Hair Dye Right Before Conceiving

Updated on July 13, 2010
J.H. asks from Sunnyvale, CA
12 answers

I dye my hair with permanent dye about 2 weeks before I conceived, is it going to affect my baby development?

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S.B.

answers from Kansas City on

no, hair dye does not effect the baby. The only concern is if you do it when pregnant in a not well ventilated area, and are breathing in the fumes. There is no evidence whatsoever of hair dye affecting an unborn baby.

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H.C.

answers from Hartford on

No, I colored my hair during my pregnancy and my daughter is perfectly healthy and very bright. I asked my ob if it was ok and she gave me the go ahead. She said the baby will be fine as long as you don't drink the dye.

1 mom found this helpful
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D.P.

answers from Pittsburgh on

I second the "What to Expect" book series. Relax. Your baby will be just fine. Imagine how many people that happens to!

G.K.

answers from San Francisco on

There's no evidence that shows that using hair dye has any affect during pregnancy. I colored my hair several times during both my pregnancies with no adverse affects.

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A.T.

answers from Stockton on

no - hair dye is o.k. but you shouldn't get a perm because the chemicals can pass through your scalp. You should avoid acrylic nails too.

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D.S.

answers from San Francisco on

J., I am the mother of 5 and I can tell you that I have colored my hair before ,during and just the day before delivery once and it has not done a thing to harm my children.
It is great that you are being careful, and believe me you need to be but don't get caught up in the trap of not doing things you like for fear it will hurt your child. Enjoy this time of wonderment and Congradulations on the baby.

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J.P.

answers from Jackson on

nope, and they've come a long way with hair dye. A couple of my girlfriends doctors have even told them it's okay to get their hair done every couple months during pregnancy. Don't sweat the small stuff or you will have a rough pregnancy.....and I thought "what to expect when your expecting" was a great book.

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P.G.

answers from Dallas on

Nope - you'll be fine. You can find the "what to expect when you're expecting" at the regular bookstore, library, and half-price-books (if they're in your area). It's a great resource for keeping your sanity while pregnant. And remember, every pregnancy is different - the book will talk about ALL kinds of symptoms, issues, and you may have NONE of them at all. Relax and enjoy!

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J.Y.

answers from San Francisco on

It seems unanimous! The answer is no. Phew! I, too did this and worried about it afterwards. I was told it was okay. I had healthy babies who have continued to be healthy and bright.

The real answer to this question though, is do it now because you won't get much of a chance once the baby is born! :) Bless you and your baby and hope it all goes beautifully!

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E.M.

answers from Bakersfield on

Hi Mama-
I am not sure what hair dye does to babies in the womb, but I do reccommend staying away from it as much as possible. Chemicals sink in to your body, and through your head/scalp, they have access to more blood vessels and circulation than anywhere else.
If you really must dye, go to a health food or homeopathic store and get a henna based or chemical free dye. It comes in ALOT of colors now, and doesn't cost a whole lot more. And, the perk is that you can color without worrying about the adverse effects because this is a still an issue while breastfeeding, etc.
Good luck-
I hope this helps
-E. M

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R.P.

answers from Sacramento on

I hate to be a wet blanket, and I also subscribe to "it is what it is" (also known as "what's done is done"). These women who are answering this question are not chemists. They do not understand just how things are absorbed by the body. Did you know you will absorb more toxins taking a ten minute shower than drinking 5 cups of that same water? My point is that we do so many things everyday that harm our bodies and our planet. I'm not different. I have, however, tried to educate myself as much as I can and try make a difference every day--little things like unscented and dye free soaps, laundry detergent and dryer sheets, etc. No scented plug-ins or car fresheners are ever allowed in my life again. Please try to make the best choices you can for your pregnancy--that includes becoming educated about what you are using on yourself and in your home (food is an obvious here...I'm talking about the rest of it). For these women to say that their babies were fine is not true. We cannot say for sure why our children are having issues with autism, asthma, ADD, allergies, etc. It's wishful thinking to pretend that we can use all of these chemicals and that magically our own bodies will not absorb them and certainly won't let toxins get into our growing baby. Just because they have 10 fingers and 10 toes doesn't mean that we can do whatever we want and not have it effect them. Our babies are being born pre-polluted. I cried when I was pregnant and found this out--that my baby would have man-made chemicals in his blood stream before he was even born...about 300 of them. Watch this video--not to make you cry or freak you out, but to educate you and compel you to learn more and do everything you can for the rest of this precious pregnancy. The main site is ewg.org and has a fantastic (and free) section on there (Skin Deep) where you can look up things like your deodorant and toothpaste. The point is to make better choices, not to become afraid and stop using products all together (phew!). The video's direct link is:
http://www.ewg.org/kid-safe-chemicals-act-blog/kid-safe-c...
After learning all of this I was resolved that I would do the best I could for my baby growing inside me--no nail polish, no scented lotion, no Teflon pans, etc. It all adds up. Another incredible source of information and inspiration was a book, "The Complete Organic Pregnancy" by Deirdre Dolan and Alexandra Zissu. It encourages you to do what you can without going overboard (like ripping up your carpet or replacing your mattress), but instead little things like I mentioned above. They give you the reason to avoid certain things and offer alternatives. It's not an exaggeration to say that this book not only changed the way I went through pregnancy, but also has had lasting effects on how I live my life (kids are 4 and 2 now). My only regret is that I didn't have this book for the first pregnancy--I felt terrible that I did things unknowingly with my first. But like the wonderful poet, Maya Angelou says, "When you know better you do better". You will do wonderfully growing your baby--you have already shown you care and that you know that what you consume, breathe in, and absorb matters. Good luck with your precious little one, J.!

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S.R.

answers from San Francisco on

The answer is no it is not going to affect your baby. You had dyed your hair before conceiving. I would recommend not dying while pregnant but you had done it 2 weeks before hand. I had also dyed my hair just before finding out I was pregnant and my pregnancy and baby were both fine.

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