Dyeing Your Hair While Pregnant: Is It Safe?

Once you find out you’re having a baby, pregnancy books and obstetricians will give you lists of things to avoid. Think: contact sports, chemical sunscreens, store-bought sushi. But what about dying your hair while pregnant? Can you keep the habit of stressing even when you expect it?

Unfortunately, the answer isn’t exactly, well, cut and dry. “Not much data” Dr. Catherine Caponero, DO, an obstetrician and gynecologist at the Cleveland Clinic, tells SheKnows. That’s because you won’t see many pregnant women enrolling in a study that could potentially harm their baby. “However, the limited data we have [from] “Animal tests show that it’s relatively safe to dye hair during pregnancy,” says Caponero. While scientists don’t know the exact risks to humans, experts will tell you it’s okay to dye your hair with a little one growing in your belly.

How to dye your hair as safely as possible during pregnancy

Whether you’re going to the salon or doing a DIY dye job at home, there are a few steps you can take to reduce potential dangers of dyeing your hair while pregnant.

Wait until the second trimester (or later)

To be extra safe, Caponero recommends waiting until week 13 or later — aka the second or third trimester — to dye your hair. “In general with pregnancy, avoiding things during the first trimester when all the baby’s organs are developing is ideal,” she says.

Minimize fumes

Make sure the salon is well ventilated or try to go outside if you are coloring your hair at home. A pregnant nose can be very sensitive to smells and strong fumes can make you feel nauseous or give you headaches. “It’s also the question, what are the effects of these hormonal disruptions that we just don’t know enough about?” says Caponero.

Wear gloves if you dye your hair

Try to limit the amount of dye that touches your skin. Caponero points this out a recent study linked long-term use of chemical hair relaxers to uterine cancer. “Similar studies are being evaluated on, Are these chemicals causing hormone disruption? And if so, could that affect the baby?’ she says. Until we have those answers or know the impact of hair dye specifically, it’s best to keep these chemicals off your skin by wearing gloves, especially when you’re pregnant.

Consider the type of paint

If you’re concerned about the carcinogenic dangers of dyes, Caponero says temporary dyes are a bit safer to use. “Those that are ammonia-free, paraben-free, or peroxide-free can also be helpful in reducing the baby’s risk of other complications or problems,” she says.

Use the least amount of paint

If you’re doing your hair at home, most packages will come with instructions suggesting a range of time to leave the dye in. Caponero says that when you’re pregnant, you should stick to the lower end of this recommendation. “We encourage people to use the lowest possible dose to minimize the risk to the baby,” she says.

Maybe skip the dye if your skin may have microtears

If you have eczema, psoriasis, or another skin condition that causes microtears in the skin, Caponero says you may want to wait until after delivery to keep your baby as safe as possible. “There aren’t really any great studies on what complications or problems could happen,” he says. But you’ll avoid any potential danger by skipping dyes altogether.

Dyeing Your Hair While Breastfeeding: Is It Safe?

Once you give birth to your little one, you may be willing to cover up those roots if you do I have she has avoided dyes for the past nine months. Although there is no research on dyeing hair while breastfeeding, Caponero says that in theory it should be safer than during pregnancy. “When you’re pregnant, you’re sharing a blood supply with the baby, so whatever goes into your blood goes into the baby’s blood,” she says. “When you’re breastfeeding, everything gets diluted because it has to go through your bloodstream to then get into breast milk.” Just try to keep the baby away from any fumes if you can.

Before you go, check out these pregnancy bed rest essentials: