Coloring hair when you're pregnant

[luvhair]

My sister is pregnant and has always colored her hair. She is concerned now to color her hair while pregnant - she read somewhere on the internet that this could be dangerous to the baby. Is this true?

[Shorty]

I usually just high-light my hair and now that I am pregnant I won't do it until after I have given birth. I didn't get it done when I was pregnant with my daughter either. I had heard also that it is not safe to do when pregnant so I am not taking any chances. It wouldn't be worth it to me to take a risk like that especially when you aren't 100% sure that it is safe. It isn't that long to wait until after the baby is born plus it will give your sister an excuse to get out of the house for a while after the baby is born and treat herself to something special.

[Sweetcakes]

I have always heard this too. I don't color my hair and didn't even set foot into a salon when I was pregnant. She might want to ask her OB-GYN if it's safe. If not, then I'm sure he/she can tell your sister why. I had always heard not to go to the dentist either, but my niece had dental work done when she was pregnant.

[Toni]

Fear of anything getting into the bloodstream sends off warnings to us as we know whatever the mother has in her system, she shares it with the baby. As a precaution, mothers are being advised more and more to stay away from perms and hair color since things get absorbed in your skin which are not necessarily harmful to you yet research is warning about birth defects. While I'm uncertain of results, common sense tells us that 'something' is causing birth defects so why take chances?

Besides, your body is a little out of sync when you have those raging hormones going and a lot of times, perms and color would turn out strange or at least uneven anyway. So why jeopardize the baby for a chance at unsatisfactory results? Take care of your (and that child's!!) health first.

So personally, I advise moms-to-be to realize that nine months is not that long to wait. And if they are nursing, I give them the same advice.

[Jules]

My father is a doctor and he has also advised not going to a salon and getting your nails done. The fumes in there could harm the baby. I was in a salon just last week getting a pedicure and I could not believe how strong the smell was in there. I almost wanted to wear one of those masks the workers were wearing.

[carrot]

Yes I agree with everyone! I wouldn't take a chance and color her hair, because I would be concerned about the fumes, not the color absorbtion. She can live with dull hair for a little while!