If hair
dye is safe why am I told not to color my hair during the
first trimester?
Even though
there has not been any evidence of hair dye causing birth
defects, we are just not sure of it’s safety. The first
trimester is when all of your baby’s major organs are
forming. Your doctor may recommend postponing coloring your
hair until you are in your second trimester or avoiding hair
coloring all together.
In 1978,
the FDA proposed warning labels on hair dye that contained
two coal-tar ingredients. Researchers from the National Cancer
Institute in Bethesda, MD found that rodents that were fed
these compounds from coal-tar in certain hair dyes were more
likely to develop cancer than rodents that were not fed these
compounds. In this study rodents were fed large amounts of
these compounds, more than what anyone would ingest. It also
did not assess the risks of these components being applied
to the skin. Other studies on hair dye have shown that only
a small percentage of hair dye is actually absorbed through
the scalp and gets into the body. Manufacturers have stopped
making their hair dye with these ingredients but many have
been replaced with compounds with similar structures.
Can hair
dye be absorbed into my skin and hurt my baby?
Only a
small amount of hair dye gets absorbed through the skin. This
amount is so small that it is not thought to be harmful to
baby. The research that is available does not show any evidence
of birth defects related to using hair dye. Animal studies
have been done with doses 100 times higher than what you would
use on your hair. These studies have not shown any abnormal
fetal development or birth defects in animals. There have
been so few studies on hair dye and human pregnancy that we
just don’t have enough information to say whether or
not hair dye could be dangerous in human pregnancies.
Safety
tips for coloring your hair during pregnancy
- Avoid coloring your hair during the first trimester.
- Choose a hair dye that will stay on your scalp for
the least amount of time as possible.
- Wear gloves when you color your hair.
- Rinse your hair thoroughly after coloring your hair.
- Highlight or frost your hair instead. Since the chemicals
are not applied directly to your scalp, less hair dye
will be absorbed through your skin.
- Use natural hair dyes such as henna. Henna is a vegetable
dye and is considered to be safe to use during pregnancy.
