During pregnancy, most women change their lifestyle to be healthy and to preserve that of their future baby. If refraining from drinking alcohol and adopting a balanced diet are self-evident reflexes, the visit to the hairdresser divides when you color your hair. Some keep their tincture, others abandon it as a precaution. But is hair coloring really dangerous during pregnancy?
For many women, coloring is an essential service when visiting the hairdresser. Whether it is out of habit to barter her natural color for another, or to camouflage her first gray hair, it is then difficult to stop dyeing her hair during pregnancy. Still, it looks like it should be done because of the chemicals in hair dyes. Let us unravel the true from the false in order to know whether coloring hair during pregnancy is really dangerous or not.
It is natural to fear the effect that the ingredients of the colorings could have on her future child. After all, it's well known that it takes a lot of chemicals to turn our hair from blonde to brown or to cover up our graying hair. Pregnant women, in particular, are afraid of endangering the health of their babies with their hair dyes. But does coloring – whether done at the hairdresser or at home – really introduce chemicals into the body?
Does coloring pass chemicals through the body?
Whether it's eyeshadows, nail polish or shampoos: substances in beauty and hygiene products should never enter the human body. Fortunately, hair dyes must also meet this requirement. In recent years, they have therefore been subjected to strict tests to obtain marketing rights.
Although there is no specific obligation to guarantee that use during pregnancy is safe, manufacturers must guarantee the safety of users. Cosmetic products which present a recognized risk for health must therefore not be placed on the market, and this also and especially applies to hair colorings.
Dyeing your hair during pregnancy: a taboo?
Is hair dye completely safe for pregnant women and their unborn children? The answer is no. If there is currently no recognized danger associated with dyeing hair during pregnancy, studies are lacking. And just because something hasn't yet been determined or proven doesn't mean it doesn't exist. We sometimes hear it said that the chemicals in colorings (such as ammonia and formalin to name a few) are likely to pass through the scalp and through the respiratory tract, and to pass through the bloodstream to cross the placenta barrier. The precautionary principle therefore suggests not to color when you are pregnant.
On the other hand, dyeing her hair carries another risk for pregnant women: that of allergies. "Hair dyes can cause severe allergic reactions", as the warning label on the package insert for each coloring, dyeing or bleaching product warns.
This is why the manufacturers recommend carrying out an allergy test 48 hours before applying the dye. For this, it is necessary to dab a small area of skin, for example behind the ear or on the inside of the wrist, with the pure color (without fixative). If nothing itches or burns afterwards, the risk of the dye triggering an allergy is virtually eliminated. The risk of triggering such an allergy would be particularly threatening for pregnant women, because pregnancy would prevent them from being treated properly (due to the potential toxicity of drugs on the fetus).
Possible alternatives on a natural basis
The good news for pregnant women who want to color their hair without risking their safety or that of their child is that there are alternatives to conventional hair dyes.
> Vegetable colors:
They are made from natural ingredients, such as bark and plant leaves or henna powder. Note, however, that metal salts are often added to their compositions. Unlike conventional colors, these natural colors do not penetrate the hair, their pigments surround and sheath the hair fiber. Also, the coloring occurs on the scalp, but its components do not pass into the bloodstream. Vegetable coloring is therefore possible during pregnancy. The risk of developing an allergy is also lower with this type of coloring.
Although these products are not harmful to health, it is important to know – before making one – that these pigments remain on the hair and therefore make it impossible to dye them with chemical dyes afterwards. At least without having to go through the hairdresser box to perfectly remove makeup from the pigments with products that will be chemical.
Important: Natural does not mean harmless. Pay attention to henna-based colors from non-European countries. They often contain paraphenylenediamine or PPD, a substance classified as harmful to health.
You can find a selection of different vegetable hair colors here on Amazon.
> Coloring shampoos:
These are shampoos that contain coloring pigments capable of reviving the color. By refreshing the dye of dull hair, they can also hide some white hair, or even some regrowth at the roots. Their coloring action is superficial and temporary, it can last from a few weeks to several months depending on the shampoos. It fades over the washings.
You can find different coloring shampoos here on Amazon.
> Coloring sprays for touching up roots:
They are applied at the level of the famous "bar" that the roots form when the hair has grown back after coloring, to temporarily hide the latter. They can also be applied to the edges of the face, always at the roots, to camouflage white hair and regrowth when the hair is tied. Their effect is similar to that of makeup and lasts until the next wash.
L'Oréal Paris, for example, offers many shades of root touch-up sprays in its Magic Retouch range, where each spray is sold for € 10 per unit.
Pregnant women and coloring: our conclusion
Many pregnant women choose the safest option and avoid dyeing their hair with chemicals during their pregnancy, but also during breastfeeding. In this way, any residual risk can be excluded and the capillary beauty does not in any way harm the safety of the unborn child.
Thanks to the alternatives to chemical dyes, it is however possible to find a compromise with the usual coloring processes. So, you won't necessarily need to display your gray hair or roots during your pregnancy.
If you still want to dye your hair, don't forget to take the allergy test – even if you've already done it with the same color. During pregnancy, the hormonal balance and the quality of the hair changes. As a result, not only may the color rendering be different, but your sensitivity to allergies may also be increased.
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Read also :
– SOS: what to do in case of white hair?
– Hair color trends 2020
– Hair loss after pregnancy: everything you need to know