or drink in the work area
• work protective gloves

 
Overall hair treatment is considered safe during pregnancy. You may however want to wait until after the first trimester to do it. You can also opt for natural options such as pure vegetable dyes or just get highlights. You can  decide to wait until after pregnancy to get any hair treatment. If you are unsure about hair treatment during pregnancy, discuss it with your health care provider.